Hypnotherapy is therapy that is undertaken when a subject is under hypnosis. Subjects under hypnosis are typically much ‘suggestible’ or have ‘hyper-suggestibility’ meaning that while under hypnosis, they are more susceptible to suggestions. If someone is not hyper-suggestible, there is little point in referring to them as hypnotized.

Hypnosis is often used as a tool to help individuals with addictions, whether they be smoking, gambling or alcohol (to name a few). Hypnotists can aim to modify their patients behavior while under hypnosis, help improve attitudes, and help with anxiety, stress related illnesses, pain management and personal development.

Hypnosis is often used in state shows and street performances, as the hypnotist can have fairly extensive control over their subject, often triggering a humorous response from onlookers.

Mesmerism and hypnotism are sometimes quite synonymous, however, Anton Mesmer did not hypnotize his subjects, he said that trance and healing were the result of channeling a mysterious occult force called “animal magnetism”.

In 1892 the British Medical Association (BMA) commissioned an evaluation of the effects and nature of hypnotherapy, by a team of doctors, they reported that hypnotism is frequently effective in relieving pain, helping to aid sleep, and alleviating various psycho-somatic complaints.

Further research on hypnotherapy has tended to highlight three main areas where it’s treatment efficacy has been demonstrated:

1 Anxiety

2 Insomnia

3 Pain management

It is also used in many other applications but research has tended to focus on these main areas.

There are a wide variety of individual holistic treatments often used to ease the aging process and promote anti-aging techniques and methodologies. Common approaches include:

1. Acupuncture

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine

3. Natural Hormone Therapy

4. Massage

5. Meditation & Relaxation Techniques

Brief details of each above mentioned modality or focus area, are outlined below for reference. Many individuals receive relief from aches and pains, and an overall increase in health and vitality when utilizing these holistic anti aging treatments.

Acupuncture -
Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating fine filiform needles into specific points on the body with the aim of relieving pain and for therapeutic purposes. Acupuncture is thought to have originated in China and is most commonly associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) -
Traditional Chinese Medicine includes a range of traditional medical practices originating in China. It is considered as a complimentary medicine in the western world, though it remains a primary form of medical care throughout Asia.

TCM practices include treatments such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, dietary therapy, Tui na and Shiatsu massage; often Qigong and Taiji are also strongly affiliated with TCM. TCM theory is extremely complex and originated thousands of years ago through meticulous observation of nature, the cosmos, and the human body.

Natural Hormone Therapy -
Advocates taking a combination of naturally based vitamins and supplements to ease aging and maintain vitality and good health.

Massage -
Massage involves acting on and manipulating the patient’s body with pressure (structured, unstructured, stationary, and/or moving), tension, motion, or vibration done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels, and / or organs of the gastrointestinal system.

Massage can be applied with the hands, feet, fingers, elbows and forearm. There are over eighty different massage modalities. The most cited reasons for introducing massage have been patient demand and perceived clinical effectiveness.

Meditation & Relaxation Techniques -
Meditation is the process by which an individual attempts to get beyond their conditioned ‘conscious’ thinking mind, and enter into a deeper state of relaxation and awareness. Similar to self-hypnosis, benefits of meditation can include a higher state of consciousness, greater focus, enhanced creativity or self-awareness or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.

Women’s Health covers a multitude of areas, focused on a holistic approach to overall women’s wellness. Women’s health areas covered include fertility issues, Obstetrics & Gynecology, hormone balance, breast health and midlife transition.

Women’s health refers to health and medical issues related specifically to human female anatomy. Associated structures may include the female genitalia, breasts and issues related to being female such as contraception, maternal health, menopause, menstruation, breast cancer and childbirth. Some medical and health advocates define Womens Health more broadly, to not only include specific illnesses and structures related to women, but also focus on issues related to womens health, such as access to healthcare, abortion and contraception and the differences in illness susceptibility based upon your sex, such as rates of cancer and heart disease between women and men.


Women’s health as an issue, has also been taken up by many feminists in the past also, where research has revealed treatment anomalies between women and men, and many feminists have campaigned for abortion and contraception access to be improved and approached as a health rather than a moral issue.

