Effective Alternative Therapies
The “Super Seven” treatments evaluated in this book are:
Acupuncture
Biofeedback Guided Imagery Hypnosis Meditation Relaxation/Stress Reduction Yoga |
The Super Seven are not the only therapies in use within complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), of course. We delve into them because each is a well-established, safe, and effective form of treatment that is widely available and that’s shown positive results for the medical conditions considered in this book.
The nature of CAM therapies make them well suited to alleviating many forms of chronic illness. That’s because their approach is psychosomatic in the literal – and appropriate – sense of the term. They address the whole person: the emotional/mental (“psyche”) as well as the physical (“soma”). The emotional side is the most intriguing because our feelings energize our entire bodymind and, in cases of chronic illness, can cause its functioning to go awry. Distinct from conventional practices that treat a given symptom or set of symptoms, CAM treatments proceed from a holistic perspective that considers the entire patient, mind and body.
The Super Seven have been extensively studied over many years. They are not “off the wall” or in an early stage of development. They have helped millions of people already and saved them a substantial amount of money in the process. We are not arguing against conventional medicine, but we are advocating sound, safe, cost-effective treatments that – based on your boundary type – have a reasonable chance of improving your health. The Super Seven remedies are available to help you now.
Which Therapies Are Right for You?
Knowing what we do about boundaries – especially that people on the thin side of the boundary spectrum are better able to identify their feelings than are people on the thick side – we can project that thin boundary types will typically respond better to an imagery-based approach such as hypnosis or guided imagery. Thick boundary types, on the other hand, should respond well to more “hands on” approaches such as acupuncture and biofeedback. And everyone can benefit to varying degrees from a practice that helps one relax, be it meditation, yoga, or mindfulness based stress reduction.
In the book you will find a chart indicating the effectiveness of the Super Seven for each of the Dozen Discomforts. We use a 1-5 scale, with one being “minimally effective,” 3 being “moderately effective,” and 5 being “highly effective.” Where no number appears, it means there was insufficient data to support an evaluation.
The results presented here are drawn from Dr. Marc Micozzi’s twenty years’ experience reviewing and compiling hundreds of studies for his textbook, Fundamentals ofComplementary and Alternative Medicine, now in its fourth edition.This text is considered the standard reference for physicians and scientists practicing and researching CAM treatments. An analysis of CAM therapies according to boundary type has never before been undertaken; you, the reader, are the beneficiary.
Through the information and insight in this book, you will have the means to seek out appropriate, cost-effective remedies in line with your emotional type. This is true “personalized medicine” that is far more affordable and obtainable than genetic testing (the model that conventional medicine is moving toward). By knowing your boundary type and understanding how it relates to chronic illness, you now have the power to take your healing into your own hands – to select the therapies most likely to benefit you.
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