Introduction:

Health spas and alternative health businesses are increasingly offering foot detoxification as a way to remove toxins and heavy metals from the body. However, there is no scientific evidence to confirm that they work.

How does foot detoxification work?

• balances the body’s pH
• reduces swelling
• boosts mood
• relieves stress
• increases immunity to illness
• aids weight loss
• improves heart health
• destroys harmful microorganisms

Types of foot baths:

The most popular types of foot detoxification include:

• Foot soak: A normal foot soak is a simple form of a detoxification bath. It involves dipping the feet in warm water. Some people add Epsom salts or a few drops of essential oil to the water.
• Foot masks: A clay foot mask may clean and lessen the feet. People typically apply the foot mask for a set period before washing it off.
• Foot scrubs: Regular foot scrubs may clean and detoxify the feet. They may also reduce foot odors and remove dead skin cells. The accompanying foot massage can relax the muscles and reduce tension.
• Foot pads: Special detoxification foot pads cause the feet to sweat. Some people believe that this process draws out the toxins.
• Acupressure-based techniques: Using special massage techniques to apply pressure to definite points in the feet can promote relaxation. Some people also think that acupressure aids detoxification.

Conclusion:

Foot detoxification is popular alternative health treatments that may relax a person, soften the skin, and treat minor foot complaints. While there is no evidence to support the use of these treatments for detoxification, they are unlikely to be harmful to most people.

Some people should avoid foot detoxification or speak to a doctor before using them. These people include:

• children
• pregnant women
• those with pacemakers or electrical implants
• people with diabetes
• anyone who has open sores on their feet

 Though sleep is one of the basic needs of a living being, we humans are grossly neglecting it in current times especially due to the advancement of science, availability of artificial light and over ambitiousness / greed. Screen addiction is a seriously increasing issue. Problems like Mosquito menace, municipal water supply being released to many localities at odd night hours disturb the sleep of many.

 Sleeping at a stretch for 7 to 9 hours every night in physiological hours (around 10pm to 7am) is important for good health.

Having fragmented sleep or sleeping for less time or sleeping late night can cause many illness like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, brain stroke, fatty liver leading to cirrhosis, acidity (GERD), accident proneness, dementia, Parkinson’s, Infertility, PCOD, Obesity, Addictions (tobacco, alcohol etc.), Anxiety, Depression, Erectile dysfunction, frozen shoulder, Allergies, Hair loss, Glaucoma etc. Chances of catching infections including COVID increase due to poor sleep.

 Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA (choking of throat in sleep causing blockage of breath multiple times leading to drop in blood oxygen level making the person awaken from sleep leading to poor quality sleep) is the major cause of sleep disturbance.

 People with OSA suffer from excessive sleepiness, lack of sleep, snoring, choking in sleep, need to get up from sleep to pass urine, unrefreshing sleep, morning headaches, fatigue, giddiness, lack of concentration etc.

 OSA can start in early childhood due to structural defects in the jaw bones or nasal passage or tonsils. Children can present as attention deficit disorders, poor academic performance, obesity etc.

OSA is diagnosed by doing a ‘SLEEP STUDY’ which is a simple non invasive, non painful test done at one’s own residence for one night. Persons having symptoms or diseases described above should get the sleep test done.

 Prevention and treatment of OSA includes diagnosing it early in childhood and doing ‘Airway orthodontic’ treatment or tonsillectomy as indicated.

In adults, Weight reduction, Myofunctional exercises of tongue & face, Yog, Pranayam, Using Positive Airway Pressure machine (commonly known as CPAP) and/or using mandibular advancement device while sleeping and sleeping for 7 to 9 hours form the mainstay of treatment. Having early dinner and avoiding screen (TV, mobile) for at least 1 hour before going to bed is important.

Introduction:

Chinese herbal medicine is part of a larger healing system called traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which also includes acupuncture, massage dietary advice and exercise. Chinese Herbal Medicine is very popular in western countries.

The underlying principles of TCM are very different from traditional Western notions about health, illness and the workings of the body. Chinese herbs are prescribed to normalize imbalanced energy, or Qi, that runs through invisible meridians in the body. Whether or not the philosophy is believed, studies have shown Chinese herbal medicines to be successful in treating a range of disorders, particularly gynecological and gastrointestinal disorders.

