Reflexology Expectations

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Reflexology can bring your body to a state of well-being!

The practice of reflexology is meant to bring your body to a state of well-being. Only in this state is your body able to heal itself and perform at an optimal level. If your body is full of toxins, your immune system is severely compromised, making you much more likely to succumb to sickness and disease.

Once you have made the decision to visit a trained reflexologist, you may be wondering what you can expect from him or her. You may also be asking yourself, what if I am embarrassed about my feet, or my feet are ticklish, how will I be able to handle the therapy? All of these are good questions.

Don’t worry about how your feet look. All feet are different and there is nothing to be ashamed about. The only possible thing that might come up in direct relation to the appearance of your feet may be if you have a severe problem with corns or the like. In this case, your reflexologist may recommend treatment options.

Ticklish feet are not usually a problem for a reflexologist. Once pressure is applied, the sensation will quickly turn from a tickle to massage and you should be ok. Very, and I mean very few people that claim to have ticklish feet are unable to go through with the therapy.

Your therapy session will begin with a questionnaire or one on one question and answer session. This is, of course to get your personal history and determine where your therapy should be most concentrated. For example, if you are going in suffering from frequent migraines and neck pain, your reflexologist will concentrate on the areas of the feet and sometimes the hands, in areas that deal with the head and neck. Of course, you will be treated in all areas of the feet. In order to bring your body to a state of well-being, you must detoxify your organs and this is exactly what happens during reflexology therapy. Although reflexology is proven to be beneficial for a multitude of problems, your reflexologist cannot diagnose or claim to cure any diseases. They are not medically trained to do so.

After the initial interview, your ears, feet and hands will probably be thoroughly looked over for discolorations and tender spots. According to the theories reflexology stems from, these things can be warning signs that correlating body parts are not functioning as they should.

At this point the therapy will begin. It will usually start with rubbing of the ears, hands or feet and then will turn into pressing. It closely mimics acupuncture, but without needles. By pressing in certain areas of the feet, hands and even the ears, the brain will send signals and release neurochemicals to stop pain and relieve tension.

Probably one of the biggest expectations is relaxation. It is true that you will become very relaxed during the therapy. It is one of the single most powerful ways to relax and eliminate stress in your body. Once you try it you will be a believer.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Reflexology.

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What Types of Massage Therapy are Best for You?

Monday, April 21st, 2008

There are many types of massage therapy. Almost everyone can benefit from massage therapy whether they are young or old, sick or healthy, male or female. Massage’s benefits can range from simple relaxation to healing. Which massage therapies are available, and how can they benefit you?

Massage therapy techniques can help a person to heal better by aiding the person’s ability to heal. It can help with headaches and help to relieve tension and stress. It is truly remarkable the healing power of touch and massage. There are many massage techniques and complementary therapies and we will explore some of them briefly here.

What are some of the main categories of massage professions?

  • Medical massage
  • Energy massage

What are some of the therapies that complement massage?

  • Osteopathy
  • Aromatherapy
  • Reflexology

While these are a few of the complementary therapies to go with massage the two main professions can further be divided by specializations and uses. Some of the medical profession uses massage to assist with:

  • Sports healing
  • Certain stretching massages with exercise
  • Orthopedic
  • Massage that is for the neuromuscular area

There are massage techniques focused on energy in the body. These include:

  • Touch therapy
  • Reiki
  • Polarity which can be a combination of touch and polarity

There are many types of massages that can be used by a professional therapist for general problems, as well as therapists who practice only a specific therapy. What are some of the massage therapies and what do they seek to accomplish in general? Let’s take a look.

Some oriental massage therapies are:

  • Acupressure: is based on acupuncture only it doesn’t utilize any needles at all and utilizes some deep tissue massage with pressure being applied along certain points or areas of the body. However it does not normally use any lotions or oils.
  • Shiatsu: the goal is to combine some acupressure and some massage and is focused somewhat on relieving discomfort and balancing one’s energy.

