The holistic health movement, which emphasizes an equal importance of physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health is becoming popular in the US.
For thousands of years they have been using Chinese medicine to prevent and cure illness, maintain optimal health and be one with nature. Some modalities used are meditation, qi gong, tui na, massage, acupressure, acupuncture, energy healing, cupping, moxibustion and herbs.
Meditation - Can help the body and mind reconnect. Monitoring breathing and eliminating mental "junk" allows for clearer thought and can be rejuvenating.
Most people have an issue making time to meditate. Even closing your eyes and being conscious of your breathing accounts to meditation. It does take practice and some commitment to get into deep meditation.
Qi Gong/Tai Chi -
The Powerful Effects of Qigong
Qigong, which combines meditative and physically active elements, is the basic exercise system within Chinese medicine. Qigong exercises are designed to help you preserve your Jing, strengthen and balance the flow of Qi energy, and enlighten your Shen. Its dynamic exercises and meditations have Yin and Yang aspects: The Yin is being it; the Yang is doing it.
Yin qigong exercises are expressed through relaxed stretching, visualization, and breathing. Yang qigong exercises are expressed in a more aerobic or dynamic way. They are particularly effective for supporting the immune system. In China, Qigong is used extensively for people with cancer.
Qigong’s physical and spiritual routines move Qi energy through the Twelve Primary Channels and Eight Extra Channels, balancing it, smoothing the flow, and strengthening it. Chinese medicine uses Qigong exercises to maintain health, prevent illness, and extend longevity because it is a powerful tool for maintaining and restoring harmony to the Organ Systems, Essential Substances, and Channels. Qigong is also used for non-medical purposes, such as for fighting and for pursuing enlightenment.
Anyone of any age or physical condition can do Qigong. You don’t have to be able to run a marathon or bench press a car to pursue healthfulness and enjoy the benefits.
(https://upliftconnect.com/6-qigong-exercises/)
Tui na/Massage -
Tui Na, or tuina, is a therapeutic form of massage and has been used in China for more than 5,000 years. Defined as “the ancient healing art of fingers and strength,” tui na (pronounced “twee nah”) has been gaining international attention for its safe and effective treatment for a wide variety of conditions. Tui na massage therapy is used for giving special treatments to people of all ages, from infancy to old age.
Practitioners use their finger, hand, elbow, knee or foot to apply pressure to a specific body location, according to an article published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. This complementary and alternative Chinese medicine modality makes use of rhythmic compression techniques along different energy channels of the body to establish harmonious flow of qi throughout the body and bringing it back to balance. By applying pressure to meridians, acupoints, and groups of muscles and nerves, tui na removes blockages and works deeply with the positive energy of the body. (https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2014/12/19/benefits-tui-na-massage)
Acupuncture/Acupressure -
Acupuncture is a form of treatment that involves inserting very thin needles through a person's skin at specific points on the body, to various depths.
Traditional Chinese medicine explains that health is the result of a harmonious balance of the complementary extremes of "yin" and "yang" of the life force known as "qi," pronounced "chi." Illness is said to be the consequence of an imbalance of the forces.
Qi is said to flow through meridians, or pathways, in the human body. These meridiens and energy flows are accessible through 350 acupuncture points in the body.
(https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156488.php)
Energy Healing -
Reiki is a spiritual healing art with its roots in Japanese origin. The word Reiki comes from the Japanese word (Rei) which means “Universal Life” and (Ki) which means “Energy”. Reiki is not affiliated with any particular religion or religious practice. It is not massage nor is it based on belief or suggestion. It is a subtle and effective form of energy work using spiritually guided life force energy.
Reiki is the life energy that flows through all living things. Reiki Practitioners understand that everyone has the ability to connect with their own healing energy and use it to strengthen energy in themselves and help others. It is believed that a person’s “ki” or energy should be strong and free flowing. When this is true a person’s body and mind is in a positive state of health. When the energy becomes weak or blocked it could lead to symptoms of physical or emotional imbalance.
A Reiki session can help ease tension and stress and can help support the body to facilitate an environment for healing on all levels – physical, mental, and emotional. A session is pleasant and relaxing and is often utilized for one’s personal wellness.
