FOSTERING HEALTH AND WELLNESS IS PARAMOUNT DURING THIS PANDEMIC. THE PRIMARY GOAL IS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM THE THREAT OF SARS-COV-2. BUT APART FROM YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH, YOU MUST ALSO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND OVERALL WELL-BEING. THAT IS WHERE ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES COME INTO THE PICTURE.
AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ENTAILS MEDICAL PRACTICES AND PRODUCTS THAT AREN’T CONSIDERED CONVENTIONAL. CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE REFERS TO THE REGULAR DIAGNOSES AND TREATMENTS OF ILLNESSES AND INJURIES. ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE EXPLORES OTHER MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE OPTIONS. THEY CAN BE EFFECTIVE IN TREATING DISEASES AND IMPROVING OVERALL HEALTH CONDITIONS.
THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE TO EXPLORE. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THESE:
- HOLISTIC MEDICINE
HOLISTIC MEDICINE COVERS AN INDIVIDUAL’S BODY, MIND, EMOTIONS, AND SPIRIT. HENCE, THE NAME. ITS MEDICINE PHILOSOPHY LEANS TOWARDS FOSTERING OPTIMAL HEALTH AND ENSURING OVERALL WELL-BEING. IT AIMS TO ACHIEVE A BALANCE THAT INCLUDES ALL ASPECTS: PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL ASPECTS.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOLISTIC MEDICINE YOU CAN EXPLORE DURING THIS PANDEMIC. THESE INCLUDE AYURVEDA, HOMEOPATHY, AND NATUROPATHY, AMONG OTHERS.
ORIGINATED IN INDIA, AYURVEDA AIMS TO FIND THE EQUILIBRIUM IN THE THREE ASPECTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S BODY: VATA, PITTA, AND KAPHA. ALSO, HOMEOPATHY SEEKS TO RESTORE THE FLOW OF THE BODY’S NATURAL LIFE FORCE. LASTLY, NATUROPATHY FOCUSES ON THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF DISEASE USING THE BODY’S HEALING ABILITIES.
- NATURAL MEDICINE
NATURAL MEDICINE INVOLVES THE USE OF BIOLOGICALLY-BASED THERAPIES TO TREAT AN INDIVIDUAL. IT ENTAILS USING NATURAL SUBSTANCES TO FIGHT OFF ILLNESSES AND ALLEVIATE A PATIENT’S HEALTH CONDITION. AS SUCH, IT’S BEST TO VISIT A WELLNESS CENTER SO THAT A CREDIBLE ALTERNATIVE PHYSICIAN CAN PROVIDE SOME NATURAL MEDICINE RECOMMENDATIONS.
ONE TYPE OF NATURAL MEDICINE IS HERBAL MEDICINE, WHICH USES CERTAIN PLANT PARTS (ROOTS, LEAVES, FRUITS, AND FLOWERS) FOR HEALTH TREATMENT AND HEALING. EVEN NATURAL PRODUCTS AND SUPPLEMENTS, WHICH HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR, ARE CONSIDERED NATURAL MEDICINE.
- BODY-BASED MEDICINE
BODY-BASED MEDICINE IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE — MANIPULATING THE BODY TO TREAT OVERALL HEALTH. THE IDEA IS THAT THE BODY WITH INTERDEPENDENT PARTS CAN HEAL ITSELF.
SOME MANIPULATION TECHNIQUES ARE PERFORMED ON AN INDIVIDUAL’S BODY TO PROMOTE HEALING AND HEALTH ALLEVIATION. IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO GET THESE TYPES OF THERAPIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC.
THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF BODY-BASED MEDICINE IS MASSAGE THERAPY, WHICH ALMOST EVERYONE GETS FOR RELAXATION. ANOTHER TYPE IS CHIROPRACTIC SERVICE, WHERE A REPUTABLE CHIROPRACTOR DIAGNOSES AND TREATS NEUROMUSCULAR DISORDERS LIKE SPINE PROBLEMS. LASTLY, CUPPING IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE, WHICH INVOLVES HEATING A CUP AND PLACING IT ON AN INDIVIDUAL’S SKIN TO PROMOTE HEALING.
- MIND AND BODY MEDICINE
THIS ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE TYPE DELVES INTO THE IDEA THAT THE MIND AFFECTS THE BODY. YOUR MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH. IF YOU’RE STRESSED AND OVERWHELMED, YOU WILL MOST LIKELY GET SICK.
IN PROMOTING HEALTH AND WELLNESS, THERE MUST BE AN EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN THE MIND AND THE BODY. HENCE, IT’S BEST TO SEEK AN ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE PHYSICIAN WHO CAN INCORPORATE BOTH THE MIND AND BODY FOR IMPROVING HEALTH CONDITIONS.
WHEN IT COMES TO MIND-AND-BODY TECHNIQUES, MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS HAVE PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE BY MANY INDIVIDUALS. ANOTHER TYPE IS THE RELAXATION TECHNIQUE, WHICH IS PRECISELY WHAT IT IS. LASTLY, ALTERNATIVE DOCTORS USE HYPNOSIS WITH AN ADVANCED STATE OF RELAXATION TO HYPNOTIZE A PERSON, EXPLORE THE SUBCONSCIOUS, AND ADDRESS ANY PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE.
- ENERGY THERAPY
ENERGY THERAPY TAPS THE PERSON’S ENERGY IN DIFFERENT BODY PARTS (CALLED BIOFIELDS) FOR HEALTH TREATMENT. IT EMPLOYS THE USE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS TO FOSTER FASTER HEALING.
THE IDEA IS THAT THERE IS A UNIVERSAL LIFE FORCE WITH ENERGIES ALSO RESIDING IN AND AROUND EVERY INDIVIDUAL’S BODY. HOWEVER, ENERGY THERAPY HAS YET TO BE SUPPORTED BY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, ALTHOUGH MANY ANECDOTAL CLAIMS SUPPORT ITS EFFICACY.
ONE OF THE OLDEST FORMS OF ENERGY THERAPY IS ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT, WHICH ORIGINATED IN CHINA. THIS THERAPY INVOLVES STICKING NEEDLES VIA THE SKIN IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE BODY. ANOTHER TYPE IS REIKI WHICH ENTAILS HARNESSING THE BODY’S NATURAL ENERGY TO PROMOTE HEALING. THE TECHNIQUE INVOLVES HOVERING THE HANDS OVER THE PERSON’S BODY OR TOUCHING THE SKIN LIGHTLY. LASTLY, MAGNETIC FIELD THERAPY ADDRESSES MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS USING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC FIELDS.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS MUST BE DEEMED A TOP PRIORITY DURING THIS PANDEMIC. APART FROM GETTING THE REGULAR MEDICAL DIAGNOSES AND TREATMENTS, CONSIDER EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS MENTIONED ABOVE. HOWEVER, MAKE SURE TO CONSULT WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN TO SEE IF THESE OPTIONS ARE GOOD FOR YOU. DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO ENSURE YOUR OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLNESS.