Key Points related to Women’s Health include:
- Read food labels to avoid preservatives, dyes, pesticides and other chemicals – artificial ingredients unbalance the hormonal system causing PMS and reduced estrogen levels.

- Try to eat only raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, fresh fish and whole grains – packaged goods lack nutritional quality.

- Your liver, ovaries, adrenal and pituitary glands and thyroid need a sufficient supply of omega 3 fatty acids, to produce our own hormones. Organic flax seed oil is an excellent source of Omega 3.

- If you are not producing enough of your own hormones, this can be helped by eating alfalfa and other foods containing phytoestrogens, as they act just like estrogen in the body.

- Toxins from non-organic foods, the environment and personal care products can cause havoc on your hormonal system and overwhelm the body. Exercises that move the whole body will remove toxins through the lymphatic system.

- USDA beef and dairy products contain heavy hormone residues. This interferes with your own hormonal system, try to eat organic dairy and beef, as they do not have livestock hormones in them.

- Altered fats and oils such as margarine, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, chips, fried foods etc also disrupt the female hormonal system. Utilizing products with cold-pressed, organic unrefined oils are a great improvement.

- Hormonal imbalances can be added to by the use of synthetic and ‘natural’ isolated vitamins, switch to 100% whole food concentrate nutritional supplements. They are formulated to feed your cells with live nutrients that you are missing in your diet. This can bring huge benefits.

- National Institute of Health researchers found that the risk of hormone estrogen use increases the chances of women, who are otherwise healthy, of having a stroke by 41%, increase the risk of heart attack by 29% and breast cancer by 24%.

- HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy – consists of drugs in the form of skin patches, creams or tablets, they increase the levels of sex hormone oestrogen.

Routine care is the best way to keep you and your breasts healthy, detecting breast cancer at it’s earliest stages is the main goal of breast care, but other benign conditions like fibrocystic breasts, cysts and other issues are often discovered during routine care.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer, and early detection of breast cancer greatly increases the survival rates. Treatment and options for breast cancer have improved greatly over recent years.

Spiritual healing takes the entire person into account, not just their emotional and mental aspects. It examines problems from a spiritual and practical perspective, without endorsing any specific belief doctrine or religious or spiritual belief. It is supportive counseling for the individuals’ belief system, support of the essence of the person – and the facilitation of their spiritual growth, often near the end of life.

Spiritual counselors are said to self-empower their clients, teaching an understanding of life that enables the clients to no longer seek advice in many areas of their life.

Psychotherapy is an interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living. This usually includes increasing individual sense of well-being and reducing subjective discomforting experience.

Psychotherapists employ a range of techniques based on experiential relationship building, dialogue, communication and behavior change and that are designed to improve the mental health of a client or patient, or to improve group relationships (such as in a family).

Psychotherapists employ a range of techniques to help their patients mental health to help them with ‘life’ problems. It is a relational intervention & interpersonal technique, carried out by trained psychotherapists and helps their patients & clients with group relationships (i.e. family relationships). Psychotherapy may be performed by a number of different practitioners and specialists, including counselors, marriage & family therapists, licenses clinical social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists & psychiatric nurses.

Psychotherapy Approaches
Psychotherapy is most commonly associated with spoken conversation and communication between the psychotherapist and the client. Psychotherapists want their patients to be at ease and relaxed, so that they feel comfortable discussing their most intimate and personal thoughts – so that the psychotherapist can help them to understand themselves better.

Psychotherapy can also employ the use of artwork, narrative story, drama, music, therapeutic touch and the written word as forms of communication between the practitioner and the client.
Since deeply personal & sensitive topics are often discussed between a psychotherapist and their patient, most psychotherapists are legally bound to respect their clients and patients confidentiality. The importance of confidentiality is enshrined in the regulatory psychotherapeutic organizations codes of ethical practice.

