Herbalism

Herbalism, or the use of plants as medicine has been used across the world for many thousands of years. Many synthetic medicines are based on plants, and, in fact it is estimated that at least 7000 medical compounds in modern use are derived from plants.As well as being used by shaman and ‘wise women’ from all cultures, animals also use the medicinal properties of plants as they intuitively seek out the appropriate plants when they are sick.Always use a qualified herbalist as some plants are very toxic and other normally ‘safe’ plants can react to or affect other medical treatments.Treatment can take many forms and herbs are administered in a number of ways including, tinctures, elixirs, infusions, inhalations and topical applications such as compresses.In recent years there has been a huge upsurge in interest in herbal medicine, and nowadays nobody thinks twice about using tea tree oil as an anaesthetic or evening primrose to help PMT

Homeopathy

The basic premise behind homeopathy is to ‘treat like with like’. In other words, to cure an ailment, you would administer a small dosage of a substance that would produce the same symptom in a healthy person.Homeopathic medicine was developed in the late 1700’s by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann, and is said to work by boosting the immune system of the body and stimulating the natural capacity of the body to heal itself.Homeopathic remedies are plant, mineral or animal extracts which are mixed with alcohol into a tincture and then diluted to varying extents. A mixture that has ‘30c’ potency contains less than one part per million of the original substance!Treatments are very individual, and are used to treat a wide variety of conditions ranging from eczema to chronic fatigue syndrome

Hydrotherapy

As the name suggests, hydrotherapy is the use of water to sooth pain, relax the body and treat disease.There is nothing new about the healing properties of water, the ancient Romans and Egyptians did it, and in Victorian times it was very popular, with those with the means travelling to Spa towns or the seaside to take the waters.Hydrotherapy comes is a variety of techniques and can be used in the treatment of anything ranging from back pain to arthritis, spinal cord injuries, stroke to paralysis.Treatments include, having a spa bath, sauna, hot or cold compresses, foot spas, and often can be combined with the use of essential oils which themselves have healing and relaxing properties

Hypnotherapy

Is the use of hypnosis, a light trance like state, to treat mental and psychological disorders such as anxiety, panic attacks, phobias and to help with addictions such as smoking, and for weight loss. In the relaxed state, breathing, heart rate and metabolism can all slow down and brain waves can change. In this relaxed state, suggestions can be made by the hypnotherapist, the brain seems more receptive than in the normal state of alertness, and learned behaviours can be changed. This is not like stage hypnotism. Most therapists will explain that the client is in control at all times, and contrary to popular opinion you can remember what has happened during hypnosis and you are not made to do anything embarrassing!

Indian head massage

Indian Head Massage is an ancient technique, which as the name suggests originated in India and Pakistan where is was a part of the regular grooming routine and practised by barbers.Indian Head Massage came to the west via osteopath and massage therapist Narendra Mehta, and is known as champissage (which incidentally in where the word shampoo comes from).During an Indian Head Massage, various different massage techniques, such as kneading, stroking, hacking, squeezing and tapping are used, and the upper back, neck, arms and face are treated as well as the actual head.Benefits from the treatment include, increased blood flow which improves the circulation and encourages healing, increased lymphatic flow, which aids the elimination of toxins, relaxation of the head, neck and shoulders and the reduction of muscle spasms and restrictions in the muscle fibres.A treatment can take up to an hour and can be done whilst seated or on a couch with or without the use of oils.IridologyThis is a somewhat controversial technique where the patterns and colours in the iris are used to obtain information regarding a persons general health and well being. Iridologists view the eyes as ‘windows’ in to the state of the rest of the body.Flashlights, magnifying glasses, microscopes and cameras are used to look in detail at the iris, which is then compared to a chart which relates different ‘zones’ of the iris to varying parts of the body

Kinesiology

Kinesiology describes the scientific study of body movements and applied kinesiology involves the diagnosis of medical conditions by the way of a muscle test.Imbalances within the body are associated with a lack of smoothness in muscle response. Often the test is done by raising an arm and seeing how it responds to downward pressure.It is used in fields such as the identification of allergies and food intolerances and to treat asthma and stress

Light Therapy

It is a common belief that the quality and quantity of light has an effect on our moods. Light therapy is the exposure of the patient to specific types of light for a certain period of time. Equipment used includes laser, LED’s, florescent lamps and light boxes.Light therapy has been used to treat certain skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis and psychological problems such as seasonal affective disorder known as SADLight Touch TherapiesThis is a name for any non invasive treatment which involves very gentle touch on the body. There is no manipulation or pressure involved, it is more of a relaxing nature.The aim of light touch therapies is to restore balance to mind, body and spirit and therefore release pain, disease and stress