ACUPUNCTURE ART & MUSIC THERAPY
Finally, it’s important to be aware of your changing needs
and be willing to shift your treatment course as necessary.
Say 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 avail-
able, 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 only as a starting point.IF YOU ... have to see the research before you
believe in the effectiveness of a therapy,
CONSIDER ... modalities that are well studied.
ACUPUNCTURE The application of needles along the
body’s energy meridians is an ancient Chinese medical inter-
vention that’s been proven to help ease and prevent a host of
health woes. In fact, 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 the American Journal of Rhinology &
Allergy found that acupuncture relieves sinus problems due to
allergies) to more serious issues (researchers at the University
of Pittsburgh and Temple University recently found acupunc-
ture 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
70 from neck and nerve pain to premenstrual cramps.
february 2016yogajournal.com