Alternative Healthcare and Medicine Encyclopedia. Heinz Duthel
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aims to enhance the life force of the patient as an axis for improved health and deepened self-knowledge.
What to expect
An anthroposophical doctor will ask questions about diet, lifestyle and constitution, with an emphasis on the body's rhythms - eating, sleeping and menstrual patterns. The doctor may also carry o ut standard medical tests, and will use the information to aid diagnosis, prescribing treatment to balance the poles and systems regulating the body. Practitioners are fully qualified doctors, who make use of modern technology and medication as required - they consider that this approach gives them a fuller picture of an individual, allowing them to take a broader view of illness and therapy.
Because AM is a holistic system, aimed at harmonizing elements of the spiritual, as well as the physical self, it i s said by its followers to be of benefit in cases where a conventional cure cannot be achieved.
Aromatherapy
What is it?
The art of applying essential oils to suit individual needs. The oils work directly on the chemistry of the body, via the skin and bl oodstream.
Essential oils are extracts that contain the substances that give plants their smell. They are produced by tiny glands in the petals, leaves, stems, bark and wood of many plants and trees. In nature, they are released slowly, but when heated or crushed, their oil glands burst, releasing the plant's aroma more strongly.
It isn't known exactly when or where the art of aromatherapy began. It is thought that Chinese knowledge of medicinal oils may have reached the west by way of the Egyptians, Greeks and Roman. The first recorded use of plants in Britain was in the 13th century and from then on, manufacture increase and the oils became widely used as perfumes, antiseptics and medicines.
How are the oils applied?
Usually by massage, they can be given as a relaxing treatment covering "stress" areas such as back, shoulders, face, legs.
Essential oils can also be inhaled, using an oil burner or breathing in an infusion and can also be very beneficial when added to baths.
Who can it help?
Aromatherapy is believed to be suitable for people of all ages, even babies. Aromatherapists claim that they can treat many conditions, and often see a great improvement in nervous disorders, such as depression, anger, stress and other related symptoms such as headaches a nd insomnia.
Practitioners say that aromatherapy is safe for home use, but the following general guidelines should be observed:
Only high quality oils should be bought from a specialist aromatherapy supplier.
Pure oils should not be applied directly to the skin.
Oils should not be swallowed unless they are supplied by a fully trained aromatherapist and used under his/her supervision.
Some oils are to be avoided by pregnant women. Check with a trained aromatherapist.
Art therapy
The use of art has always be en used for self-expression and to convey ideas and emotions that are difficult to describe verbally. It's potential as a therapeutic tool became apparent after World War 2 when survivors of the war used art in hospitals and rehabilitation centres to help to overcome the traumas they had experienced. Art Therapy is a non-verbal way of revealing deeper emotions that may not otherwise be clearly expressed.
Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy where art (creative expression using various media: painting, dra wing, sculpture etc) is sued to allow safe expression of emotions. The client is encouraged to express themselves freely through art, allowing a link between the subconscious the product of the art therapy. The resulting images can help to bring to light a ny suppressed emotions or conflicts. Reflecting on the images can help to understand and deal with the issues that arise. Art Therapy is also used as a tool for personal growth and greater self-understanding.
There are two main approaches to Art Therapy. O ne is that the act of creating the artwork is therapeutic in itself and allows the client to understand their own inner conflicts and emotions without any interpretation from the therapist. The other approach takes the view that the artwork is a non-verbal method of communicating and allows the therapist to understand and identify the client's needs through interpretation to help them to deal with the issues.
Art Therapy is often used in hospitals, prisons, education centres and mental health clinics and is suitable for people of all ages. It is especially beneficial for emotional and psychological disorders as it provides a means of communication to express feelings that are too difficult to verbalise. It is also of great use for personal development and gr owth by helping to identify problem areas and then transform negative images into positive ones.
Therapy sessions may be on a one-to-one basis or in a group. An initial consultation is taken to determine general health, medical treatment and lifestyle deta ils before any sessions commence. No previous art experience is necessary as the purpose is to use the art media to help to communicate deeper inner emotions which can then be self-interpreted.
Aura Soma
Aura-Soma is a form of colour therapy. It was d eveloped in 1984 by Vicky Wall, a UK chiropodist who developed psychic powers after losing her sight. She described Aura-Soma as "non-intrusive, self-selective soul therapy". The remedies are a collection of small bottles, each containing a layer of colo ured essential oil on top of a layer of coloured spring water containing herbal extracts. There are over 90 bottles in all and most of them contain two colours each. You are asked to choose the four colours that most appeal to you. The four that you cho ose are the most relevant to your physical and emotional condition and by applying the combination of colours to your skin daily, allows the body to absorb the colours and rebalance the body. There is no standard duration of treatment and the therapy is u sed as often as it is felt necessary.
Autogenic Training
Autogenic Training is a form of self hypnosis that aims to induce a state of relaxation and wellbeing, and to utilize the body's own healing power. Its originator was Dr Johannes Shultz, a psychiat rist and neurologist, who was strongly influenced by Professor Oscar Vogt, who had dedicated high life to psychosomatic medicine. Shultz developed Vogts theory that patients who practiced simple verbal exercises to induce hypnosis could alleviate many phys ical and mental ailments.
Dr Shultz went on to develop a series of six Standard Autogenic Formulae - which still form the core of Autogenic Training and Therapy today. A book was published in 1932, and the training of teacher grew from there.
Autogenic Tra ining is taught one to one, or in groups of 6 - 8, over a period of 8 weeks. The aim of the technique is to induce a balance between the two hemispheres of the brain, as well as between the two branches - sympathetic and parasympathetic - of the autonomic nervous system. It aims to give the student the power to induce physical and mental relaxation from within.