In addition to the above, there are a number of other well-known techniques:

  • One of the most basic massages is Swedish massage. It utilizes long and basically gentle strokes that can be used on all the various groups of muscles. It is mainly used to help ease and relieve tension and is known for improving circulation.
    Along the same lines as Swedish massage is relaxation massage as it utilizes a flowing and smooth technique.
  • There is workplace massage.
  • A very specific massage of therapeutic value to the cranium called Cranial Sacral massage therapy. This is applied to the neck and the head.
  • A very medical application called remedial massage. It emphasizes a paramedical treatment that helps to achieve the restoration of and function of the soft tissue such as ligaments, tendons, muscles that have been injured. This utilizes many types of massage and includes self treatment at home.
  • To achieve a balance in the body there is a therapy that uses the reflex points in the feet. These points have matching or corresponding areas in the body. The therapist or if doing this yourself will apply pressure to these points with the thumb and fingers.
  • Certain massage therapies can be benefited or enhanced with the healing powers of essential oils and this would be called aromatherapy massage.

The massage therapy that involves deep tissue massage has several different massage techniques that apply some of the methods used in deep tissue massage. Deep tissue massage involves many different types of strokes and involved some of these techniques such as;

  • Sports massage
  • Massage of the Connective Tissue
  • trigger point therapy
  • Neuromuscular massage Techniques
  • Finally, there is Hot Stone Massage which helps to increase blood flow to the muscles and is sometime used in conjunction with a Pilates workout.

There are many uses for massage therapy. Find a technique that helps you achieve overall well-being and helps you achieve the health goal you seek. Even a massage from a good pal will be beneficial.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.

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Pain Relief Therapies with Shiatsu

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

Shiatsu is a holistic and alternative pain relief therapy. Shiatsu can benefit a person suffering from a variety of diseases and disorders.

Many turn to the practice of shiatsu for everything from anxiety to endometriosis. While shiatsu is an excellent practice, there are other therapies that are closely linked to shiatsu that might prove just as beneficial. Let us take a look at five other alternative therapies that work very well.

Acupressure. Acupressure has been used successfully in China and Japan for over 3,000 years. This is a form of therapy that makes use of the combination of acupuncture and massage, and may have been a precursor to shiatsu in Japan. When acupressure is done the practitioner massages the points on the body deemed as acupoints as firmly as possible with his fingertip or thumb. The pressure exerted from acupressure can be done in more than one way. Some acupressure practitioners use their fingers while others use their thumb, the palms of their hands and even their knees in some cases. How soon a person will experience relief from pain depends on the cause of the pain. Chronic persistent types of health problems will take longer to show Improvement while other problems can show Improvement fairly quickly.

Do-In is a type of alternative therapy is an excellent precursor to an acupressure treatment. Do-In is a system that utilizes stretches, exercises, beginner acupressure techniques and special breathing techniques. This is an excellent way to start with alternative health therapy if you are new these natural ways of healing.

Acu-yoga combines yoga with acupressure for pain relief. In this case yoga postures are used In order to stimulate acupressure points on the body. In this practice the entire body is used for this relaxation and not just the hands. Acu-yoga is meant to be done at home. The yoga stretches are particularly good if you want to get to hard-to-reach spots on your body and your back.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a Japanese method of acupressure that you can do yourself. Jin Shin is not about massage. Rather, it uses cradling or touching the body for pain relief. The aim of this practice is to calm and harmonize the body as well as the spirit and mind. This is done by way of touching what are known as 26 “safety energy locks” that are located in the human body along various energy pathways. A Jin Shin Jyutsu can even involve cradling or a combination of touches or it can be as basic as holding one or two fingers over certain parts of the body.

Zen shiatsu is a strenuous involved practice that incorporates yoga-like stretches and mediation on a daily basis. Zen is a type of Buddhism that got its start In Japan. The yoga-like stretches are designed to open up the meridians of the body. Practitioners of this alternative therapy also may use of heavy pressure on their body and they put their entire body weight into relaxing the muscles. This kind of vigorous shiatsu cannot be done at home—it takes a practitioner several years to become proficient.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.

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The Forms of Therapeutic Massage

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

Massage therapy has been practiced for thousands of years. There are tomb paintings from the Egyptians that show people being massaged. Massage counts among one of the oldest and simplest forms of medical care. A book written 2700 years before the birth of Christ recommended breathing exercises and massage of the flesh and skin. Massage was use by both the Greek and Romans as a way to relieve pain. It was said that Julius Caesar had daily massages to relieve symptoms of neuralgia. Hippocrates wrote, “Rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid.”

