Acu-Therapy (also known as acutherapy) is similar to acupuncture without needles. Using psychology rather than pin pricks, Acu-Therapy balances the body’s energy core by gentle finger taps or electrical impulses upon key locations of the body. Like acupressure and acupuncture, Acu-Therapy is safe and effective for a variety of chronic health conditions and disorders like headaches, sinus problems, musculoskeletal pain, stress and tension, among others.

Acu-therapy is a natural healing art that is used to restore harmonic balance within the body and helps achieve and maintain overall well-being. Because it improves circulation, acu-therapy is excellent for the lymphatic system, stress reduction and achieving full-body relaxation. While it reduces stress, acu-therapy improves the immune system’s natural resistance; thus, promoting total wellness. Focusing primarily on pain relief, acu-therapy is a superb technique for pain and disease prevention.

As a post-graduate program, interested individuals can take advanced or continuing education courses in acu-therapy, where they can earn certification. In this field of study, students are taught the various aspects of the healing art; sometimes including specialized training in electro-acutherapy.

Where can you learn acu-therapy? In some cases, acu-therapy is taught at acupuncture schools, Oriental medicine institutes, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) colleges, and other alternative medicine universities. In addition, a number of holistic workshops and seminars (that teach acu-therapy) may be available as well. Depending on the nature of the program, some acu-therapy courses may require that students have already met certain educational curriculums in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, while others ask that students have a basic concept and knowledge of anatomy and physiology. In general, it is always a good idea to review prerequisites prior to applying to any academic course.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in finding acu-therapy courses, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore career school programs near you.

Acu-Therapy: What is it?

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Posted by admin | Posted in Alternative Medicine | Posted on 25-10-2008

There are many types of headaches. Some of these include migraines, cluster headaches, tension headaches, cervical headaches and I am sure others as well. I found a common theme with many of my patients who have headaches and I wanted to write an article and explain one of the common findings I see in patients who come to my clinic complaining of a long standing history of headache pain. One common finding is a history of falls or injuries to the tailbone as well as falls or injuries to the head. Throughout my practice, I have come to see a pattern and thought it would be useful to explain how headaches could be caused from incidents which happened in the past even to far removed areas of the body.

The mechanism by which this can happen is due to the connection between the tailbone and the head. The spinal cord is encased in a dural tube. This dural tube is continuous with the inner membranes of the head as well as attaching to the second cervical vertebrae and the sacrum and tailbone. Because of this connection, problems in the tailbone area could be affecting the head and visa versa. This connection has been termed “the core link” by William Sutherland, D.O. I thought it would be useful to explain how the core link functions and how injuries to one part of it could affect other areas of the body. A question and answer type format seems to be a simple way to explain it.

How does the core link function?

Normally the core link has a gentle rhythmic motion. There is a natural motion that occurs in the head called the craniosacral rhythm which moves on a cycle of 6 to 12 pulses per minute. During the cycle, the head expands slightly and the occiput, or back of the head, rocks down toward the tailbone, the dural tube lengthens and the sacrum and tailbone rock down towards the feet. The continuation of the cycle results in the tailbone rocking back up towards the head, the dural tube moving toward the head, and the head narrowing. This is a natural motion in our bodies just like our breathing and heart rates. When healthy, this motion is full, vibrant, and unrestricted.

How come I never feel it moving?

This rhythm, the craniosacral rhythm, is very small in amplitude. You can feel it on yourself with practice by placing your hands on your head and simply waiting patiently. Wait and calm your hands. Use very light pressure and you may be able to feel a very small expanding and narrowing movement in your head. This is the craniosacral rhythm! It takes a therapist much training and practice to be able to feel and evaluate this rhythm. A skilled therapist can palpate and feel not only the rhythm, but also determine whether or not it is moving freely or if it is restricted, and where it is restricted.

How can it get restricted?