(https://iarp.org/what-is-reiki/)
Cupping
The suction and negative pressure provided by cupping can loosen muscles, encourage blood flow, and sedate the nervous system (which makes it an excellent treatment for high blood pressure). Cupping is used to relieve back and neck pains, stiff muscles, anxiety, fatigue, migraines, rheumatism, and even cellulite.
(https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2014/09/20/many-benefits-chinese-cupping)
Moxibustion -
Moxibustion is a method of heating specific acupuncture points on the body by burning an herb material close to the skin. This technique can be used alone or in combination with acupuncture – the Chinese character for acupuncture literally means “acupuncture-moxibustion.”
What is moxa made of?
The herb material used is mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris, Ai Ye) an invasive weed, which grows in many climates, including Western North Carolina. Mugwort has a long history of use in folk medicine. It is believed that the Romans planted mugwort by roadsides to make it available to travelers to put in their shoes to relieve aching feet and protect them from exhaustion. Maybe this is because of its ability to enhance the movement of qi and blood.
Mugwort gets its botanical name from the Greek moon goddess Artemis, a patron of women, and is a wonderful herb for gynecological conditions. In Chinese Herbal Medicine it is used to treat heavy menstrual bleeding and uterine bleeding and to increase blood circulation to the pelvic area to treat menstrual pain. Moxibustion (applying heat near the skin) has successfully been used to turn breech babies into a normal head-down position prior to childbirth.
Any type of heat applied to the body can increase the flow of qi and blood. Heat lamps, heating pads, or warming liniments can give a similar effect to moxibustion. But the heat combined with the powerful healing properties of mugwort gives moxibustion a proven advantage.
Mugwort is used because of its acrid, spicy odor which makes it able to travel through all of the meridians, regulate qi and blood, and expel cold. One of mugwort’s active components, borneol, is commonly used in topical therapies for its analgesic effects. Other explanations for the use of mugwort, as opposed to some other herb material, is that it grows easily in many places, is inexpensive, and burns slowly.
What is moxibustion used for?
Moxibustion can be used to prevent diseases and maintain health as part of tonification treatments to help strengthen the organs and immune system. It warms the meridians and expel cold. It can be used to promote circulation over areas of chronic pain or muscle tension. It is especially used for pain that is worse with exposure to cold or damp weather, as with some types of arthritis pain. When applied to acupuncture points that strengthen and lift the qi, moxibustion can boost the immune system and help with fatigue, digestive issues, and much more.
(https://daoisttraditions.edu/healing-power-moxa/)
Essential oils -
Essential oils have been used for thousands of years in various cultures for medicinal and health purposes. Because of their antidepressant, stimulating, detoxifying, antibacterial, antiviral and calming properties, essential oils are recently gaining popularity as a natural, safe and cost-effective therapy for a number of health concerns.
There’s no wonder why, considering the high cost of healthcare bills and the side effects of conventional medications, adding essential oils to your personal medicine cabinet can make a world of difference. This is especially true because essential oils benefits are vast and their uses range from aromatherapy, household cleaning products, personal beauty care and natural medicine treatments.
The particles in essential oils come from distilling or extracting the different parts of plants, including the flowers, leaves, bark, roots, resin and peels. In fact, just one drop of an essential oil can have powerful health benefits. Typically created through the process of distillation — which separates the oil and water-based compounds of a plant by steaming — essential oils are highly concentrated oils that have a strong aroma. In fact, sometimes they are called volatile aromatic oils because of their high concentration of the aromatic compounds.
By concentrating the oils of these plants, you are literally separating the most powerful healing compounds of a plant into a single oil.
So, are you ready to harness the power of the world’s most proven therapeutic compounds? Are you ready to learn which oils to use in your essential oil diffuser or in other ways? Explore the many essential oils benefits and uses, and open your mind to a whole new way of preventing and reversing health conditions that you’ve been battling for years.
There are many modalities to help with health maintenance, longevity and connecting the mind, body and spirit.
Many holistic practices are beginning to open up around the country, so it should be easier to find a practitioner no matter your location.
(http://www.dailyitem.com/business/holistic-practices-products-attracting-customers/article_07549487-b8d5-50d9-a44f-c9e4197aec52.html)
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