Shiatsu massage, also known as acupressure is sometimes confused with acupuncture. Both are based on the Chinese meridian system, but there are no needles involved in shiatsu massage. The therapist applies pressure with thumbs, fingers, and palms to specific parts of the body. The spots are determined during a physical assessment by the massage therapist. Then, various parts of the body are tapped, squeezed, rubbed, and have pressure applied to unblock energy are increase the flow of energy.

Shiatsu massage will benefit you in the following ways:

  • Releases toxins from the body
  • Deep tissue and muscle relaxation
  • Increased flexibility
  • Reduces blood pressure
  • Reduces stress
  • Prevents disease
  • Reduces mental anxieties
  • Increases physical and mental awareness

The massage therapist knows which part of the body to massage and manipulate with the fingers to allow stress reduction, ease mental anxieties, and all the benefits listed above.

Massage has been incorporated with other forms of holistic and complementary therapies. Massage therapists are using touch and therapeutic massage with aromatherapy and reflexology.

Hot stone massage is another form of therapeutic therapy and is useful for promoting deep muscle and tissue relaxation, ease stress, calm the mind, improve circulation, and relieve pain. There are certain physical conditions treated by hot stone massage. They are back pain, muscle aches and pains, insomnia, depression, arthritis, and fibromylagia. Hot stone massage may also help with circulatory problems. Hot stones are place on specific sites on the client’s body to help open the “energy pathways.” Hot stones may also be used to release tension in the muscles before a deep tissue massage is administered.

Massage therapy has been given a bad name because of the reputation that “massage parlors” have received. That image is being replaced as more people understand the difference between a massage parlor and a true massage–the benefits and the value of therapeutic massage. Massage is now being used in hospital intensive care units, for newborn babies and children, as well as patients with AIDS and cancer. Most American hospitals and hospices offer some form of massage therapy to benefit their patients. Massage is often offered in pain clinics, drug treatment centers, and other health centers.

Another form of therapeutic touch is the healing touch. A touch can mean love and caring and is a basic instinct we are born with. You can practice healing touch by holding hands, hands on healing, nurturing with your hands, and by healing touch. Remember that reaching out to touch someone is an action that shows others that you love and care for them.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Massage Therapy.


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Getting Through the Flu with Alternative Medicine

Monday, March 24th, 2008

Although alternative medicine is not often regulated by the government, it offers new avenues that may not be explored by conventional medicine. Some people have obtained relief from difficult ailments by utilizing a wide variety of holistic medicines. The flu is one of those ailments whose symptoms prove difficult to treat with conventional remedies.

While there are many medications that work wonders against the flu and its symptoms, there is no quick cure. By keeping informed about alternative treatments, and perhaps trying a few, you may find something that works well. If enough people find alternative treatments that relieve them of their ailments, eventually contemporary medicine will embrace these treatments; thus making them more available to others.

Acupuncture is the perfect example of a treatment that has gone from being considered quackery to a position where its practitioners are licensed, and insurance carriers will pay for treatments. The related form, acupressure (which does not use needles), is fast gaining ground as a viable means of treating a wide variety of symptoms. While the flu cannot be cured by acupressure, its symptoms can be alleviated. Below are examples of some acupressure points that can help relieve flu symptoms. Use your fingertips to apply pressure to the following areas for three minutes.

  1. The point where the bridge of your nose meets the ridge of your eyebrows. This point relieves itchy eyes and nasal congestion.
  2. The bottom of either the right or left cheekbone, directly under the pupil. It serves the same function as the first point.
  3. The hollows at the base of the skull, two inches apart from either side of the spine. This relieves eye strain and headaches.
  4. Massaging the feet increases blood circulation, thus providing for faster healing.

Aromatherapy is also gaining attention as a viable form of therapy. Many oils are known to have the capacity to boost the body’s immune system, and thus can be used as preventative measures. At the beginning of the flu season, you might want to try a drop of tea tree oil mixed with lemon and water and gargle each day. This gargle may help you fend off the flu virus altogether. If you begin to notice symptoms of the flu, you might want to try a few oils known to boost your immune system.