Yin and Yang:

The ancient Chinese proposed that every living thing is sustained by a balance of two opposing forces of energy, called Yin and Yang. Together, they make up the life essence, or Qi – a type of energy that flows through the body via invisible channels called meridians.  Half of certain organs and meridians are governed by Yin and the other half by Yang.   When Yin and Yang are out of balance in the body, this causes a blockage of Qi and a subsequent illness. Yin and Yang imbalances can be caused by stress, pollution, poor diet, emotional upsets or infection. For diagnostic purposes, Yin and Yang are further subdivided into interior and exterior, hot and cold, deficiency and excess.

The five elements in Chinese herbal medicine

The TCM philosophy proposes that everything including organs of the body – is composed of the five elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood. The herbs are similarly classified into the five tastes – sweet, salty, bitter, pungent and sour – which correspond to the five elements, for example, since the skin is a metal element Yang organ, it would be treated with a pungent herb.

Herbs used in Chinese medicine

Chinese herbal medicines are mainly plant based, but some preparations include minerals or animal products. They can be packaged as powders, pastes, lotions or tablets, depending on the herb and its intended use. Different herbs have different properties and can balance particular parts of the body. Prescribing a particular herb or concoction of herbs means the practitioner’s diagnosis has to take into account the state of the patient’s Yin and Yang, and the elements that are governing the affected organs.

TCM practitioners most often use two or more substances in Chinese medicinal formulations to create a balanced, synergistic effect that reflects the holistic nature of the diagnosis.

Although there are literally thousands of traditional herbal formulas for just about every condition imaginable, a formula is almost always modified by the TCM practitioner to suit the subtle nuances of the condition and constitution of the patient, making each formulation highly individualized.

Chinese medicinal formulations are prepared in a number of different ways:

• Chinese herbal decoctions. The most traditional method of preparing an herbal formula in China, decoctions can involve lengthy preparation and result in “teas” infamous for their strong taste and aroma. For these reasons decoctions are not as popular or as widely used in the west.
• Herbal powders, which can be mixed with hot water to make a tea, are more convenient to prepare and use, and are not as pungent as traditional decoctions.
• Chinese Patent Formulas are pre-made herbal formulations in pill or tablet form and are perhaps the most widely used form of Chinese herbal medicine outside of China.
• Syrups, which are soothing preparations for coughs and sore throat, are also a convenient way to administer herbal formulations to children.
• Liniments, salves, compresses and plasters, which are used for external application .Herbal therapy, next to dietary therapy, is perhaps the most widely used TCM treatment modality. TCM relies on herbal therapies both for the treatment of illness and in the optimization of health and prevention of disease.

Conclusion:

Chinese herbal medicine is part of a larger healing system called Traditional Chinese Medicine. Herbs are prescribed to restore energy balance to the opposing forces of energy – Yin and Yang – that run through invisible channels in the body.  Herbs can act on the body as powerfully as pharmaceutical drugs and should be treated with the same caution and respect. 

Critics argue that there is no physiological evidence that qi or meridians exist, and scant evidence that TCM works. There have been just a handful of cases in which Chinese herbal treatments have proved effective in randomized controlled clinical trials. One notable product that has emerged from TCM is artemisinin, a drug which is used in falciparum malaria.

Introduction:

Visualization is the effortless act of closing your eyes, relaxing your mind, and then vividly imagining a scenario in your mind that you would like to occur in your life. When you visualize a scenario repeatedly, it has shown to help create new powerful mindsets, attitudes and results by mentally ‘programming’ your subconscious mind to attain a specific result we desire.

What Can I Use It For?

It is also excellent for improved physical or mental results and performance. As well as being used for health, business and sports improvement, this technique can be used to overcome many specific problems and issues as well, also in both the mental and physical realm.

What Can Visualization Do For My Health, and for Self Help?

Visualization can:

* create internal changes within the body, and help the immune system to fight disease, and release healing chemicals such as endorphins and encephalin into the bloodstream

* discharge long term emotional blockages affecting our life

* free long term stress from your body, which increases functioning of the immune system

* build confidence, inner belief, positive attitudes

* improve relationships

How safe is Visualization?

