List of branches of alternative medicine

This Glossary is a master list of the natural and alternative health therapies available at Natural-earth.com

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Acmos Lecher Energy

ACMOS, an acronym for the Analysis of the Compatibility of Matter on the Organism and its Synergy, views the human organism as a vast and complex combination of energetic systems. An integral part of the ACMOS method is the ACMOS Lecher Antenna (ALA). This hand-held instrument was invented in the early part of the present century by the German physicist, Ernst Lecher, and was used to measure the Earth’s magnetic field. Described as “possibly science’s best kept secret”, Dr Naccachian re-developed the Lecher Antenna in the 1970s and incorporated it into the ACMOS method, to tune into and measure the subtle energy fields around the body.

Acupressure

Similar to the Chinese art of Acupuncture, this healing modality employs the fingers or hands to press, puncture, or heat certain points on the body in order to relieve ailments. The pressure is designed to release energy blocks in the meridians of the body. It was discovered by the Chinese over 5000 years ago.

Acupuncture

A more technologically advanced method of acupressure created by the Chinese over 5000 years ago. Special needles are inserted into certain points of the body in order to correct and rebalance the flow of vital life energy (also known as Qi or Chi), and thereby relieve pain, or restore health.

Adaptogen

The word adaptogen, coined by Russian Scientist Dr. Nicolai Lazarev, refers to a natural herb product that increases the body's resistance to stresses such as trauma, anxiety and bodily fatigue.

Aerobics

Anaerobic exercise is short duration, demanding and intensive activity which uses stored energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to generate the Phosphocreatine molecules necessary for muscle contraction. After an initial, very short time muscles are further provided with ATP by the conversion of immediatly available blood sugars to lactic acid. following this, activity becomes limited by the ability of the heart and lungs to provide the needed oxygen, this is the point at which, if the exercise contiues, it becomes Aerobic exercise.

Alexander Technique

Developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander, this hands-on healing method seeks to encourage all body processes to work more efficiently thus reducing stress and physical discomfort.

Allergies and Testing

Technically, allergy refers to an altered state or response by the body to any substance. Some people develop allergic reactions to pollen, dust, cold or to medications. Avoidance is always the best way to control allergies. But when allergens are unknown, allergy treatments are the only way to handle the hypersensitivity of the body.

Angel Therapy

According to Angel Therapy practitioners we all have guardian angels who's main role is to translate the creators will of peace into the reality of our everyday lives.

Animal Care

Animal Therapy or Animal Assisted Therapy or Pet Therapy utilizes the services of trained animal handlers to help patients achieve specific social, cognitive, physical or emotional goals.

Apitherapy

Apitherapy is a cutting-edge therapy that uses the medical application of bee stings or bee products to treat an ailment. To put it simply, using bees to ‘sting’ you out of disease or using bee products to cure you is what Apitherapy is all about.

Aqua Therapy

Aqua-Therapy, physical therapy is performed in a warm-water pool, allowing for earlier intervention, greater tolerance of activity, and easier gains in range of motion with less pain.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy traces it's heritge back to several ancient cultures the most well known of which is ancient Egypt but the practise is believed to have been widespread throughout the middle and far eastern early civilisations. Essential arromatic oils are either enhaled or absorbed through the skin during massage. Arometherapy is effective for a variety of problems but are most effective when used to treat emotional or stress related conditions.

Art Therapy

Art therapy involves the expression of emotional or psychological problems through some artistic medium such as painting, clay modeling or batik. A visual representation of the problem is produced which often assists in coming to terms and dealing with the negative emotion / problem.

Aston Patterning

Aston Patterning combines massage, movement training, fitness exercises and modification of daily routines in one's life. An Aston Patterning practioner will evaluate an individual on overall fitness, range of motion (including posterial motions like standing, sitting, etc.), and personal physical history.

Astrology

Astrology is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs in which the positions of the planets at your time of birth are thought to hold the key to understanding who you are and what you can expect from life.

Auricalotherapy

Auriculotherapy is a therapy used to treat a wide range of health concerns through treatments on the ear. The term auriculotherapy refers to therapy on the auricle. The auricle pertains to the outer portion of the ear. Theories indicate that specific points on the external part of the ear correspond to various organs and regions of the body. By stimulating certain points numerous health conditions can be alleviated.

Autonomic Response Testing

ART was developed by Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, Ph.D and Louisa Williams, DC, ND. Dr. Klinghardt is a German trained physician who also has a Ph.D in neurology. ART is heavily aligned with the work of Homeopathic practice today.

Autosuggestion

Autosuggestion is a process by which an individual trains the subconscious mind to believe something, or systematically schematizes the person's own mental associations, usually for a given purpose. This is accomplished through self-hypnosis methods or repetitive, constant self-affirmations, and may be seen as a form of self-induced brainwashing. The acceptance of autosuggestion may be quickened through mental visualization of that which the individual would like to believe.

Ayurveda

“Life science” is what Ayurveda means in Sanskrit. It is derived from the two words ‘Ayu’ meaning life and ‘Veda’ meaning knowledge or science. Ayurveda is not just a preventive health care system; it is a way of life that found its origins in ancient India 5,000 years ago.

B

Bach Flower Therapy

Dr Edward Bach identified 38 different emotional states or conditions that could be alleviated / remedied with the use of a particular flower tincture.

Balneotherapy

Balneotherapy involves the treatment of disease by bathing and the drinking of water.

Bates Method

The Bates method is a practice that are claimed to improve sight and reverse ocular disorders to normal by eliminating "mental strain" and restoring the "natural habits" of seeing. It is the backbone of the natural vision improvement movement , and was first described in 1920 by ophthalmologist William Horatio Bates in a book entitled Perfect Sight Without Glasses, then subsequently in his monthly magazine entitled Better Eyesight.