Essential oils like basil, peppermint, eucalyptus, and pine help to relive nasal congestion. These should be taken through steam inhalation. Basil and pine can also be used to relieve chest congestion, along with tea tree oil. These oils clear up mucus, easing breathing patterns. These oils can be rubbed over the chest or inhaled.

Muscle aches can be alleviated by tea tree oil, myrrh, and elemi. Pine can also help. These oils should be used in a bath. If you have a fever, try a lukewarm bath. If you have the chills, have a hot bath.

Hydrotherapy or promoting sweats went out of usage in conventional medicine many decades ago. At the time it was dismissed right along with leeches, and many other treatments. Whether or not hydrotherapy was truly useless, or even harmful, depends a great deal on whether or not the physicians of yore diagnosed correctly and employed this therapy correctly. Unfortunately we will never know the answer to that, as these doctors did not have the diagnostic tools that are available today. Indigenous people the world over have successfully used sweats for thousands of years. Perhaps hydrotherapy will make a comeback in conventional medicine, much as leeches are being reconsidered for their usefulness on some occasions.

When you have the flu, it is important to keep the feet warm at all times. It is no secret that a lower body temperature makes the body less resistant to viruses and bacteria. Thus, every effort must be made to keep warm. Many people have found their flu symptoms being alleviated by promoting sweat. Hot baths, hot foot-baths, and other heat therapies can do wonders. Among other thing, increased temperature at appropriate intervals increases circulation. Increased circulation translates to more white blood cells moving through infected areas, thus allowing them to get at and destroy the flu virus particles faster.

By trying these alternative cures, you just might discover ways to fight the flu faster and more easily. While these remedies may not be endorsed by practitioners of conventional medicine, discussing these alternatives with your physician can help him/her see that there are other options available. If they see it works, they too, will use it.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site.

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Infertile Couples Should Try Acupuncture

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

One of the most emotionally-charged medical issues that couples deal with today is infertility. This problem can drain a couple emotionally; it has been known to be the cause of many marital breakups. For those couples who love each other enough to make it through this issue, it can eat away at their finances as they try expensive fertility treatments, only some of which will wind up working. Thousands can be spent in the hopes of conceiving a baby and too often it is all for nothing. Now some couples are trying acupuncture to see if maybe that might provide a solution to their problem.

There are some limits to acupuncture when it comes to fertility treatments. An ethical and caring acupuncturist will tell their patients up front that acupuncture cannot cure all infertility problems. For example, if there is physical damage, then acupuncture is unable to help. Such problems are better handled by another kind of medical professional. But if the fertility specialist has told their patient that there appears to be nothing physically wrong, that they should be able to conceive, and the couple is still not successful in getting pregnant, it’s difficult to know where to turn. For these couples, acupuncture may be able to help them to conceive.

If the health care provider or fertility specialist tells you that there is damage to one or the other of your reproductive organs, listen to them. They may still have methods by which they can help a couple conceive, but acupuncture will be of no direct help. But there are methods of acupuncture that can be done, and have shown positive results when structural damage is not the issue.

In addition to the well-known needle treatments, the acupuncturist may also suggest the use of some herbal teas. The treatments for fertility, though obviously somewhat different in nature and extent, can be used for both men and women.

The treatments usually involve the placement needles in the earlobes, eyebrows, ears and fingertips. Once the needles have been inserted carefully in the correct points the patient will relax for around a half an hour. Some acupuncturists tell their patients it takes only a few treatments to make a difference while others say it could take a few months.

This method of treating female infertility is said to work because it rebalances the hormonal levels in the body. The acupuncture treatments are often in combination with the use of some herbs to reduce other hormone levels and help to regulate ovulation and so assist a woman to conceive.

The acupuncture treatments relieve stress. Often, when a couple is trying to conceive and do not have immediate success, the couple can come under a great deal of emotional pressure. This pressure can make it difficult conceive. In these cases, acupuncture alleviates stress and increases blood flow which can also help to retain the pregnancy if conception is successful.

Some people say that acupuncture is a desperate move by people desperate to have a baby. Yet it seems that all fertility treatment is exactly that and if something can help that is less financially and emotionally demanding then why not try it? It is safe, noninvasive and much less costly than most fertility treatments.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Fertility.