Very safe – in fact, you have been using visualization all your life, without even knowing! Every time you have ever imagined a person, place or object in your mind, you are visualizing. The technique of visualizing simply focuses this everyday activity into a more powerful form, like the way a magnifying glass focuses the sun’s rays.

Here are five ways visualization can help your performance.

• Visualization decrease stress and reduces performance anxiety. …
• Visualization boosts confidence. …
• Visualization improves your abilities. …
• Visualization alleviates pain & helps you heal faster. …
• Visualization enhances motivation.

Conclusion:

The practice of creative visualization can be summed up by this simple phrase, “if you can visualize it, you can achieve it.” Here are just some of the benefits you can gain by practicing creative visualization.

• Achieve Your Goals

You can utilize the process of creative visualization to vividly see yourself achieving your goals in your mind’s eye.

• Improve Your Health

If you suffer from a medical condition or emotional problems, like anxiety or depression, you can use creative visualization techniques to help you recover. All you need to do is close your eyes and clearly envision your body renewing itself. You can use creative visualization to reduce stress, improve your mood, lower blood pressure, and so much more.

• Improve Your Happiness

The powerful act of visualizing something that you want, or an experience that you want to have, can bring you immense happiness, even it is just in your head.

• Boost Your Self-Confidence

When you see yourself doing something or obtaining things you want through your mind’s eye, it can help to boost your self-confidence.

• Improve Your Memory

When you hear something that you want to remember, you can create a detailed visual picture of it in your mind. This helps to embed the memory so that you can recall it much easier later on when you need it.  If you practice creative visualization for 20 to 30 minutes a day, you will start to see dramatic changes in all areas of your life.

Introduction:

Electromagnetic therapy or Electromagnetic field therapy refers to therapy involving the use of magnets or electromagnets. Types include: Bio-electromagnetics, the study of how electromagnetic fields work together with and influence biological processes.

There are several types, including:

Static magnetic field therapy: In this, you touch a magnet to your skin somehow. You might wear a magnetic bracelet or other magnetized jewelry. It could be a bandage with a magnet in it, or you may wear a magnet as a shoe insole. You could also sleep on a special mattress pad with a magnet in it.

Electrically charged magnetic therapy (electromagnetic therapy):  The magnets you use here have an electric charge. Treatment with electromagnetic therapy usually comes through an electric pulse.

Magnetic therapy with acupuncture:  Magnets go on the same sections of your skin that an acupuncturist would probably spotlight on in an acupuncture session. You may hear these areas called your energy pathways or channels.

How It Works

Your body logically has magnetic and electric fields. All your molecules have a small amount of magnetic energy in them. The thought behind magnetic field therapy is that certain problems happen because your magnetic fields are out of equilibrium if you put a magnetic field near your body, it’s believed things will go back to normal.

Ions like calcium and potassium help your cells send signals. In tests, scientists have seen magnets change how these ions act. However, so far, there isn’t evidence that magnets have the same effect on cells when they’re in your body.

What it’s used for:

Scientists have specifically studied its use for:

• Arthritis
• Wound healing
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Fibromyalgia

Contraindications:

While it’s generally safe for most people to wear low-intensity static magnets, it’s not a good idea to have magnetic field therapy if you:

• In patients using a pacemaker
• In patients having an insulin pump
• In pregnant women.

Conclusion:

There haven’t been many studies on magnetic field therapy. The ones that have been done don’t have enough data to draw solid conclusions. Some clinical trials have shown a potential for magnetic field therapy as a treatment for back pain, for the most part, there’s no clear proof that it can treat any condition.

Introduction:

Equine-assisted psychotherapy incorporates horses into the therapeutic process. People engage in activities such as grooming, feeding, and leading a horse while being supervised by a mental health professional.

Goals of this form of therapy including helping people develop skills such as emotional regulation, self-confidence, and accountability.

Who It’s For?

Equine facilitated psychotherapy may be just as effective with children and teens as it is with adult clients. Equine-assisted psychotherapy allows youth, and people of all ages, to work on issues such as:

• Assertiveness
• self-confidence
• Developing and maintaining relationships
• Emotional awareness
• understanding
• Impulse control
• Problem-solving skills
• Social skills
• Trust in others
• Trust in self

Benefits:

Although a variety of animals can be used in the psychotherapeutic process, horses offer unique traits that have made them a top choice for animal-assisted therapies. According to many anxiety experts, horses bring the following unique elements to the therapy process.