Beauty and Skin Care

Beauty therapy consists of three branches:
- Facial therapy or aestheticienne
- Physiatrics or body treatments, and
- Electrology or epilation

Bi-Aura Therapy

Bi-Aura Therapy works on the premise that the human body is surrounded by a 'bio-energy-field'. This bio-field can become over stressed and unbalanced resulting in the flow of energy reaching the bodies vital organs becoming sporadic. Reduced or interrupted energy flow to the organs can eventually lead to a reduction in general health and ultimately manifests as a specific illness.

Bioenergy Healing

Bioenergy healing therapy is based on an ancient Chinese healing tradition and relates to the energy flowing through the body known to the Chinese as 'Chi'. This Chi is conducted around the body between energy conductive points known as 'Chakras'.

Biofeedback

In biofeedback, electronic instruments enable doctors to monitor the activities of the body – both physical as well as psychological. Clinicians have sensitive machines that can easily ‘see’ or ‘hear’ inside the bodies of patients. It is not uncommon to come across people who are very confused about their own symptoms, aches and pains. These machines can detect the internal activities of a person with far greater precision than the patient himself can.

Blood Electrification

Zapping the AIDS virus with low voltage electric current can nearly eliminate its ability to infect human white blood cells cultured in the laboratory, reports a research team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. William D Lyman and his colleagues found that exposure to 50 to 100 microamperes of electricity - comparable to that produced by a cardiac pacemaker - reduced the infectivity of the AIDS virus (HIV) by 50 to 95 percent.

Body Cleasing

Body cleansing proponents claim numerous health benefits, including the cure of various common ailments such as acne, allergies, colitis and Crohn's disease. Various modalities of body cleansing are used, employing physical treatments (e.g. colon hydrotherapy), dietary restrictions (e.g. avoiding specific foods) or dietary supplements.

Body Harmony

Body harmony is often described as a “bridge that leads from where you are to where you want to be”. This treatment technique is a kind of hands-on bodywork that promotes well-being and wholesomeness. Body harmony was created by Don McFarland and it is based on listening to the body’s messages and being guided by the client’s responses.

Body Mechanics

Body Mechanics Therapists seek to improve posture and body alignment thus relieving muscular strain and improve skeletal joint functionality. The therapy involves simple daily exercises to promote good body use patterns. Muscles are the implements of body power application through the skeletal system, ensuring this system works in a balanced and effective way will improve health and fitness generally as well as assist in the recovery from physically traumatic injuries.

Body Stress Release Therapy

The Body Stress Release therapist works in harmony with the body's efforts using very gentle techniques suitable for anyone nomatter what age or state of health they may enjoy or endure.

Body Works

In alternative medicine, Bodyworks is a term that describes any touch therapy or energy work with the physical body. Massage Therapy is one form of bodywork and is usually based on Swedish massage techniques. Bodywork includes the many other types of touch and healing therapies.

Bowen Therapy

Bowen Therapy is a therapy devised by Tom Bowen in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The system is designed to stimulate the body to heal itself. The therapist makes a variety of 'moves' across the skin surface of a particular body area, these areas tend to be over muscles and/or tendons. A steady, light and gentle pressure is applied to the relevant area whilst the Bowen move is being performed, the process is entirely pain free and should induce a state of deep relaxation. These 'Bowen moves' stimulate a response from the body resulting in an overall improvement of health and a speeding up of the healing proce

Breema

Breema is a unique, gentle, and mindful form of bodywork that benefits both practitioner and recipient. Founded in 1980 in Oakland, CA by Jon Schreiber, D. C., and a group of colleagues, Breema has been described as a cross between partner yoga and Thai massage, though its central aim is to nurture an experience of presence. By performing a series of simple and flowing movements that seem to evoke a forgotten naturalness, the Breema practitioner supports the recipient to recognize a sense of peace, calm energy, clarity, and well-being.

Buteyko Breathing

About fifty years ago, Dr. Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko noticed that the more ill people became, the more they needed to breathe in. Bringing the volume of their breath back to normal led to an elimination of symptoms and even helped normalize their discomfort. To put it very simplistically, he said that the more you breathe, the closer you are to death. Conversely, the less you breathe the healthier you get.

C

Chelation Therapy

Chelation is a chemical reaction in which certain amino acids bind with some metals. Knowledge of this reaction led to the development of chelation therapy, which uses this reaction to remove harmful substances from the body. A substance called ethylenediamenetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is administered either orally or intravenously, and is said to bind with heavy metals such as lead or mercury, as well as calcium, and draw them out of the body, which helps with a number of medical problems. In particular, the removal of calcium by chelation is said to be effective against artherosclerosis. Chelation is also claimed as an effective treatment for osteoarthritis, diabetes, kidney problems, Alzheimer’s and even cancer prevention.

Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese herbal medicine, along with the other components of Chinese medicine, is based on the concepts of Yin and Yang. It aims to understand and treat the many ways in which the fundamental balance and harmony between the two may be undermined and the ways in which a person's Qi or vitality may be depleted or blocked. Clinical strategies are based upon diagnosis of patterns of signs and symptoms that reflect an imbalance.

Chinese Pulse Diagnosis

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the pulse reveals more than just heart rate. Chinese pulse diagnosis is an extremely complex subject and an important diagnostic tool. This is why we take pulse readings much longer than you normally experience at a western medical office. .

Chiropractic

Chiropractic treatment, developed by Canadian Daniel David Palmer in 1895, is the manipulation of the spinal column and extremities in order to alleviate various conditions. According to more recent evidence, the benefits of chiropractic manipulation is not from realignment of the vertebrae, but from the improved mobility of the vertebrae as they move against each other.

Chromotherapy

Chromotherapy is a form of healing based on the principle that all illness is manifested in a disturbed energy field (giving off light), and by proper application of color to this field, a correction can be achieved, and with that correction comes healing.