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Yoga Can Help Fight Depression

Friday, March 14th, 2008

There are a variety of relaxation techniques that are recommended for those who suffer from depression. They may not be a cure, but they should help to relax a person, depending on the type of exercises.

Exercise can help to relax a person and so potentially lessen stress, which can then lessen the feeling of depression. Some people like to do meditative exercises because they appear to help some feel more in control of their lives. Meditation helps depressives feel more like they are not being left behind by the world.

Some of the best of these meditative practices are yoga exercises. Yoga teachers will tell you that meditation highly benefits a person’s nervous system, while at the same time benefiting your circulation and energizing the body and mind. It is this energy that gives the depressive the feeling that they are finally able to manage the demands in their lives, especially those things that they feel get the better of them all too often.

It is recommended that someone suffering depression spend up to twenty minutes twice a day meditating and at least the same amount of time doing the exercises. The extra energy generated may be the first feeling to get up and go the depressive has had in a long time.

The expectation is that meditation will help to calm and heal the depressive and so allow for the depressed mood to diminish or disappear. If a regular routine of exercise can improve the life of the depressive even to a small degree then perhaps hand in hand with some natural supplement this may be a route worth examining closer.

Like the ancient art of acupuncture and its history with the Chinese, yoga stems from Hindu beliefs that began over five thousand years ago. It is a philosophy that aims to bring the person together within themselves into peace and happiness both on a physical and emotional level.

These ancient forms of repairing yourself seem to be things that in recent years are getting a more serious appraisal from researchers and health care providers. The breathing exercises are said to be some of the best for those suffering from depression, as they are both calming and energizing. The feeling among those who use these techniques is that the breathing exercises cause the body to take in the oxygen better and to get rid of the carbon monoxide more completely. They believe that this improves the brain’s activities including the releasing of natural feel good chemicals. These include oxytocin and endorphins.

If you want to learn more about these techniques start by talking to your health care provider. Then visit some websites on the Internet that is about both depression and yoga. Go to the library and find some of the books that have been written on using yoga to combat depression. Finally visit the local yoga teacher and explain your interest in taking classes. If you are satisfied with the reaction you get then begin classes with hopes for an improved outlook and better overall mood.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Depression.

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Try Acupuncture for Your Depression

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

In the continuing search for alternates to antidepressants those who suffer from depression are looking to acupuncture as one option. Acupuncture has its origins in Chinese medicines: it is the process by which a qualified therapist inserts thin needles into the skin at particular points with the intention of treating illnesses. This ancient art has been used for over three thousand years in China and many hundreds of years in other nearby Asian countries. It was carried to Europe by early physicians and by missionaries in the sixteen hundreds. But it was not until the 1970s before it had begun to be used and later accepted here.

One of the reasons that it is hard for Westerners to accept that acupuncture works is that the there is as much philosophy behind it as medical proof. The Chinese believe that the way to heal the body is to help it find a balance. They believe that if the body and the mind are not in balance that this is when illness can succeed. They include illnesses of the body and emotional illness like depression.

Studies have shown that acupuncture seems to work for dispelling depression or at least diminishing it. Some physicians will recommend it for their patients who suffer only mild to moderate depression, while others think that acupuncture works well for those who can trace their depressive episodes directly to stress. Still other health care providers will cautiously suggest its use but only if the patient continues on whatever medications they have been using.

So many people wonder how the acupuncturist knows where to put the tiny needles. The acupuncturist targets twelve main nerve pathways, called meridians. There are also eight lesser important pathways. Along these major and minor pathways are some two thousand of these pressure points that can be used depending on where the patient has pain or depression. All of these points are believed to channel energy, (called “chi” or ”qi”) between different parts of the body.

Some people in the medical community have a difficult time believing that sticking a bunch of needles into someone at places that seem unrelated to the medical issue could possibly do the patient any good. Ongoing studies are show that acupuncture does help. A recent study involving a small test group of around forty adult women individualized the acupuncture for each woman and continued for a period of two months. It began with the patient attending two times a week for the first month and then once a week for the second month. When the trial period was over, seventy percent of the patients had a minimum of fifty percent improvement in their symptoms of depression. This is considered at least as good, if not better, then the average results with therapy or perception pills.

There seems to still be much for Westerners to learn about the art of acupuncture but this should not discount its healing elements, especially with something as devastating as living with depression.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Depression.