Non-Judgmental and Unbiased

As much as humans, especially therapists, do our best to offer a safe space for clients to explore deep emotional hurts and painful experiences, it can be uncomfortable for clients to openly share their thoughts.  Building therapeutic rapport can take time as participants working toward building trust and practicing vulnerability in session.

Having the horse present may offer a sense of calm, as they only will react to the client’s behavior and emotions with no threat of bias or any judgment of their emotional experience.

Feedback and Mirroring

Horses are keen observers and are vigilant and sensitive to movement and emotion. They often mirror a client’s behavior or emotions, conveying understanding and connection that allows the client to feel safe.

This also allows for clients to maintain a sense of self-awareness, using the horse’s behavior and interactions for feedback and opportunities to check in and process what is happening in the moment.

Managing Vulnerability

As clients might find themselves vulnerable when trying to open up about emotional challenges, past experiences, or life transitions, the horse can offer a reference point to use for processing.

Other Benefits

Some other potential benefits of equine therapy include increased:

• flexibility
• Distress tolerance
• Emotional awareness
• Independence
• Impulse control
• Self-esteem
• Social awareness
• Social relationships

Horses also require work. They must be fed, watered, exercised, and groomed. Providing this type of care can often be therapeutic. It helps establish routines and structure, and the act of caring and nurturing something else can help build empathy.

Conclusion:

Although equine-assisted therapy has been shown to be helpful in the treatment of anxiety, a client may fear being around a large horse and not feel motivated to attend this type of treatment. There may also be a traumatic memory involving animals that would prevent someone from being willing to participate.   It is important to speak with a trained mental health provider to determine if you or your loved one is a good fit for equine-assisted therapy. Most programs will have an assessment process to determine if EAP is right for you before beginning any treatment.

Introduction:

The Feldenkrais Method is a somatic, or body-oriented, intervention designed to help people reconnect with their bodies and learn ways to move with greater effectiveness it may help a person increase vitality, coordination, and achieve overall enhanced well-being.

How Does the Feldenkrais Method Work? 

The Feldenkrais Method uses improvement of one’s awareness to address dormant areas of the self and promote larger and more graceful motions, utilizing the nervous system’s own ability to create change and improve movement.​ The purpose of the approach is for those utilizing it to realize potentially constricting habits and movements and learn ways to expand their range of movement. By becoming more self-aware, people frequently become better able to involve more of their body in their movements and may experience an enhanced sense of physical and emotional functioning. 

Uses of the Feldenkrais method:

The Feldenkrais method is considered appropriate for any individual, of any age, and has been shown to offer the following benefits: 

• Improved health and well-being
• Improved attention and concentration
• Reduced pain 
• Completing tasks with less effort
• Improved posture, movement, coordination, and balance
• Easier breathing
• Better control over muscular tension

Criticisms and Limitations of the Feldenkrais Method 

The Feldenkrais Method does not try to either treat underlying concerns causing limited motion and pain or create lasting or permanent change in the body’s structure. Instead, the approach’s primary goal is to provide relief to those experiencing limited movement and/or physical discomfort, related or otherwise, and teach strategies to help individuals get used to to and more easily live with conditions that cause lasting pain. This may be a benefit to some, but others may see it as a limitation. 

Conclusion:

The Feldenkrais Method was specifically designed to treat those experiencing restricted or limited range of motion due to injuries, chronic pain, or other physical or neurological concerns.   Sessions may however relieve pain, muscle stiffness, and fatigue, but the increased ease of movement and higher levels of energy that may be experienced by participants can also have the effect of facilitating relaxation and easing stress. 

Introduction:

Magnetic therapy is an unconventional medical practice that uses unmoving magnets to alleviate pain and other health concerns. So-called therapeutic magnets are normally integrated into bracelets, rings, or shoe inserts, though therapeutic magnetic mattresses and clothing are also on the market. 

How does it work?

Those who believe in the efficacy of magnetic therapy often cite the ability of static magnets to alter a person’s bio-energy fields, or bio-fields, which are “energy fields that supposedly surround and penetrate the human body.