Coin Rubbing

Coining, or cao gio, is an alternative treatment for minor ailments such as fever, cough, headache, backache, and other minor illness. This therapy originates in Southeast Asia. In the U.S., the practice is most commonly seen practiced by persons from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Colloidal Silver Therapy

Colloidal Silver is a solution containing microscopic particles of pure silver permanently suspended in de-ionized water. The solution inhibits the ability of disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, virus, fungus and parasites from assimilating oxygen. As a consequence, the disease-causing organisms literally suffocate and die.

Colonic Irrigation

Colonic irrigation, is an alternative medical procedure, sometimes associated with naturopathy. Similar to an enema, it involves the introduction of discrete amounts of water, sometimes infused with minerals or other materials, into the colon using medically approved class II colon hydrotherapy devices with sanitary, disposable speculums or gravity-fed enema-like systems inserted into the rectum. The fluid is released after a short period, and the process will be repeated multiple times during the course of a treatment. A colema is a type of colon hydrotherapy performed by oneself using a bucket with an attached hose, while lying on a board positioned over a toilet, into which the contents of enema are released.

Color Breathing

Colour Breathing Therapy was invented in the UK in 1997 by complementary therapist Alison Bourne. The system is in fact a combination of several much older techniques into a single process designed to induce a state of deep relaxation and a feeling of well being.

Color Therapy

Color Therapy, or Chromotherapy, is said to have its roots in ancient Egypt where patients were kept in specially built solarium rooms with tinted glass. The use of colored gels, colored cloth filters and colored water was also prevalent in ancient Egypt. Down the centuries, color therapy has conquered a lot of skepticism and is now being used as an alternative method of healing.

Conscientology

Conscientology was developed in the early 1990s by hypnotherapist Alex Telman whose underlying thesis is that 1) there is no such thing as coincidence, 2) everythig is intentional, and 3) depression is the normal way of being for people. The understanding and harnessing of these three Principles leads to creativity, deep awareness and a craving for life.

Core Energetics

Core Energetics focuses on a holistic process involving an extended concept of consciousness encompassing body - emotion - mind and spirit. It is a mode of healing that combines bodywork, psychotherapy, and spiritual process, to activate the greater consciousness dwelling within a person, in this proprietary system called the CORE. Unlike conventional psychiatric or medical therapies, Core Energetics views the spiritual dimension of life as an essential component in the process of recovery and growth. John Pierrakos, MD, Core Energetics founder, said that Core Energetics is an education to inner reality.

Counselling

There are times when certain experiences become too big and too uncomfortable for a single person to handle by him or herself. Sometimes, these events are so intense that we cannot or will not discuss them with anyone else. When you need a professional ‘ear’ to listen to you and to advice you, you can turn to counselling. A counsellor does not label or diagnose you. He does his best to listen to you quietly and works with you to draw inferences that may not be obvious to you. This is the power of counselling.

Cranio-Sacral Therapy

Cranio-Sacral Therapy is a method of alternative medicine that assesses and enhances the functioning of the patient by accessing his or her primary respiratory mechanism. The craniosacral system comprises of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain. The system functions to protect the brain and spinal cord.

Crystal Therapy

Crystals work in healing because it is believed that they resonate with the frequency of healthy cells and draw unhealthy cells that are vibrating on a lower frequency back into the normal range.

D

Day Spas

The word ‘Spa’ was taken from the name of the famous natural mineral springs in Spa, Belgium. Now the word is used as a common noun that denotes any place with a medicinal or mineral or artificial spring that aims to aid the healing process of the body. Day Spas offer a natural, clean, safe and serene atmosphere to relax and unwind. Professionally qualified therapists are on the staff.

Dermovision

Dermovision is the alleged ability to see with one's skin, in the same way as with the eyes. Children are said to be able to learn more quickly than adults, however people of any age can supposedly learn to see with their skin, including people who have lost their eyesight.

Detox

The detox process neutralizes toxic wastes which accumulate in your bodies, chemically transforming them into relatively harmless compounds and then eliminating them from the body via stools or urine.

Diathermy

The term diathermy was coined by German physician Carl Franz Nagelschmidt, who designed a prototype apparatus in 1906. Around 1925, United States doctor J. W. Schereschewsky began studying the physiological effects of high-frequency electrical currents on animals. It was several years, however, before the fundamentals of the therapy were understood and put into practice. It is commonly used for muscle relaxation.

Dieting and Weight Loss

Healthy eating patterns and a healthy lifestyle are the cornerstones of good health. Health problems do not usually begin from a single occurrence in life. They originate from a combination of things. Food is one of the most important factors that lead to health problems.

Divination

If a distinction is to be made between divination and fortune-telling, divination has a formal or ritual and often social character, usually in a religious context; while fortune-telling is a more everyday practice for personal purposes.

Dorn Method

The Dorn method is a form of manual, holistic alternative therapy used to correct misalignments in the spinal column and other joints. In its theoretical approach, it is somewhat related to chiropractic and osteopathy, although it is different in its practical application.

Dowsing

Dowsing is a generic term for practices which proponents claim empower them to find water, metals, gem stones and hidden objects over a piece of land or a map, usually through fluctuations of apparatus including a Y-shaped twig, rods or pendulum). Some claim to need no apparatus at all but to 'feel' reactions.

Dream Therapy

Dream Therapy acknowledges the therapeutic uses of lucid dreaming.

E

Ear Candling

Also known as Ear Coning, Ear Candling is a folk medicine practice that aims to remove wax and other harmful toxins from the ear.

Energy Balancing

Is the art and practice of realigning, balancing, and re-attuning the body’s electro-magnetic energy field, in relation with the subtle bodies. Everything in creation is energy, and we, as energy, relate to it harmoniously or inharmoniously depending upon the degree to which we are in a balanced state of harmony within ourselves. It is preferable to “flow” with these energies and enjoy the state of “synchronicity” described by Carl Jung.

Eco Living

Eco Living is living off the land; being totally self sufficient in most or all areas of living. Whether it be using natural resources like solar/wind power, organic food, natural fibre clothing it all helps in saving the planet and our precious natural resources.

