Below is a glossary of terms that are frequently used in the world of holistic health and integrative medicine. Each link will take you to a page with a full description of that topic.
Our purpose is to provide a forum that produces the most helpful information on these topics, so feel free to rate, comment and write a blog entry or tip about what has and/or has not worked for you.
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Stay healthy,
The Naturalpath Team
Acupuncture
A component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is the insertion of needles into specific acupoints found on the body.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a branch of herbal medicine that uses essential oils extracted from plants and herbs to treat conditions ranging from infections and skin disorders to immune deficiencies and stress.
Ayurvedic Herbs
Ayurveda is a type of healthcare that focuses on the wellness of the body, mind, and spirit.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback uses simple electronic devices to measure and report information about a person’s biological system and can improve health by teaching a person to consciously regulate bodily functions that are normally unconscious, such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. Biofeedback is particularly useful in treating health conditions where psychological factors are present and is used for pain relief, stress reduction, insomnia, headache treatment, and muscle injuries.
Bodywork
The term bodywork refers to numerous “touch” therapies, including massage, acupressure, deep tissue manipulation, and movement awareness.
Cell Therapy
Cell therapy works with the human body’s natural system to encourage physical regeneration. Cell therapy entails introducing healthy cellular material, derived from organs, fetuses, or embryos of animals, to the human body. This may be performed through bone marrow transplants, blood transfusions, or the injection of cellular material.
Chelation Therapy
Chelation therapy is a form of healthcare that draws metabolic wastes and toxic metals out of the bloodstream. This is usually achieved by injecting chelating agents (such as ethylene diamine tetra acetate—EDTA) that bind with other substances.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic, which loosely means “to treat by hand,” is a type of manipulative therapy that has been practiced in the U.S. for over 100 years. Chiropractic manipulation or adjustments seek to restore normal function to the spine and other joints. Typically, this entails the chiropractor applying a specific, highly-controlled treatment directly to a joint or muscle with his or her hands.
Colon Therapy
This form of therapy involves administering a series of colonic water flushes to clean and detoxify the lower intestine and promote the reconstitution of intestinal flora.
Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine is the oldest known form of healthcare, combining a broad spectrum of plant medicines with significant medical applications. Herbal remedies can be used to treat numerous minor ailments, such as digestive disorders, the common cold, insomnia, headaches, and a host of other problems traditionally treated by nonprescription, over-the-counter medications.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a non-toxic system of medicine used to treat illness and relieve discomfort of a wide variety of health conditions.
Hydrotherapy
Hot or cold water administered externally or internally may be effective in treating conditions ranging from stress and pain to toxins, bacteria, and viruses that cause disease. The most frequent clinical uses of hydrotherapy include whirlpool baths to rehabilitate injuries and alleviate stress, fever induction through heat stress, and neutral baths for relaxation. In theory, hot water soothes and relaxes the body, while cold water discourages inflammation. Contrast therapies, those that alternate between hot and cold water, stimulate circulation.
Hypnotherapy
When patients allow themselves to be hypnotized, they enter a hypnotic trance, an advanced state of relaxation where body chemistry changes. Hypnotherapy has become widely used to control pain, reduce stress, and assist in healing. Research supports its use in certain situations, such as the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.
Meditation
Most meditation techniques are grouped into two major categories: concentrative meditation and mindfulness meditation. Concentrative meditation focuses on the breath, an image, or a sound in order to still the mind and allow a greater awareness to emerge. In mindfulness meditation, the meditator simply witnesses whatever goes through the mind without reacting or becoming involved with thoughts, memories, or worries.
Mind/Body Medicine
Mind/body medicine takes a holistic view of the healing process, believing that because each person is unique, it follows that treatment for an individual should also be unique. Placing emphasis on the body’s ability to regulate and heal itself as well as on the importance of the practitioner/patient relationship, mind/body medicine ensures the patient is an active partner rather than a passive recipient in all stages of treatment.
Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine is an array of healing practices drawing from many cultures. Naturopathic physicians are committed to the principle of causing no harm to the patient and to treating the person as a whole. By focusing on the underlying causes rather than the disease symptoms, a variety of treatments are needed to address the numerous ways that illness can manifest itself.
Neurolinguistic Programming
Practitioners of neurolinguistic programming (NLP) seek to move the patients from their present state of discomfort to a desired state of health and well-being through reprogramming their beliefs about healing. Usually, the practitioner will ask questions to distinguish unconscious emotional patterns that affect the patient’s emotional state.
Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine focuses on the role of proper nutrition in relation to health. The healthy diet prescribed by orthomolecular medicine, which eliminates junk foods, refined sugar, and food additives, is often supplemented with relatively large doses of vitamins.
Oxygen Therapy
Oxygen therapy includes a wide range of therapies that utilize oxygen in various forms to promote healing and destroy pathogens in the body. Oxygen therapy is based on the fact that all human cells, tissues, and organs need oxygen to function, and it is believed that a lack of oxygen on the cellular level can contribute to cancer and other maladies.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbs
Click on this link to read more about traditional Chinese medicin herbs.