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Relaxation is an Effective Technique for Anger Management

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Anger has been proved as a root cause for various problems like anxiety, heart attack, etc. But, as the saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way”. Among various techniques to control and manage anger, one very effective technique is relaxation. It can be done in many ways and makes your mind and body relaxed to relieve you from anger. One may need to learn the correct technique to get complete results.

Breathing

Controlled breathing is a very effective way of getting calmed down. The method has a logical reason behind it; anger makes us breathe faster, but if we just do the opposite of it, i.e. if we just start breathing slowly by taking deep breaths, the problem is solved even before it started. The important point to be noted is that you should take deep breaths, involving your diaphragm, not shallow breaths using just your chest. Next important thing to be followed is that the processes of inhaling and exhaling should be very slow.

Whispering soothing words like ‘calm down’ while exhaling even enhances the effectiveness of the technique. So, whenever you feel like getting angry on something, make a habit of taking in and out slow deep breaths to control yourself.

Imagery

This relaxation technique helps relaxing from anger and fills the person with positive feelings and calmness. This technique can be applied by someone else or by the person affected himself. It involves painting an imaginary picture of something you enjoy. It can be a scene of your favorite destination, having you there enjoying and smiling. Completely involve yourself in the scene and see yourself doing all the fun activities that you love to do. See your near and dear ones there. This will make you forget the tension and anger. In no time you will feel relaxed and smiling. This is the key to effectiveness of this technique. Our body and even our facial muscles become stiff on getting angry. Smiling, not only relaxes mind, but it relaxes our facial muscles as well.

Other Relaxation Techniques

Other than breathing and imagery techniques, there are various other ways too, to control anger and anxiety. For example, saying relaxing words to oneself in a low soothing voice, acupuncture, meditation, etc. These techniques just distract you for some time, from the situation that is making you angry, and gives you time to control your emotions and anger.

Before getting angry over some issue, try and clarify the matter with the person concerned. This may even solve the problem without your getting angry over it. Meditation is also very helpful in controlling anger. Concentrate and practice deep breathing, along with saying positive and relaxing words. Once you have controlled your anger, you have assured a happy life for yourself.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Anger Management.


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Acupuncture Can Help Women with Depression

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Women have a much harder time with depression symptoms than their male counterparts. Depression hits women for more reasons and during times when they cannot always do something about it. That includes when they are pregnant. A pregnant woman, whose hormones levels are going off in all directions, cannot take antidepressants. It could have a detrimental effect on the baby that is growing inside of them. Depression is something that way too many people fight daily. If there is another way to treat depression without the use of unending antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood enhancers many people will choose that alternative. One alternative method presented to people for depression has been acupuncture.

There are many non-believers in the scientific and medical fields. They do not see how acupuncture can do anything to help those who suffer from depression. Studies are turning up with very different results. Studies have shown that since acupuncture in itself is a relaxing treatment it leads the way in alternative medicine in helping people deal with depression. One study showed sixty six percent of those women treated, after a routine of several weeks of acupuncture sessions, felt better and functioned better after treatment. Follow up visits showed that these women dealt better with their daily lives and the people in it.

Other studies were conducted specifically on women suffering from major depressive episodes. These studies showed that sixty four percent of them had relief from the symptoms with acupuncture instead of taking medication or counseling. These are very encouraging results for patients who are tired of using medication and are looking for an alternative. Many people look for a more natural method to try to ease their symptoms and help improve their ability to lead a more normalized existence. Many people have been surprised at what a good alternative acupuncture has turned out to be.

Depression is not just the day to day problem of a person suffering a chemical imbalance. It can also be a problem suffered by women who are pregnant. Many women who suffer from depression have children. Being pregnant with the rampant hormonal changes can cause a bout of depression for someone who normally does not suffer from this serious condition. Studies conducted on pregnant women showed almost the same results as the other study above. Sixty nine percent of the women responded to the treatment successfully. This was after only twelve sessions. The women in this study did not have a return of symptoms by as late as ten weeks after delivery. This means that women who suffer from depression during pregnancy have an alternative that was not open to them before. They can be treated with acupuncture and feel better without fearing any adverse effects on the health of their unborn child.


Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Traditional Chinese Medicine.

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