Electrodermal Screening

Electrodermal Screening is the use of a device called an electrodiagnostic machine to diagnose various health problems by detecting imbalances in Qi (chee), or life energy as understood in traditional Chinese medicine.

Emotional Freedom

Emotional Freedom Technique is a mix of acupuncture without needles and psychotherapy. It involves the tapping of meridian points on the body while the patient 'tunes into' their problem.

Energy Healing

Energy Healing is used to reduce stress and boost confidence and spiritual happiness. It is all associated with the magnetic channels of energies that surround our bodies. Energy healing regulates them and the results are marvelous. These therapies focus on removing clots formed by blocked energy channels from our body auras and charkas. It is non invasive and hence a preferred method of healing for many patients.

Enzyme Therapy

If there is an insufficient supply of digestive enzymes, food will not be completely digested and large molecules enter the small intestine.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compound extracted from plants. It may be produced by distillation, expression, or solvent extraction. Essential oils are used in perfumery, aromatherapy, cosmetics, incense, for flavoring food and drink, and to a lesser extent, in medicine and household cleaning products.

Eurythmy

Eurythmy is primarily a performing art. It is also used as a therapy and taught to children for its pedagogical value, especially in Curative Education for those with complex needs or learning disabilities.

Eutony

Eutony uses the knowledge of one's own body as a way to develop an appropriate use of its structures and the possibility of flowing among levels of good tension (i. e., the appropriate level to face every-day activities).

Exercise Physiology

Exercise Physiology is the identification of physiological mechanisms underlying physical activity, the comprehensive delivery of treatment services concerned with the analysis, improvement, and maintenance of health and fitness, rehabilitation of heart disease and other chronic diseases and/or disabilities, and the professional guidance and counsel of athletes and others interested in athletics, sports training, and human adaptability to acute and chronic exercise.

F

Facial Harmony

Facial Harmony is a muscle release technique is a natural face lift alternative. It focuses in great detail, on the patterns of stress and tension locked up in each individual face.

Faith Healing

Fascial Manipulation

Fasting

Strictly defined, fasting is abstinence from all food and drink (except water) for a limited period of time to maintain or improve health, or treat a specific illness.

Feldenkrais

Its primary thrust on movements, the Feldenkrais Method attracts the attention of those who want to improve their movement repertoire like artists, dancers and musicians.

Feng Shui

Feng Shui, pronounced as ‘Fung Shway’, is an ancient Chinese practice that basically aims at arranging things in such a way as to achieve harmony with the environment. The literal translation of the term is ‘wind and water’.

Findhorn

The Findhorn Foundation is the organisational and educational heart of the world-famous eco village and spiritual community founded in 1962.

Fire Cupping

Floatation Therapy

What is floatation therapy?

* Floatation is a method of rest.
* It consists of floating in a 10 inch solution of epsom salts.
* The solution is maintained at normal skin temperature of 93.5 degrees Celsius.
* The buoyancy of the salts solution allows your body to be supported on the surface of the water giving the impression of zero gravity.
* After floating you emerge refreshed and relaxed both physically and mentally.

Flower Essence Therapy

Fortune Telling

Fortune Telling is the practice of predicting the future through mystical or supernatural means.

G

Gaia

Gaia is a principle based on the work of James Lovelock. It is his hypothesis that life shapes and controls the environment rather than the other way round. Every individual lifeform is involved by its own life prosesses.

Geomancy

Geomancy is a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground, or how handfuls of dirt land when someone tosses them.

Gerson Therapy

Gerson Therapy is a nutrition-based therapy developed by German-born physician Dr. Max Gerson; believers in the therapy say it is effective for most chronic (degenerative) diseases.

Gnosticism

Gnosticism is a term created by modern scholars to describe a collection of religious groups, many of which thought of themselves as Christians, which were active in the first few centuries AD.

Gua Sha

Gua means to rub or friction. Sha is the term used to describe congestion of blood at the surface of the body. When friction is applied in repeated even strokes, the sha surgaces as small red petechiae.

H

Hair Analysis

A hair analysis determines exactly what chemicals are inside of you, including radiation, heavy metals like mercury, food chemicals such as aspartame, pesticides, bacteria and more. The hair analysis is the best "roadmap" to view a history of what's going on inside of you.

Hakomi Therapy

The Hakomi method combines Western psychology and systems theory with Eastern philosophy and body-centered techniques.

Hand Analysis

Studying the hand is like looking at a map of yourself as a person at that moment in time. It's about having a greater awareness of yourself, studying your own patterns to get a better knowledge of yourself. Then you can begin to overcome weaknesses, transcend difficulties and limitations that you have and learn to accept yourself for the individual that you are.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga primarily concerns itself with asanas or postures.

Healing

Healing Therapy is the term given to a system of healing involving the placing of the healers hands on or near the recipients body. The aim is to restore balance in the energy field which surrounds and flows through the patient.

Health Equipment

With so much attention being given to losing weight and getting into shape, it's hard to resist not buying all of the equipment being offered in the commercials that you see. The quality of a machine should also be taken into account.

Health Food

Healthy eating is the practice of making choices about what and/or how much one eats with the intention of improving or maintaining good health. Typically, this means following recommendations of "experts" regarding a nutritional diet.

Heated Stone Therapy

Heated Stone relaxation therapy involves the use of smooth heated cobble stones. The stones glide over the body or are placed at differnt points on the body.

Hellerwork

Hellerwork is a form of body work that combines Rolfing techniques of deep body massage with movement education and guided verbal dialog. The purpose of the technique is to PREVENT illness and not to TREAT illness. The main thrust of Hellerwork is to help clients achieve vitality by releasing physical and emotional tensions.

Herbs and Herbal Medicine

A herb is a plant that is grown for medicinal or culinary value. Herbal medicines provide a healing system that is in tune with nature.

Hermeticism

Hermeticism is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Hermeticism is a panentheist belief system which teaches that there is One God, or one "Cause", of which we are all a part.

