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An Overview of Meditation Techniques
Summary Meditation is sometimes prescribed or suggested by conventional doctors as a method to aid relaxation, or focus concentration on feelings of well-being. It's widely seen as an excellent practice to improve mood in those dealing with chronic illness. In addition, specific types of meditation may be useful in actual treatment – those that emphasize breathing patterns, for instance, have been helpful in reducing the frequency and severity of asthma attacks in some patients. The Theory Meditation is a practice in its own right, as part of a lifestyle, and is sometimes used as a component of other alternative therapies such as yoga, tai chi or qi gong. When practiced for medical reasons, it is a mind-body medicine focusing on the interaction among the brain, the body, the mind and behavior. It affects the manner in which emotional, spiritual and other factors can directly affect health and illness. Among the health problems that meditation may be useful for are:
Nearly 8 percent of all Americans surveyed in 2004 had used meditation specifically for medical purposes in the previous year. The most well-known form of meditation is Transcendental Meditation, but there are many other forms. The Evidence In Favor The Criticisms
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Acupuncture
Alternative Medicine Resources
Did You Know? Alternative medicine is an open term that includes any treatment or therapy that's not generally recognized by conventional medical practice. It includes everything from traditional folk remedies to high-tech biofeedback using scanners and monitors to help patients focus their minds on affecting their bodies. While alternative medicine is still viewed with a jaundiced eye in many circles, it's increasingly being taken seriously. In fact, there is a National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.
NCCAM's purpose is to explore complementary and alternative medicine in the light of rigorous science - the same standards by which conventional treatments and medications are judged. Further, they are dedicated to making that information available to the public. NCCAM provides research grants, funding for ongoing 'centers' to explore promising therapies, and information on well-designed scientific studies of therapies that are not accepted parts of conventional medical practice.
Currently, NCCAM divides alternative therapies into five 'domains', depending on a number of factors. Those are:
1. Alternative Medical Systems: entire systems of practice and theory rather than just a method or treatment. These include systems such as homeopathic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, to name just a few.
2. Mind-Body Interventions: any method or therapy that's meant to help a patient use his mind to affect the symptoms of his illness. These include meditation, biofeedback, prayer and art, music or dance therapy.
3. Biologically Based Therapies: any treatment that uses substances from nature is considered a biologically based therapy. These include vitamins, diets and herbal products.
4. Manipulative and Body-Based Methods: massage or manipulation of one or more body parts are body-based methods. These include various types of massage, chiropractic and acupuncture.
5. Energy Therapies: therapies based on the concept of 'energy fields' that surround the body. Some of these therapies manipulate electrical fields that are said to emanate from the body. Others involve the use of electromagnetic fields in unconventional ways.
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Acupuncture
Alternative Medicine Resources
Did You Know? The use of nutritional supplements is possibly the single most commonly used form of alternative medicine in the United States, with most of the population having at least taken vitamins at some point in their lives. Those who support the use of nutritional supplements point out that the body needs a balance of particular nutrients in order to function properly. Because of diet, lifestyle and changes to the environment, few people get all the nutrients that they need, making nutritional supplements a vital part of maintaining health.
Nutritional supplementation is often integrated into conventional medical treatment for some conditions. Pregnant women, for instance, are prescribed supplements with vitamin B and folates to help prevent neural tube defects in their unborn children. In many conditions where one of they symptoms is a deficiency of a particular nutrient, treatment includes supplementation with that nutrient. Many practitioners, however, believe that all people need to take nutritional supplements for optimum health. They maintain that it is impossible to consume a diet that provides all the necessary nutrients because of soil depletion, pollution, environmental contaminants and modern processing methods.
Many nutritional supplements can interfere with medications and treatments for illnesses and infections, it's very important to discuss everything you're taking with your doctor.
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