Systems of Psychotherapy
There are several main broad systems of psychotherapy, including (but not limited to):
• Psychoanalysis – This was the first practice to be called a psychotherapy. The patient is encouraged to ‘verbalize’ their thoughts and feelings. This includes free associations, fantasies and dreams. The analyst then formulates and determines the nature of the unconscious conflicts which are causing the patients symptoms and character problems.
• Cognitive behavioral – This is based on cognitions, beliefs, assumptions and behaviors. The aim is to influence negative emotions that relate to the inaccurate appraisal of events.
• Psychodynamic – The main focus of this form of psychotherapy, is to reveal the unconscious content of the clients psyche to alleviate psychic tension. Psychodynamic therapy tends to be briefer and less intensive than traditional psychoanalysis.
• Existential – This is based on the ‘existential’ belief that humans are alone in the world, this aloneness can lead individuals to feeling very alone and that life is meaningless. The emphasis in this approach is to overcome them by creating one’s own meanings & values.

Meditation is the process by which an individual attempts to get beyond their conditioned ‘conscious’ thinking mind, and enter into a deeper state of relaxation and awareness. Similar to self-hypnosis, benefits of meditation can include a higher state of consciousness, greater focus, enhanced creativity or self-awareness or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.

Meditation often involves turning attention to a single point of reference. Meditation is recognized as a component of almost all religions, and has been practiced for over 5,000 years, but is also practiced outside religious traditions.

Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual and/or psychophysical practices which may emphasize different goals — from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.

Forms of meditation
There are various meditation techniques, which can be classified according to their focus:

Mindfulness
Is meditation when focusing on the field or background perception and experience. The mediator sits silently and comfortably, and they center their attention by focusing their awareness on a process (such as breathing, or a sound like a mantra) or on an object that they visualize. Typically the mediator is encouraged to maintain an open focus.

The mediator is ‘anchored’ by their focus, which enables them to constantly bring their mind back to the present, and thereby not allowing their mind ‘free-reign’, they maintain limited awareness and can relax and reduce their secondary thought processes.

Concentrative Meditation
Is meditation when focusing on a preselected specific object. This form of mediatation is used in many religions and spiritual practices. The mediator is asked to concentrate their focus on a particular object (for example, a specific repetitive prayer) and minimize distractions, returning their mind constantly to concentrate on the chosen object of their focus. In some traditions, mindfulness and concentrative meditation are combined. There are also forms of meditation where the focus can shift between the field, and a specific object.

Forms of meditation which are devoid of mystical content have been developed in the west as a way of promoting physical and mental well being, some of these include Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation (helping to reduce anxiety and to relax muscular tension), Autogenic training and Shambhala Training and sensual meditation to name just a few.

Breath Watching
Breath watching involves being aware of and watching your breathing during meditation. To be able to successfully follow this technique, you should:
- Sit in a quiet room, distraction free
- Sit in a chair or on the floor in a comfortable position
- Begin to take slow deep breaths with your eyes closed, breathing in through your nose and out of your mouth
- Be aware as you breathe, of your breath travelling through your body
Focus all your attention on your breath

Empty Mind Meditation
This form of meditation needs focus and patience, it means that you need to empty all of your thoughts from your mind and allow your mind to rest. You need the following to achieve this:
- A quiet room
- To be in the cross-legged position
- Allow all your thoughts to travel out of your body, into the atmosphere

Walking Meditation
Walking meditation can be done in your office, out on a run or walking down the street. You focus on how your body moves while moving in any of these environments. As your mind wanders, refocus and concentrate on your body movement.

Mindfulness Meditation
Mindful meditation is focused on what is happening to you in the present and being aware of your thought process and your feelings. You are not to judge yourself, but instead open your mind to why you are feeling a certain way, and be open to what your true feelings are. This is the same practice that Buddhist Monks use.

Simple Mantra Meditation
This form of meditation focuses your mind on a particular sound. It might be a phrase repeated over and over, or it could be a tone of some kind. Practitioners working with a Master will often chant phrases like Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, repeated over and over, “Shanti” means peace.

