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The Philosophy of Complementary Medicine
All therapy should aim to balance the whole
person (holistic therapy) and not just treat the symptoms to ensure the
best level of health. Using an integrated approach, a problem can
be addressed on both an energetic and structural level with a range of
gentle and very effective hands-on techniques.
"The body is intricately simple and
simply intricate. If you produce the right measure for the right
condition, you get the right response".
Dr. George Goodheart
Natural medicine is based on the belief that the human body is a self-regulating and self-healing system that has a natural tendency towards rebalancing health.
Different societies and traditions have different views on the subject, and for over 2,500 years the Far East has been using what today we call Complementary Medicine - Massage, Acupuncture, Herbalism, pressure points and energy channels along with Yoga, Tai Chi etc. In the East Doctors/Therapists were paid to keep their patients in good health.
In the West the approach to health is based on overcoming disease and illness. It is the medicine for the masses rather than the individual. Conventional Medicine is specific i.e a medication is used to affect a specific part of the body whereas in Complementary Medicine treatment is used to affect the part as well as the whole body and mind.
Comparison of Conventional medicine and Complementary medicine:
Conventional medicine
Complementary medicine
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Cause: Looks for the cause and treats the person as a whole, symptoms are the clue for imbalance in the body.
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Gentle and supportive treatment.
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Chronic conditions.
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Usually takes longer.
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Prepared for the individual.
The Complementary medical model of "innate self healing" can be facilitated by using a range of natural therapies to remove structural and energetic imbalance within the body - the root cause of dis-ease and pain and establish a new pattern for health.
Structural balance:
Correct alignment of the body segments means-body joints are less susceptible to restrictions and strain, the body organs function more effectively, muscular
efficiency is improved, personality is better expressed through good posture and personal appearance is improved when the body is in a good balanced posture.
A new approach of restoring structural integrity is slowly gaining ground, using soft tissue therapy to correct misalignment of bones instead of manipulation with high velocity
thrusts. In this new model termed tensegrity, the bones are seen as struts which float within the sea of tension provided by the soft tissues and bone position is dependant on the balance of the soft tissues, in other words if the skeletal structure is out of alignment then a muscle is pulling it out! Postural misalignment is the result
of accidents, trauma or repetitive actions which leads to adaptation of muscle which may shorten or lengthen from a baseline resting length.
All structural/physical problems either start from the spine or feed back to the spine and spinal alignment forms the core of treatment.
Energy balancing:
The body has an inherent life force that is known in different traditions by various names-the breath of life, Qi, vital force, prana etc. All our vital functions rely on a smooth and efficient transformation of energy for us to have optimum health.
The foundations of Energy medicine are to be found in the meridians of Oriental medicine, a system of energetic pathways throughout the body which relate to the functioning of all body systems. Each meridian is connected to an internal organ and named accordingly
e.g. lung
meridian, large intestine meridian etc. There are 12 primary meridians - 6 Yin and Yang pairs for each of the vital organs according to oriental medical theory and a further 8 Extraordinary meridians. The
meridians encompass a whole constellation of functions based around the organ/channel relationship - physical, emotional/spiritual and how the body interacts within the
environment.
"It is by virtue of the twelve meridians that human life exists, that disease
arises, that human beings can be treated and illness cured" - Spiritual Pivot Chapter
17, Oriental medical text.
In meridian therapy the energy balance is harmonised through the " Tsubo" or acupoints that are located along the meridians by using acupuncture or
acupressure, tapping or massage of points and sometimes through the use of heat (Moxibustion).
A brief word on the physiology of soft tissue therapies: Science has established that the internal organs are linked to the skin, fascia and muscles via the nervous system. Malfunction of internal organs can be felt on the surface of the body via nerve reflex actions - and stimulation of the body surface, particularly near segments of the spinal column can enhance the functioning of organs by the very same nervous reflex.
Finally, psychological sources of stress can have a very real effect on the body through
its tension producing nature, over time areas of tension can become locked in the body which is no longer responsive to a conscious direction by the mind to
relax. This type of chronic tension is often the result of what has been labeled "emotional armouring"- a block develops in muscle tissue as a way of preventing unwanted feelings, usually resulting in areas of reduced sensation, pain or stiffness.
Soft tissue Therapies quite often bring about emotional equilibrium as areas of deeply held tension begin to soften, reinforcing the Complementary
medical view of the inter-connection of body and mind.
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