Holistic Dentistry

IHolistic Dental practitioners will typically not use Silver Amalgam fillings believing that the 50 - 50 silver / Mercury mix may be unsafe to general health and therefore not suitable as part of dental treatment.

Holistic Health Clinics

Holistic health is a medical philosophy of well-being that considers the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of life as closely interconnected and balanced.

Holistic Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia (also called thermal therapy or thermotherapy) is a type of cancer treatment in which body tissue is exposed to high temperatures (up to 113°F).

Holographic Repatterning

Holographic Repatterning is a complete system of therapy designed to correct any undesirable condition, Physical, Emotional, Mental or Social.

Holotropic Breathwork

This method combines hyperventilation and relaxation while listening to evocative music in a supportive setting.

Home Remedies

Traditional remedies have lost none of their charms with the passage of time and more and more of them are finding their rightful place in mainstream medicines.

Homeopathy

According to homeopaths, “life force is vital in maintaining the body’s state of health and balance”. This delicate balance is constantly challenged by external forces like poor nutrition, vaccines, toxins, stress and emotional upheaval.

HopiEarCandle

A small candle is burnt whilst held against the outer ear. The candle is made from beeswax with additional ingredients - Honey, Sage, St.John's Wort, Chamomile and Beta-Carotene (Vitamin A). The treatment takes about 10-12 minutes whilst the candle burns.

Horstmann Technique

Horstmann Technique includes the Ileosacral release, arm, neck & shoulder release and the foot release. It was developed by Australian natural therapist Trish Trowbridge.

House Therapy

Like humans, your house can also become sick due to problems relating to our career, relationship, health, wealth and happiness. By healing the energy within your home you can create true prosperity of mind, body and spirit, in every area of your life.

Hydrotherapy

“Warm-water therapy actually dates back to ancient times, making it one of the oldest and safest methods for treating many common problems, whether they are mental or physical."

Hypnotherapy

Practitioners of hypnotherapy believe that when patients enter the hypnotic trance, their subconscious mind is more receptive to positive suggestions. These positive suggestions in turn help to cure the patients.

I

Incense

Mankind has used incense, in its earliest forms, since the dawn of human history. With the discovery of fire, our ancestors would have realized that most materials give off a unique and sometimes powerful aroma when burnt. The difference between the smell of a handful of Parsley and that of a Pine tree branch is greatly emphasized when each is burnt. Then as now, the air is quickly filled with intoxicating aromas simply by throwing some dried leaves, spices or twigs into a fire.

Indian Head Massage

The technique involves an intensive but gentle massage of the head, neck and upper body.

Infant Massage

Infant Massage has been practiced by other cultures for centuries. Vimala Schneider McClure brought this ancient art to the United States in the 1970's, after she observed the positive effect it had on infants in India. She practiced the Indian massage strokes on her own baby and observed its benefits first hand.

Iridology

Iridology is the study and interpretation of patterns in the human iris as an indicator of individual characteristics.

Isopathy

Isopathy is a form of Homoeopathy that copes with the 21st centur y toxins and diseases. It is via the use of Isopathy that toxins are removed from the body.

J

Journaling

Journal therapy (also called writing therapy) is the use of writing one’s thoughts, experiences or problems in order to put them into perspective and make them easier to understand and overcome.

Journey Therapy

Journey Therapy (guided meditation) is a powerful method of healing founded by Brandon Bays.

Jung

Jung's unique and broadly influential approach to psychology emphasized understanding the psyche through exploring the worlds of dreams, art, mythology, world religion and philosophy.

K

Kairos Therapy

Kairos (used to be called Shen) Therapy practitioners say that when we experience stress, fear or trauma of any kind, our bodies respond. Because these emotions are simply a part of every day life, we inevitably carry around our negative reactions to these many moments of discomfort. This however is not an ideal way to go forward into each new day. Kairos Therapy targets this negativity (tension) that we carry and releases it, so that we can go on unburdened

Kinesiology Therapy

The word ‘Kinesis’ in Greek means movement and Kinesiology studies the relationship between the quality of muscular movement and overall health. Kinesiology deals with methods of maintaining good health through proper functioning and movement of all the muscles in the body.

Kirlian Photography

Kirlian photography refers to a form of contact print photography, theoretically associated with high-voltage. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who in 1939 accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is subjected to a strong electric field, an image is created on the plate.

L

Ley Lines

Ley lines refer to hypothetical alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths.

Life Coaching

Life coaching is the practice of offering support or coaching to people who feel the need to be coached. Coaches listen to the problems faced by their clients.

Lifestyle Choices

Lifestyle is the way a person (or a group) lives. This includes patterns of social relations, consumption, entertainment, and dress. A lifestyle typically also reflects an individual's attitudes, values or worldview. Having a specific "lifestyle" implies a conscious or unconscious choice between one set of behaviours and some other sets of behaviours.

Lymphatic Drainage

Lymph drainage therapy (LDT) is a hands-on method of lymphatic drainage developed by Bruno Chikly (photo left )based on his award winning research on the lymphatic system. By using exact and miniscule anatomical science and combining this with distinctive manual processes, Lymph Drainage Therapy helps practitioners detect the specific rhythm, depth, direction and flow of the lymph anywhere in the body.

M

Macrobiotics

The word ‘macrobiotics’ comes from two Greek words – ‘macro’ meaning large or big, and ‘biotics’ meaning ‘living organisms’. Macrobiotics thus means long life. It is a system of food and diet that ensures a long and healthy life.

Magnetic Therapy

Magnetic therapy or magnotherapy is an alternative medicine that cures certain medical disorders by exposing the body to magnetic fields.

Massage

The manipulation of the superficial tissues of the human body in order to promote deep relaxation, and release tension. Recent research has proven that massage is therapeutic, and can soothe injured muscles, stimulate Blood and Lymphatic circulation, improve structure and function of the body, increase toxic elimination, and more.

Meditation

Meditation is the technique of contemplation. There are many variations to this type of mindfulness, and many different visualizations can be adopted, including and not limited to breathing techniques.