Kinesiology focuses on how the body functions and moves, and is the science of human movement. It is also known as Human Kinetics. Kinesiology focuses on improving and enhancing human movements, having applied both evidence based and scientific medical principles for analysis first. Kinesiologists work in industrial environments, in clinical and fitness industry or research fields.

Qualified Kinesiologists in the USA are conferred a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Kinetics or Kinesiology (or higher qualification). Kinesiologists are often involved in rehabilitation, prevention and management of disorders. They also provide consulting services, research and develop policies related to rehabilitation, ergonomics, motor performance and occupational health and safety.

A medical intuitive is a person who uses their intuition to find the cause of an emotional or physical condition. They claim to heal illness by connecting with the healing powers of the divine. They are supposed to be able to heal at accelerated speeds, though their ability to diagnose illnesses and heal them has not been supported by scientific evidence.

Many medical intuitives do not make medical diagnoses, but only seek to treat existing identified medical conditions or ailments. They present information to their clients in a more holistic way than traditional doctors, and are regularly known to seek the clients active participation in their own healing. Some medical intuitives even claim to be able to heal people over the telephone.

Medical intuition has been used for medical information as far back as Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866), whose intuitive healing practice began in 1854, however the term ‘medical intuitive’ was first coined by Dr Norm Shealy and Caroline Myss in 1987, as part of Shealy’s research on intuition and medical application. Some medical intuitives claim to be able to see areas of illness inside the body, others assert that they can view energetic problems with an individuals aura before any physical signs of an illness are present or otherwise detected.

Faith Healers often claim to have divine medical intuitive abilities, for example, William M Branham was believed by his followers to be able to discern the health condition of people who attended his services, and in a variety of cases to have healed them of their afflictions. However there is no evidence of these healings and much evidence is anecdotal or from testimonials, but have not been verified medically.

Integrative medicine is when a practitioner utilizes a combination of traditional and non-traditional healing methods in the treatment of their clients. Non-traditional healing may include a variety of both holistic and alternative therapies.

The main difference in integrative medicine is that practitioners consider the mind-body-spirit connection and view the patient as a whole, rather than focusing simply on the individual ailment or illness in question, thereby aiming to address the illness through a full approach to treatment that takes into account not only the pain and suffering caused by the illness, but also how the person responds to pain, what their environment and lifestyle are like, their individual likes & dislikes etc.

This enables practitioners to treat the ‘whole’ person, and as a result often has greater benefits to the individual, with long lasting benefits.

Overview
The Feldenkrais Method is often regarded as complementary medicine. However, Feldenkrais practitioners generally don’t regard their work as “treatment” or “cure,” because they are not working from the medical model. Instead of directly working a change to the physical body, they are working with the nervous system and enabling discovery of new choices.

The Feldenkrais Method was originated by Dr Moshé Feldenkrais (1904-1984), a Ukrainian-born Jewish physicist and judo practitioner who moved to Israel and eventually became an Israeli. He presented a view that good health means functioning well—working well, having satisfying relationships with emotional maturity, able to access a full range of responses to any situation (”Awareness Through Movement”) - this is opposed to the medical health as in not ’sick or disabled’ or health in any abstract sense. He asserted that his method of body/mind exploration leads to improved functioning (health) through individuals becoming more aware and finding improved use; this focus on exploration and awareness is typified by his statement “What I am after is more flexible minds, not just more flexible bodies”.

This goal is reflected in the code of the Feldenkrais Guild of North America which states that practitioners of the method do not undertake to diagnose or treat illness of any kind.

Most proponents of the Feldenkrais Method consider it to be a form of self-education and mind-body development, rather than a manipulative therapy.

Feldenkrais’ approach was more experiential, using self-discovery rather than manipulation. Some of the influences on Feldenkrais’ work include Gustav Fechner, Gerda Alexander, Elsa Gindler, Jigoro Kano, G. I. Gurdjieff, Emile Coué, William Bates, Heinrich Jacoby and Mabel Todd, all of whom were more concerned with awareness than with simple physical exercises.

Techniques
The Feldenkrais Method is applied in two forms by practitioners, who generally receive more than 800 hours of formal training over the course of four years.

