More and more people are turning to holistic health practices to improve their health and emotional well-being. Holistic health and alternative healing strategies include meditation, yoga, acupuncture, abhyanga massage, energy healing, reflexology, ayurveda, bach flowers, life coaching and more.
Largely founded in non-western systems of thought and practice, they offer a way to manage your stress and achieve a healthy lifestyle.
Yoga balances mind and body
Unlike modern medicine, holistic health address the well being of the mind as well as the body. Yoga is becoming increasingly popular, with over 15 million Americans reporting that they practice yoga in 2015. The top reasons why Americans practice yoga are given, in that order, as wellness, peace and calm, and health.
According to the American Yoga Association, yoga originated in India around 5,000 years ago. It offers significant health benefits when practiced regularly. Small but significant reductions in blood pressure after just three weeks of daily yoga practice were reported in one study.
Natural pain relief treatments
Abhyanga massage is part of the traditional healing system of Ayurveda, which has been used in India 5,000 years. It offers pain relief and stress reduction without reliance on chemical drugs.
Likewise, reflexology helps with pain reduction for low-level chronic pain such as headaches and back pain. This effectiveness has been demonstrated by 27 studies. Another study reports that 19% of headache sufferers were able to stop taking their medications after completing reflexology treatments.
Alternative health practices can be based on something as simple as practicing daily meditation. In one study of insomniacs who started daily meditation, 75% found that they could fall asleep within 20 minutes.
With so many holistic health alternatives available, it is best to contact a reliable holistic center for advice on which treatments are best suited to your condition and lifestyle.