Melchizedek Method

Melchizedek Method, developed by Drunvalo Melchizedekis (photo left) a skill once known by the Great Master Teachers and Seers of the ancient Atlantean temples of self discovery and higher learning. The technique is truly to encourage a person to take full responsibility for their own health, harmony and well-being but of course is also designed to be implemented by another.

Men's Health

Commonly seen as including Cholesterol, Prostate Cancer, Migraines Linked to Heart Risk, Low Testosterone, and Aging Male Syndrome.

Meridian Therapy

Meridian Therapy is based upon the discovery that imbalances in the body’s energy system can have a profound effect on a person’s psychology. Feeling an unwanted negative emotion causes the energy flow in the body (the meridian) to be disrupted. Correcting these balances is done by tapping on certain points on the meridians with two fingers, whilst simultaneously thinking or feeling the negative emotion. The method is very simple and can be taught to people to use for themselves.

Metamorphic Technique

The Metamorphic Technique is not a treatment or therapy, but a technique that helps trigger your own inner life force, enabling you to better realise your potential- focus is on a technique that looks at transforming energy patterns.

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the nature of the world. It is the study of being or reality. It addresses questions such as: What is the nature of reality? Is there a God? What is man's place in the universe?

Moxibustion

Moxibustion is a technique used in traditional Chinese medicine in which a stick or cone of burning mugwort , Artemesia vulgaris, is placed over an inflamed or affected area on the body.

Music Therapy

Myofascial Release

All muscles, arteries, bones, organs, etc. are held together by a Saran wrap kind of tissue called fascia. Because the fascia is body-wide, a tension or trauma in one part of the body can affect another part. The fascia responds to the trained touch to release the adverse effects of inflammation, tensions and trauma.

Mysticism

Mysticism is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is an important source of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

N

Naprapathy

Practitioners manipulate the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in order to alleviate tension and promote fluidity of motion, and they make recommendations regarding diet. This method resembles chiropractic, but manipulation of the connective tissue is the focus.

Natural Hygiene

Natural Hygiene focuses on fasting and eliminating personal habits such as worry and those activities that builds up toxins in the blood.

Naturopathy

Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) works on patterns in human behavior, presupposing that people give away information about their unconscious processing in the current eye movements patterns, as well as changes in body posture, gestures, fluctuating voice tone, and breathing shifts.

Nutrition

Good nutrition is a way of life. It is a habit that is established over the years and is followed rigorously. This means that you must make sure that you eat foods that have high mineral and vitamin content. At the same time, food should not have high amounts of fat.

O

Organics

Organically grown food is grown on land where synthetic fertilizers or pesticides have not been used for five years; that has been inspected by a licensed independent third party; and that the product is supported by documentation on soil tests.

Orgonomy

Orion Therapy

During DNA Orion Energy Healing the practitioner energetically enters the space of the client. Once inside the body during a Body Scan (internally scanning the body for disease of any sort), the practitioner begins the physical healing component of the session. At this time the practitioner discovers whether or not there is a need for healing at the level of the DNA.

Ortho Bionomy

Ortho-Bionomy is an elegant form of body work that operates from the notion that healing evolves from within, that with the right information, a person can become aware of themselves, accept what is and then be in a position to decide to do something about it. That all of us are our own healers but sometimes forget that. That there is innate wisdom to draw upon, it is often hard to remember when in pain or too busy to listen to our own bodies.

Orthomolecular Medicine

Orthomolecular Medicine and optimum nutrition are controversial medical and health therapies claiming that many diseases and abnormalities result from various chemical imbalances or deficiencies and can be prevented, treated, or sometimes cured by achieving optimal levels of naturally occurring chemical substances, such as vitamins, dietary minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, amino acids, lipotropes, essential fatty acids, prohormones, dietary fiber and intestinal short chain fatty acids.

Osteopathy

Osteopathy is a system of healthcare based on the belief that disease is the direct result of the relationship between physiological function and anatomical structure. In osteopathy, function and structure are interdependent.

Oxygen Therapy

Hydrogen peroxide therapy, ozone therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) supply increased oxygen to the body.

P

Past Age Clearing & Healing

PACH is a powerful tool to allow you to release blocked energy from the past, balance energy in the present, and clear fears and anxieties projected into the future.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy (also referred to as physical therapy), is a health care system that heals through movement. The goal of physiotherapy is to identify, correct and alleviate prolonged or acute movement dysfunction and restore the natural movements of the body.

Pilates

Pilates (sometimes referred to as the Pilates Method) is a system of physical fitness developed in the early part of the twentieth century by Joseph Pilates. Pilates liked to call his system ‘Contrology’ because the method is all about controlling the muscles of the body through the power of the mind.

Polarity Therapy

Randolph Stone combined his knowledge of Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, yoga, acupuncture and shiatsu techniques to develop this system that sees the body as an electromagnetic energy system with each part of the body carrying electrical-like charges. By placing hands on various parts of the body, the practitioner connnects the positive and negative poles to improve the flow of energy through the body and assist healing and relaxation. To maintain well-being, diet, yoga, and self-awareness are encouraged.

Pranic Healing

In Pranic healing, the Prana (life force) is sent from the practitioner’s body to the diseased parts of the affected person’s body. The force stimulates the flow of blood, incites cells and tissues to restore normal activity, and allows the waste material to leave the body.

Psychic Surgery

Psychic Surgery involves someone being treated by a psychic or mystical healer who, through touching the patient, attempts to remove diseased tissue without actually physically cutting or leaving wounds and scars.

Psychics

A psychic receives information from Spirit, and in accordance with universal permission, and the permission of the recipient, is able to provide information and guidance to the recipient.

Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of the human mind, brain, and behavior. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including problems of individuals' daily lives and the treatment of mental illness.

Pushing Hand

Pushing Hand is a rhythmical, non-competitive exercise between two people, keeping constant contact with your partner. It is therefore non-physical with no power-to-power techniques being used.