Awareness through movement
In an Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lesson, the teacher verbally directs students through movement sequences and various foci of attention. Usually this occurs in a group setting, although ATM lessons can also be given to individuals, or recorded. There are more than a thousand ATM lessons in existence. Most of them are organized around a specific movement function, and teachers lend their particular style to each lesson.

Moshé Feldenkrais gave the name to a series of demonstrations he devised when some of his scientific colleagues wanted to know how he was learning to walk normally with a seriously damaged knee. Being an experimental scientist himself, he gave them concrete directions on how to move to discover for themselves what he was learning.

Feldenkrais understood these changes to be improvements of the self image, which can be conceived in one sense as an arrangement of areas of the motor cortex relative to the body. The body image was depicted by Dr. Wilder Penfield in the form of a homunculus. Since activity in the motor cortex plays a key role in proprioception Feldenkrais realized that changes in our ability to move are inseparable from changes in our conscious perception of ourselves as embodied. This relationship is clear and open to introspection.

An example of direction to introspection is given below:
Make a quick list of body parts you know you have but which you cannot feel consciously and compare it with a list of those you can feel. Which list contains the members you can move?

Thus Awareness Through Movement lessons are intended to do just what their name says. They improve awareness by using and improving the student’s observation and attention to the way they move.

Functional integration
In a Functional Integration lesson, the practitioner uses his hands to guide the movement of the student, in sitting, lying or standing. All of the movements are expanded from the habitual patterns of the student. This allows the student to feel safe, and gives the student the opportunity to observe the movement in detail. Through precision of touch and movement, the student learns how to eliminate excess effort and thus move more freely and easily. Lessons may be very specific in addressing particular issues brought by the student, or can be more global in scope.

Influence on somatics
Somatic disciplines influenced by Feldenkrais include: Hanna Somatics, Rubenfeld Synergy, Tellington Touch (for animals), Anat Baniel Method, Sounder Sleep System, Bones for Life, Liberation Through the Body, and others.

Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice believed to utilize the laws of earth (geography) and heaven (astronomy) to help one improve life by receiving positive Qi (energy). It is commonly utilized today in the positive arrangement of furniture and items around a home or office, to create positive energy flows believed to improve luck and life and for individuals to achieve their desired goals. Traditionally feng shui is important in choosing a place to live, agricultural planning and in finding a burial site.

Feng shui literally translates as ‘wind-water’ in English, and has a 3500+ year history. Proponents of feng shui claim it has positive effects on health, wealth and personal relationships. Some consider it a pseudoscience or even sorcery.

Modern goals for feng shui include selecting and situating human built environments (offices, homes etc) in environments where there is good ‘qi’. Feng shui will also enable one to identify places or locations where nothing should be built. Time, in the form of calendars and astronomy is at the heart of feng shui.

Since the People’s Republic of Chian was founded in 1949, feng shui has been officially deemed a ‘social evil’ and a ‘feudalisitc superstitious practice’ according to the state’s atheistic communist ideology, and is heavily discouraged – it has even been outright banned at times. Persecution of practitioners was most severe during the Cultural revolution, when feng shui was classified as a custom under the so-called ‘Four Olds’ to be wiped out. Feng shui practitioners were beaten.

Approaches to energy healing vary widely in their origin, approach and philosophy. Many are predicated (referring to their efficacy) based on some form of energy as yet unknown to science, often referred to as ‘putative energy’ – while others such as ‘spiritual energy’ can be and are often equated to understood forces such as the aura being equated with electromagnetism. These energies are referred to as ‘veritable’ rather than ‘putative’.

Energy medicine as a term, has been in general use since the 1980s, when the International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine was founded. The term was further defined in two books, both titled “Energy Medicine”, one surveys existing research evidence while the other is a guide for practitioners.

The NCCAM distinguishes between claims of healing surrounding actual well known forms of physical energy, versus those of an unclear or indefinable natures, where not only is the energy itself, but also the claim of healing virtue is unsubstantiated (such as energy medicine involving putative energy fields).

