Australian Yoga Journal - April 2016

70

april 2016

yogajournal.com.au

Finally, it’s important to be aware of

your changing needs and be willing to shift

your treatment course as necessary. For

example, if your back pain gets so much

better that you no longer need regular

Rolfing sessions and instead are able to stay

pain free with occasional acupuncture.

Yoga can help with gaining that awareness.

“Yoga is a process of connecting to the

present moment, and by doing that,

connecting to the self, which gives yogis

access to an inner knowing that helps guide

our decisions and prompts us to ask, ‘What

do I need right now?’” says Rachel Allyn,

PhD, a licensed psychologist and yoga

instructor in Minneapolis. “It’s important

to trust that you’ll know how to answer that

question, which can be so beneficial when

you’re healing.”

With so many complementary healing

modalities available, it can be a puzzle

finding the right one. To help you sort

through your options, ask yourself which

of the following statements resonates most

with you right now, and consider the

treatment options in that section. Keep

in mind, there’s a good chance you’ll find

many of these therapies beneficial, so

use this as a starting point.

ACUPUNCTURE

The application of needles along the body’s

energy meridians is an ancient Chinese

medical intervention that’s been proven to

help ease and prevent a host of health woes.

When it comes to alternative therapies that

have been studied extensively, acupuncture

comes out on top. The benefits range from

helping minor conditions (one recent study

published in theAmerican Journal of

Rhinology & Allergyfound that acupuncture

relieves sinus problems due to allergies) to

more serious issues (researchers at the

University of Pittsburgh and Temple

University recently found acupuncture

eases cancer pain). When it comes to

chronic pain, there are hundreds of studies

published in well-respected medical

journals showing that acupuncture can help

treat everything from neck and nerve pain

to premenstrual cramps.

REFLEXOLOGY

This healing modality involves the

application of pressure to specific points on

the feet, hands, and head that correspond

to a different body organ and system. The

thinking is that pressing these areas has a

beneficial effect on the corresponding

organs, as well as overall health.

“Reflexology is a zone therapy,” says

Robert Thursday, a reflexologist, massage

therapist, and editor of Yoga Journal

Presents Your Guide to Reflexology.

“Similar to the way anesthesia can numb

certain zones of the body, stimulating

certain reflexology points can affect very

specific organs, nerves, and zones of the

body to decrease pain and increase

functioning.”

For example, if you’re constipated, a

reflexologist can work with points that can

help heal your digestive tract and get it

going again, says Thursday. Numerous

studies funded by the National Cancer

Institute and National Institutes of Health

show reflexology is effective in reducing

pain and treating psychological symptoms,

such as anxiety and depression, as well as

enhancing relaxation and sleep. One study

found that people felt about 4o per cent less

pain, and were able to stand pain for about

45 per cent longer, when they used

reflexology as a method of pain relief,

reports the Journal of Complementary

Therapies in Clinical Practice. Another

study looking at breast-cancer patients in 13

community-based medical oncology clinics

found health-related quality of life and

physical functioning improved in those

receiving reflexology, according to research

in the journal Oncology Nursing Forum.

MASSAGE THERAPY

Whether you’re at a spa with dimmed

lighting and plush robes or in a bare-bones

massage therapist’s office, there’s always

something about the relaxing, healing

benefits of a therapeutic massage that

almost everyone finds accessible and

enjoyable. By pressing, rubbing, and

manipulating muscles and soft tissues,

massage therapists ease muscle tension and

boost circulation, and a growing body of

HYDROTHERAPY ACUPUNCTURE

If you... have to see the

research before you believe in

the effectiveness of a therapy,

Consider... modalities that

are well studied.