Uses of Magnet therapy:

It is used in various conditions such as:

• To treat pain associated with fibromyalgia
• Neuropathy
• Sciatica,
• Arthritis
• Diagnose and treat chronic pain syndrome
• Wound healing
• Insomnia
• Headache
• Several other diseases due to their ability to generate a static magnetic field.

Side effects of Magnet therapy:

Magnet treatment is relatively safe; however, side effects only happen in a very small percentage of cases

• Some patients may experience:
• Dizziness
• Low energy
• Palpitation
• Nausea, and vomiting
• Side effects can, include a decrease in blood pressure
• Local skin areas can become itchy, burning, and painful

Conclusion:

Magnetic therapy does not seem to be an alternative for routine treatments in reducing pain and it is only effective in reducing myofascial pain. Before embarking on taking Magnet therapy it would be well worth consulting with your physician and rule out the absence of hitherto unknown dangerous systemic disease.

Introduction:

Grounding or earthing is a therapeutic technique that focuses on realigning your electrical energy by reconnecting to the earth. There’s little research behind grounding but smaller studies have reported benefits for inflammation, pain, mood, and more.

Benefits of grounding:

• reduces inflammation
• reduces cortisol levels in the body
• increases energy
• increases healing speed
• decreases pain
• restores balance to the body

Research also suggests that grounding helps:

• chronic fatigue
• anxiety and depression
• sleep disorders
• chronic pain
• cardiovascular health

Risks of grounding:

There any potential negative side effects of grounding and they are that, you have to be careful of where you’re walking barefoot and watch out for any hazardous materials (such as glass or sharp rocks) that may be present where you’re grounding.

Conclusion:

Grounding is an ancient practice of making direct contact with the earth (mainly by walking barefoot).  The idea behind grounding as a health practice is that by having the skin meet the earth, you can help neutralize the electric charge that runs through our bodies. To incorporate a grounding practice into your life, try to get outside while totally barefoot for at least 30 minutes a day. If you can’t dedicate that much time, then do it for as long as you can on a regular basis. Is there any grounding science? Yes, research shows that the earth’s negative charges can create a stable internal bioelectrical environment for the normal functioning of all body systems.

Possible benefits of grounding include faster healing, less stress, reduced inflammation, less pain, better sleep and improved energy levels.  By getting outdoors to practice earthing, it can also help you avoid the all-too-common vitamin D deficiency, too, and maybe also lead to increased exercise. Grounding is an activity that everyone has available to them — and it’s a entirely free resource!

Introduction:

Crystal healing is an alternative medical technique in which crystals and other stones are used to cure ailments and protect against disease. Practitioners of this technique believe that crystals act as conduits for healing allowing positive healing energy to flow into the body as negative, disease-causing energy flows out. 

Despite the fact that crystal healing has seen an upsurge in popularity in recent years, this alternative treatment is not popular with most medical doctors and scientists, many of whom refer to crystal healing as a pseudoscience.

How does it work?

The philosophy of modern crystal healing is based on traditional concepts borrowed from Asian cultures, most notably the Chinese concept of life-energy (chi or qi) and the Hindu or Buddhist concept of chakras, which are vortices of this life-energy, said to connect the physical and supernatural elements of the body.  During a treatment session, a crystal healer may place various stones or crystals on your body aligned with these chakra points, roughly in the regions above the head, on the forehead, on the throat, on the chest, on the stomach, on the gut, and on the genital area. 

Crystal healing also involves the use of crystals and stones worn on the body or placed under pillows to ward off sickness. Crystals are supposed to shed negative energy or absorb positive energy.

Mode of action of crystals:

The conviction behind crystal therapy is that individual stones such as amethyst, rose quartz and jade have the ability to communicate with the energy flow of the human body and help to realign the energy channels that are interrupting the natural flow of the body and help it heal itself. Crystals with specific stones are said to help to relieve specific ailments such as anxiety, depression and insomnia, or more physical ailments such as digestive problems.

Conclusion:

Crystal therapy probably works by a Placebo effect.  Some medical doctors put up with crystal healing to a limited degree, seeing it as a therapy that can induce relaxation, which ultimately is therapeutic for stress management. Those seeking a crystal healer, however, should be careful not to neglect a legitimate treatment for life-threatening disease.