Q

QiGong

Qigong, therefore, is a technique of traditional Chinese medicine involving the regulation and coordination of breathing patterns to ensure good health.

Quantum Touch

Quantum Touch is a method of hands-on healing. With only a light touch, you can observe bones spontaneously adjusting into their proper alignment. Beyond this, all healing is accelerated. Quantum-Touch has shown itself to be highly useful in organic and systemic conditions, conditions involving musculo-skeletal problems and trauma, pain and inflammation due to injury or surgery.

R

Radionics Therapy

Radionics is a system of alternative medicine developed by Dr Albert Abrams, who believed that diseased body tissue affected the nervous system and gave forth 'dull emanations'. Abrams believed electronic phenomena were involved with this, and he invented a variable resistance instrument called a 'black box' to measure the ohm resistance of different diseases on an electronic circuit.

Rebirthing

Also known as conscious-connected breathing or vivation. A technique in which the therapist guides clients through breathing exercises to help them re-experience past memories - including birth - and let go of emotional tensions stored in the body.

Reflexology

Reflexology is a science that maps out the reflexes on the feet and hands to all the organs and the rest of the body. It has been observed that congestion or tension in any part of the foot mirrors congestion or tension in a corresponding part of the body. Thus when you treat the big toes there is a related effect in the head, and treating the whole foot can have a relaxing and healing effect on the whole body.

Reiki

Reiki is a powerful, yet simple natural healing system involving the laying on the hands. Universal energy which is the energy of Spirit, God/ Goddess, Buddha, All That Is, Nature flows through the Reiki channel, spilling out via the heart chakra to the hands and from the hands to the recipient which may be another person, an animal, plant, a situation, or environment. This technique can be given a received by anyone.

Rolfing

Also called structural integration, Rolfing was pioneered by American biochemist Dr. Ida Rolf in the 1930s. Rolfing focuses on the connective tissue of the body; its goal is to place the body in balance with gravity. Rolfers ascertain that patterns of imbalance in the body deepen by repetition, and over time, most people are no longer in their vertical axis. These structural changes affect the function of the body, and rolfers seek to integrate the structure for better health.

S

Sclerology

Reading the eye based on patterns similar to Iridology.

Seitai Therapy

This healing and therapeutic Japanese massage is literally translated as 'Bone Therapy'. Seitai was developed by Kiyoshi Kato during the last century in Osaka , Japan and is involves combining elements of Shiatsu and Western Chiropractic techniques.

Self Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a process of speaking to the subconscious mind rather than conscious mind, in order to achieve a goal or change their views on an idea. This can be done by someone else or by one’s self. The one done by one’s self is called self hypnosis.

Sex Therapy

Therapy focussing on the sex lives of patients.

Shiatsu

Means, “finger pressure,” and is known for its particular technique of massage. Originating in Japan, many centuries ago, it is a form of acupressure, and uses varying rhythms and degrees of pressure to balance the life-energy that flows through specific pathways (meridians) in the body.

Sleep Therapy

Sleep Therapy is a non medication sleep therapy for those that suffer from insomnia. The goal is to synchronize the sleep pattern to the demands of lifestyle, employment etc and to allow the patient to wake up feeling refreshed and functional. This can be done a number of ways including: Light Therapy, Sound Therapy, Relaxation Techniques and Self Hypnosis.

Somatic Therapy

Somatic Therapy is an holistically oriented therapy which integrates the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects of each of us. It accomplishes this by helping us to become aware of our bodies and the sensations we experience through them. This can be done through practical meditation and relaxation techniques and visualizations to access the wisdom of the body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness, and to enhance the functioning of the body's immune system.

Sonopuncture

Sound and Music Therapy

Sound Therapy works on the premise that since sound, like all matter in life, is a vibration, by listening to certain sounds, you can affect the vibration of your body and brain in a positive way. Music therapy is the use of specific types of music to effect changes in behavior, emotions and physiology.

Spiritual Development

Spirituality is the recognition and acceptance of a powerful external force (some call it God) that has some influence on the individual.

Sports Therapy

This special form of massage is typically used before, during, and after athletic events to prepare the athlete for peak performance, to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries. Depending on the needs of the athlete, a variety of techniques are used including classic Swedish strokes, cross-fiber friction, pressure-point work, and joint mobilization.

Supernatural Healing

Super- "exceeding" + nature, refers to forces and phenomena which are not observed in nature, and therefore beyond verifiable measurement. If a phenomenon can be demonstrated, it can no longer be considered supernatural.

Support Groups

Groups of people share common Stories and Problems in a safe environment.

T

Tai Chi

Tai Chi or Tai Chi Chuan is an ancient Chinese fighting and exercise system that combines movement, breath regulation and meditation to enhance the flow of vital energy in the body. Tai Chi consists of slow, graceful movements and is still practiced in China and elsewhere in the world. It is considered to improve blood circulation and augment the immune functions of the body.

Tantra Massage

Tantra is based on the belief that the universe we experience is the concrete manifestation of the divine energy of the godhead that creates and maintains that universe, and the individual should, through ritual, channel that energy in creative and emancipatory ways.

Thalassotherapy

The term "thalassotherapy" covers a variety of treatments involving sea water and marine minerals, which were traditionally the stock-in-trade of seaside spa towns on the French coast in the 19th century. It is derived from the Greek word thalassos, meaning "sea". The properties of seawater are believed to have beneficial effects upon the pores of the skin.

Tibetan Eye Chart

The Tibetan Eye Chart was designed by Tibetan monks to give the necessary corrective exercises and stimulation to the muscles and nerves of the optical system. A few minutes of daily practice, morning and evening, will produce immediate effects. And, if maintained over a period of months, will effect definite improvement.

Tongue Diagnosis

Different areas of the tongue are believed to reflect the health of the different organ systems. If there is an unusual color, coating, and/or shape in a certain area, special attention is paid to the corresponding organ system.