Types of veritable energy medicine include magnetic therapy, light therapy, electromagnetic radiation (radiation therapy – a mainstream medicine) and cymatic therapy (utilizing sound waves). Magnetic and light therapy are collectively known as electromagnetic therapy.

Types of energy healing involving putative energy fields includes Reiki (involving the notion of Qi), homeopathy, therapeutic touch, acupuncture, qi gong and distant healing (which may include intercessory prayer) and other related concepts.

Energy healing and medicine often proposes that the body’s imbalanced energy fields, can result in illness – and that by utilizing various methods as mentioned above, the body’s energy field can be re-balanced resulting in a restoration to health. Many claims have been made by associating the spirit forms of energy that were poorly understood at the time, such as any reference to electricity and magnetism for healing in the 1800s, at which time they were viewed as in the borderlands of science (no longer the case).

There is a gap between the proven efficacy of some therapies and the lack of empirical physical evidence for the health and wellness related belief systems that surround them, and there is a battleground at present between the believers and the skeptics.

Putative Energy Healing Approaches
Reiki - This is a Japanese technique for relaxation and stress reduction that also promotes healing. It is administered by ‘laying on hands’ and is based on the idea that an unseen life-force energy flows through us. The concept is that if the life force energy is low, then we’re more likely to feel stressed or get sick, and that if it is high, we are more capable of being healthy and happy. The word Reiki is formed from two Japanese words ‘Rei’ meaning “Gods Wisdom or the Higher Power” and ‘Ki’ which means ‘life force energy’. So Reiki actually means “spiritually guided life force energy”. Reiki treatments affect the whole body including emotions, mind and spirit creating beneficial effects that include relaxation and feeling of peace, security and wellbeing, the treatment feels like a glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Many individuals have reported miraculous results.

Qi Gong – Qi Gong means “working with the qi” and is the ancient Chinese art and science of becoming aware of this life energy and learning how to controls it’s flow through a precise choreography of movement, respiratory technique, meditation and posture. Qi gong teaches psychophysiological self-regulation – the Qi Gong student becomes aware of bodily functions conventionally considered involuntary – such as blood pressure, the flow of blood and nutrients to essential organs and the respiratory rate – learning to restore a healthier balance. Unlike biofeedback, no technical devices are needed. Qi gong is one of the most cost effective self-healing methods in the world, the investment needed is time (30mins to 1hr per day) and the dividends result in increased vitality, better health and peaceful alertness – all of which are cumulative and tend to accrue daily.

Homeopathy – This is a holistic system of healing, suitable for everyone regardless of age, and is a gentle health methodology focused on using diluted natural substances that when given to a healthy person, would produce the symptoms the medicine is prescribed for. Homeopathic medicine is widely used, and can have long lasting benefits with minimal side-effects. Many use homeopathy to treat symptoms such as allergies to pets or pollen (for example). The therapy is based on the theory of treating “like with like” to trigger natural autoimmune responses. Homeopaths take into account a range of lifestyle and physical factors when prescribing for their patients.

Acupuncture – This involved stimulating specific anatomic points in the body for therapeutic purposes, puncturing the skin with a needle is the most common method, but practitioners also use friction, suction, pressure, impulses of electromagnetic energy and heat to stimulate the points.

Distant Healing – Distant healing utilizes Reiki energy to heal someone who is not physically present. It uses the Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen (Distant symbol) and a variety of techniques such as the photo technique, healing lists, reiki stacks or the teddy bear technique for a point of focus.

Veritable Energy Healing Approaches
Magnetic Therapy – Magnetic therapy uses magnetic fields to create beneficial health effects. It is believed that by placing magnets near or on an injury site, a force field is created that encourages muscle relaxation and increased blood flow, while reducing inflammation. Devices used include large machines capable of generating high magnitudes of magnetic field strength, and also small simple magnets.

Light Therapy – Many health disorders can be traced back to problems with the circadian rhythm (the body’s inner clock and how it governs the timing of sleep, hormone production, and body temperature). Disturbances in circadian rhythm can lead to various health problems such as sleep disorders and depression. Various forms of light therapy are employed in the treatment of these disorders including natural sunlight, to reestablish the body’s natural rhythm and they are becoming an integral treatment for many health-related conditions.