Say you fell on your tailbone as a child, and jammed your tailbone so it is no longer moving as it should. Now one end of this core link no longer moves well. So instead of the head, dural tube, and tailbone moving freely from one end of the body to the other, the tailbone end is now tight. The head now has to pull on the dural tube and there is less rhythm, vitality, and health in this area.

Yeah, but everyone falls down!

Yes, we all have had falls throughout our lives. Some of us have more than others. Some of us heal more fully than others from falls. On the other hand, some of us hit our bodies in just the right way to cause the tailbone or sacrum to get stuck. These falls can cause a lingering restriction that may or may not be painful later on. Even if not painful, it can still limit the way the core link functions and decrease the overall health in this area. This makes a person less adaptable to further insults to their body.

But don’t our bodies adapt and heal?

Our bodies are amazing. They do heal although usually with a remaining tightness or restriction (many times not painful). We can go through life with other falls or sprains and our bodies adapt again and again with different little tightness’ and restrictions developing. However, if we get too many of these tightness’ and restrictions so our bodies are unable to adapt, then a structure is stressed a little bit beyond what it can handle and pain develops. Sometimes to the person, if feels as if the pain develops for no apparent reason. For example, all of the sudden starting to have headaches.

So what about the headache?

If a person has a history of a fall or falls on their tailbone, this could certainly be a factor in their headache development. Many times treatment directed to the head or neck brings only temporary relief. This is because the actual problem lies in the restricted motion in the tailbone and sacrum. This limits the dural tube mobility and the ability of the head to expand and contract in its normal cycle. Treatment to the tailbone could help clear the headache problem. Many times, a few areas of primary restriction are needing work in order to clear the headache.

What about falls on the head?

The head is the other end of the core link so of course falls on ones head throughout life can cause that end of the core link to become restricted and cause headaches, or other pains throughout the body. Many times I find people with headaches who have a history of falls on both their head and their tailbone throughout their life. In some of these cases, I have found very little motion in their core link. By releasing the problems in their head as well as the dural tube and tailbone, I have been able to help many of these people. How can a practitioner tell if there is a problem in the core link? A therapist who is trained in the craniosacral approach can palpate and actually feel restrictions in the head, dural tube, and sacrum/coccyx (tailbone). They can determine where to direct treatment effectively to clear restrictions in the core link.

What does a craniosacral treatment feel like?

Craniosacral treatment is quite relaxing. The therapist usually uses small amounts of pressure. Five to thirty grams of pressure on various parts of the head, neck, spine and tailbone. Patient’s report a variety of sensations such as less tension, more openness, less sinus pressure, clearing headaches, a lifting feeling, and others.

How can I tell if the treatment is working?

Successful treatment means the headache which has been present should clear up or decrease significantly as the treatment progresses. Also, the frequency or number of times the headache occurs during the week and the intensity (how bad the headache feels to the person) should also decrease significantly even after the first treatment.

How can I tell if someone is trained in this type of therapy?

1. Ask if they have any craniosacral therapy training. You can also ask how many craniosacral classes they have had and their thoughts on craniosacral therapy.

2. Ask them how they would treat a headache. A skilled professional should be able to say they would evaluate and locate the actual cause of the problem. You could also ask them about the core link and if they have heard of any connection between other parts of the body and headaches to see if they believe in this type of approach.

3. Of course craniosacral therapy is but one method and works best in a total body approach.

This is just some information I felt would be useful to persons who have had continuous headache problems and have been unable to find successful treatment for them. Craniosacral therapy can be a useful part of the treatment of headaches.

Mission Hills Physical Therapy

928 Fort Stockton Suite 201

San Diego, CA 92103

Phone: 619. 543. 1470

www.missionhillspt.com

Posted by admin | Posted in Alternative Medicine | Posted on 25-10-2008

Lets look at how you may be able to stop smoking using hypnosis. You can consult a quit smoking hypnotist, it would be best, however, to choose a licensed therapist that treats a variety of conditions, rather than just a hypnotist that states they can help you quit smoking after just one session. So, how does hypnosis work with quitting smoking.

