amma An ancient Japanese holistic therapy for
treating mind, body, and spirit, now called shiatsu.
Ammatherapy schools combine the principles of
Oriental medicine for deep tissue manipulation
with the application of pressure, friction, and touch
to specific joints, energy channels, muscles, liga-
ments, and joints. Ammatherapy may also include
dietary, detoxification, herbs and supplements,
therapeutic exercise, stress, and emotional and
spiritual counseling. The chief diagnostic technique
of the ammatherapist is palpation with the hands
and fingers in areas where there is dysfunction or
pain. Palpation may be performed through cloth-
ing. For additional information on ammaeduca-
tion, you may log on to http://www.natural
healers.com/qa/amma.shtml.
See also SHIATSU.
animal-assisted therapy The technique of using
dogs, cats, and other animals to cuddle and interact
with traumatized or catastrophically ill patients of
all ages in order to heighten emotional comfort and
help people reconnect with normal activity after a
significant event, such as natural disaster or war.
The Delta Society, which is an organization that
teaches how to use therapy dogs, may be contacted
at 425-226-7357 or http://www.deltasociety.org.
antibiotics, herbal Substances extracted from
natural sources used for the treatment of infection
or ailment caused by microbial invasion in the
body. For example, antimicrobial properties are
attributed to the Native American herbs echinacea,
goldenseal, osha, Lomatium dissectum, usnea, and
saw palmetto.
See also HOMEOPATHY.
anxiety An emotional disorder that may include
physiological symptoms or illness, usually affecting
twice as many women as men. According to the
National Center for Health Statistics, as of 1998,
drugs prescribed for sufferers of anxiety rank
among the 20 drugs most commonly prescribed
overall. Some of the most common symptoms of
anxiety are hyperventilation, chest tightness or
pain, fainting, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, clammy
skin, flushing, dry mouth, loss of appetite,
headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, insomnia, and
a host of individualized manifestations of stress.
Anxiety may also occur as a result of a physical
problem, such as metabolic imbalance, hyperthy-
roidism, prostaglandin deficiency, poor nerve
health, smoking, any catastrophic illness such as
cancer, and many other diseases, or it may be sec-
ondary to posttraumatic stress, obsessive-compul-
sive, and other psychological disorders.
In the field of complementary medicine, the
mind-body connection is taken into consideration
when treating an individual presenting signs of
panic attack or another stress-related condition
regardless of its origin. Relaxation techniques;
meditation; Ayurveda; massage; aromatherapy
(particularly with essential oils of peppermint,
lavender, geranium, bergamot, cinnamon, etc.);
acupressure; acupuncture; homeopathic medicines
such as aconite, arsenicum, calcarea, and ignatia;
nutrition therapy (such as magnesium, calcium, B
vitamins, sea minerals, brewer’s yeast, sunflower
seeds, molasses, carrot-celery juice, wheat germ oil,
and garlic); psychotherapy; reflexology; and many
other healing methods have been known anecdo-
tally and shown in scientific studies to be effective
treatments. Herbal therapies include chamomile,
valerian, peppermint, hops, Chinese angelica,
white peony root, lady’s slipper, rosemary, skull-
cap, Reishi mushrooms, bee pollen, ginseng, gotu
kola, lobelia, and catnip. Flower remedies include
elm, aspen, red chestnut, Rescue Remedy, and
Emergency Essence.
In her book Healthy Healing: An Alternative Heal-
ing Reference(Healthy Healing Publications, Carmel
Valley, Calif., 1994), Linda G. Rector-Page, N.D.,
Ph.D., describes depression and anxiety as the
mental and emotional state that can stem from as
wide a range of causes as there are individuals. For
the “inability to cope with prolonged and intense
stress, excessive worry, anger and guilt, insomnia,
and diminished ability to concentrate,” she recom-
mends (1) food therapy, including sufficient pro-
tein (about 15 percent of total calorie intake),
carrot juice two to three times a week with a pinch
of sage and a teaspoon of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos,
the elimination of sweets, alcohol, and drugs,
drinking of bottled water, and a daily mix ofanxiety 7