Cymatic Therapy – This is a form of sound therapy, it uses audible sounds that work on an energetic and physical level. It supports the body’s natural ability to heal itself by providing precise combinations of frequencies associated with healthy organ systems and tissues. It helps the body to provide itself with effective and gentle relief for stress, chronic pain, and injury – amongst other conditions. It is also highly effective when combined with other alternative therapies offered by Natural holistics such as massage, chiropractic and nutritional medicine.

Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal system disorders, with particular emphasis on the spine. The general hypothesis is that these disorders affect overall general health via the nervous system. Chiropractic care is generally viewed as a holistic and alternative medicine, which many practitioners dispute.

Chiropractic treatment includes spinal manipulation along with other soft-tissue and joint manipulation, typically via manual therapy, it often includes exercises and health and lifestyle counseling for clients. Chiropractors typically believe that spinal joint dysfunction or vertebral subluxation can interfere with the body’s innate ability to heal itself, and it’s overall general function.

Chiropractic was founded in the 1890s by DD Palmer, and his son helped to expand it in the early 20th century. There are two main groups of chiropractors, as follows:

Straights - Typically the minority of chiropractors fall into this group. They emphasize vitalism, spinal adjustments, subluxation and innate intelligence as the leading cause of all disease.

Mixers - More chiropractors fall into this category, and are generally more open to alternative and mainstream medical techniques such as nutritional supplements, massage, exercise and acupuncture.

Chiropractic is well established in the US, Australia and Canada and has gained more legitimacy over recent decades, with increased acceptance among medical physicians and health plans. There is a strong demand for services, and opinions differ as to the efficacy of chiropractic treatment, chiropractic care is generally safe when employed appropriately and skillfully. Many trained physicians have taken additional training to qualify as chiropractors.

Astrology centers on the belief that knowledge of the positioning of celestial bodies and other related details, is useful in understanding, interpreting and organizing information about an individuals personality and other matters.

Someone who practices astrology is called an ‘astrologer’ or an ‘astrologist’. Astrology has been around for centuries, having first been recorded in the 3rd millenium BC. It has played a role in early astronomy, the shaping of culture and other disciplines throughout history.

You may want to understand the difference between astrology and astronomy. Simply put, astronomy is the scientific study of astronomical objects and phenomena, but without any associated astrological speculation.

Astrology is defined as belief that life on Earth and events experienced on the human scale are directly influenced by the positions of celestial bodies. Modern astrologers define astrology as a symbolic language, and art form and a form of divination. Although there are differing definitions, the common approach is that astrology uses the position of the plants and other celestial bodies (sun, moon & stars) to explain not only past events, but also to determine the future. Most modern day scientists consider astrology to be a ‘pseudoscience’. Studies have determined however, that even though scientists do not generally back astrology, 39% of Americans consider astrology to be scientific, while 31%expressed a belief in astrology.

Core beliefs
There are two main methods by which astrologists claim to be able to predict future trends and events. These are known as astrological transits and astrological progressions. In astrological transits, the ongoing and predictive movements of the planets are interpreted as they travel through space and the horoscope. Modern day astrologers don’t try any longer to predict specific events, but focus instead on general developments and trends.

In the past, astrologers tended to rely on their own close observation of celestial bodies and then charting their movements, modern day astrologers however, get their data from astronomers. The data is transformed into a set of astrological tables called ephemerides and these show the changing zodiacal positions over time.

Current Astrological Traditions
The main traditions used by modern astrologers are, Vedic, Western and Chinese astrology.
Vedic and Western astrology are similar in the fact that they both focus on the casting of astrological charts or ‘horoscopes’ to focus on an event based on the position of the sun, moon and planets at the time of the event. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac (which links the signs of the zodiac to their original constellations) whereas Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac.

In Chinese astrology a very different tradition has evolved, where each zodiac governs a different year, and combine with the five elements of chinese cosmology to give a 60 (12 x 5) year cycle. Very similar versions exist in Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian countries.