Every smoker knows that it’s bad for their health, but many smokers continue the habit for decades. Each year they experience a decline in their health. But why do people take up the habit and why do they find it hard to quit?

Lets look at it rationally. Smoking is a strange behaviour. Smoking is disgusting. Smoking stains your teeth and fingers. Smoking causes bad breath. Smoking creates an unpleasant environment for non-smokers. Most start smoking when they are teenagers because they need to be one of the ‘crowd’ and they want to be cool. If their friends smoke there’s a lot of pressure to take up the habit. Other people turn to smoking because they are looking for a way to relieve stress. Even though tobacco does provide short-term relief, it is a contributing factor to stress in the long run.

Most smokers come to a time in their life where they want to quit. Perhaps their health problems have increased and they finally realise they have to give up their habit. Unfortunately, the addictive nature of tobacco has taken hold and makes it difficult.

How does hypnosis work? Lets look at why hypnosis is a viable option to achieve your goal. In a hypnotic state the emphasis is laid on the psychological healing rather than the physical, to change the persons habit or a behavior. During the time you are in a state of trance you will not appear to be aware of what is being said to you, although, contrary to popular beliefs, you will be conscious throughout. When in a hypnotic state it is your subconscious mind that takes over, this is the part of your brain that stores your memories. The hypnotherapist will talk to your subconscious mind about the benefits to you of not smoking, they will put thoughts into you subconscious like; My thoughts are my own. I am free to do what I want, when I want and go where I want, with no thoughts of smoking cigarettes coming into my mind. Your conscious mind will be conditioned to want to stay away from cigarettes, and there will be no withdrawal symptoms. Now you can feel the freedom without tobacco, how great It is to feel cigarettes no longer have that power over you. You want to stay here in this moment of no smoking for ever, and when you come back from your hypnotic state these thoughts will have been automatically accepted by your conscious mind and you will have no tobacco cravings.

If you choose hypnosis to help you quit smoking you should feel more relaxed and in control. Your intention to quit should still be clear in your mind. Your subconscious mind will kick in and help you to ignore the urge to “light up”. If you choose to quit smoking using hypnosis, you will avoid becoming dependent on nicotine replacement therapy and also avoid the side effects associated with prescription drugs.

Smokers who have tried any of the aids to quit smoking and have found them unsuccessful, or who do not want to go for nicotine replacement therapy (some people find they cannot wear the patches or use the gum) then quit smoking hypnosis seminars can be an attractive option. However, there is a chance that the group hypnosis seminar may not work for some of you. This is because the depth of hypnosis varies from person to person, and the motivation for quitting also differs, everybody is different after all. Hypnosis requires absolute quiet with no distractions. If you are in a room full of other people you may be distracted by small noises which in turn, may make your concentration stray. A better option would be a one to one hypnotherapy session.

Self-hypnosis is good option, the recordings provided in self-hypnosis programs do the same job that a hypnotist’s voice would, they improve your ability to focus. Of course, this is done in the comfort of your own home, at a time that suits you. What could be better? It works for most people. And of course you can have as many sessions as you like and as often as you need, and at no extra cost.

Hypnosis can be effective in other areas too, such as stress management, sexual difficulties, eating disorders, obesity,anger management and shyness. Hypnosis is also used for managing pain. It is especially useful for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease that do not respond well to prescription drugs.

Now looking back, I remember how easy it was for me to quit smoking, I was amazed when I realized that I stopped having a craving for cigarettes and that I never gave smoking another thought.

The bottom line is hypnosis works! Isn’t it time to find out more information about how you can improve your own life? Don’t you owe it to yourself?

If you liked this article about how does hypnosis work to quit smoking, visit my website for more information about hypnosis and its applications. I offer reviews on learning hypnosis material available. I can help you learn about self hypnosis.

www.HowdoesHypnosisWork.com

Posted by admin | Posted in Alternative Medicine | Posted on 25-10-2008