Touch for Health

Touch for Health is a system of energy balancing using muscle testing, touch and acupressure massage to correct various physical and emotional imbalances, stresses, and tension. Based on the applied kinesiology principles of chiropractor George Goodheart, Touch for Health was popularized by John Thie, D.C. in his book by the same name written in 1973. He showed how muscle testing can reveal weaknesses even before symptoms manifest and how by pressing reflex points, it is possible to rebalance the body and the affected organs.

Trad Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine operates on one basic principle – that of Yin and Yang. Chinese medicine believes that the human body is a small universe in itself, with a set of complicated interconnected systems.Yang is the positive force, while Yin is the negative principle that acts on the body. The two forces have to be in harmony with each other and failing will cause diseases to strikes. Yang functions to protect the body from outer harm, while Yin provides the inner base to store energy for bodily functions. Oriental Health systems like Acupuncture, Shiatsu, Acupressure Massage, Macrobiotics, Do-In, and Sotai are based upon Chinese Medicine.

Trad Japanese Medicine

Traditional Japanese Medicine is rooted in mythology and the indigenous religion, Shintoism (meaning 'way of the gods'), which holds that everything in nature has a soul or spirit.

Trad Tibetan Medicine

Since Tibet is the land of monasteries, monks and meditation, it is inevitable that Tibetan medicine is a fusion of the scientific with the religious. It embraces the traditional Buddhist belief that illness of the body is caused by the poisons in the mind, namely ignorance, aggression and materialism.

Traditional Medicine

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Traditional Medicine as "the medicine that refers to health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being".

Trigger Point

Trigger point therapy is a kind of bodywork technique that aims to release the pain in sensitive trigger points. A trigger point is an area of a muscle that begins to pulse with pain and refers pain to other areas of the body. By applying pressure to these tender points, dysfunctions in various parts of the body can be removed.

Tui Na

Tuina (Tui Na) is a form of Chinese manipulative therapy often used in conjunction with acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese herbalism and qigong. It has been used in China for 2,000 years. Tuina (Tui Na) uses the traditional Chinese medical theory of the flow of Qi through the meridians as its basic therapeutic orientation. Through the application of massage and manipulation techniques Tuina (Tui Na) seeks to establish a more harmonious flow of Qi through the system of channels and collaterals, allowing the body the naturally heal itself.

U

Unani Medicine

The essential constituents and the working principles of the body, according to Unani, can be classified into seven main groups: arkan or elements, comprising earth, water, air and fire as different states of matter and the building blocks of everything in the universe; mizaj (temperament); akhlat (humours); aza (organs); arwah (life, spirits or vital breaths); quva (energy); and af'al (action).

Understanding & Awareness

The process of self-actualization- focussed both internally and externally.

Urine Therapy

Urine therapy is also known as amaroli and it is an integral part of the ayurvedic tradition of yoga. Yogis who follow Ayurveda are advised to drink the urine they excrete between 4 and 6 in the morning because the hormones released are propitious in inducing the meditative state of mind.

V

Vibrational Healing

Vibrational Medicine is one of the prototypical vibrational healing modalities. Sound produces measurable vibratory feelings throughout the body depending upon the frequency and amplitude of the sound used. There have been a wide variety of sound healing developments over the last ten to twenty years. Some of the tools practitioners use are singing bowls, bells and tuning forks.

Visceral Manipulation

VM is a gentle hands-on therapy that works through the body’s visceral system (the heart, liver, intestines and other internal organs) to locate and alleviate these abnormal points of tension throughout the body.

Visualization

Creative visualization is the ability to use the imagination, see images in our minds and make them come true. If we add concentration and feelings, it becomes a great creative power that makes things happen. Used in the right way, visualization can bring changes into our lives. The thought is the matrix or blueprint; the feelings provide the energy, the "electricity".

Vitamins and Minerals

Our body needs vitamins and minerals for normal growth, metabolism and health.

W

Women's Health

Women's health refers to health issues specific to human female anatomy. These often relate to structures such as female genitalia and breasts or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, the female. Women's health issues include menstruation, child birth, menopause and breast cancer.

X

Xanadu

Xanadu is a place with a stately pleasure-dome, where the sacred river Alph ran through endless caverns. Walls and towers were surrounded by bright gardens and incense laden trees. Paradise.

X-ray Therapy

X-Ray Therapy is the use of high-energy radiation from x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy) or from materials called radioisotopes. This type of radiation therapy is called internal radiation therapy, implant radiation, interstitial radiation, or brachytherapy.

Y

Yoga

Yoga is a generic term for the various spiritual disciplines in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is practiced throughout South Asia. Its prime aim is to pave the way to higher consciousness through liberation from suffering, ignorance and rebirth.

Yunsai Society

Mission Statement of the Yunsai Society: "Our determination is to inspire, promote and live in global harmony, and in respect (go-hi-yu-hi) of all life... To live the universal principles that connect us to all creation."

Z

Zang Fu Theory

Zen

The focus of Zen is on moment-by-moment awareness and 'seeing deeply into the nature of things' by direct experience.

Zenith

Zenith Omega™ utilizes the energy vibrations of each individual color and directs them into, through, and around the body, and the body’s entire energy field.

Zero Balancing

Zero Balancing® (or ZB as it is abbreviated) is a gentle and effective form of bodywork for balancing the body's energy with its skeletal structure.

Zheng Gu

Zheng Gu Shui is a liniment. Translated, ZHENG GU SHUI means bone-setting solution. Its function is to promote blood circulation, stop pain and help regeneration of bone tissue. Use Zheng Gu Shui Liniment is used for temporary relief of minor strains, bruises, sprains muscular aches and pains and arthritis.

PLEASE NOTE: Natural-Earth.com does not necessarily endorse any of the natural health and healing treatments and therapy in the natural health, natural medicine and lifestyles directory. The material on this web site has been provided for your information and we urge you to be discriminating in making your choice of natural health and healing. We wish you Good Luck... and Good Health.