Acupuncture: An ancient Chinese medical system over 5000 years old, recently revived in China and becoming popular in the West. It deals with subtle energy flows (chi) in the body related to the cosmic principles of Yin and Yang. The balance of these energies in the human body affects health and disease. Acupuncture therapy alters these energy flows by inserting fine needles at key pressure points, for varying periods of time. Anesthesia for surgery can also be affected by acupuncture.
Alternative medicine: Any form of medicine or healing other than the type approved by allopathic medical doctors and hospitals. Some other names you may hear are: alternative-complementary healthcare [ACH], alternative healing, alternative healing therapies, alternative health, alternative therapies, alt-med, complementary and alternative medicine [CAM], complementary and alternative medicine holistic healing, holistic health, Mind-Body-Spirit medicine, or natural healing. Related expressions include "innovative medicine," "integrated healthcare," "integrative medicine," or "mind-body medicine.”
Aromatherapy: Herbal medicine, use of essential oils from plants, flowers, trees and herbs to achieve health, vitality and rejuvenation of the body, mind and spirit.
Aura: The electromagnetic field surrounding the human body, as well as any living thing. Measurements of this field are often used in conventional medicine to diagnose illness and disease. Examples of these measurements include Electroencephalograms (EEGs), Electrocardiograms (EKGs) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This electromagnetic field around the body can be detected by a healer or an intuitive, and sometimes can be learned through training or schooling. Research has shown some individuals are able to see beyond the normal visual spectrum and can see this field. The human aura is often seen with colors corresponding to each chakra. An imbalance in the auric field can eventually lead to physical disease, emotional stress, or spiritual imbalance. Because all of our systems are related, when one is out of balance, it will in turn cause an imbalance in the other systems. Restoring balance in the field aids in healing of the physical body, and often is accompanied by a sense of “feeling better.”
Aura balancing: (aura cleansing, aura clearing, aura healing, auric healing): Multiform method characterized by treatment of the aura around a person's head or body.
Biofield therapies: Definition given to energy healing by the US Government/NIH. Biofield or energy therapies are intended to affect energy fields that surround and penetrate the human body. Some forms of energy therapy manipulate biofields by applying pressure and/or manipulating the body by placing the hands in, or through, these fields. Examples include healing touch, reiki, crystal therapy, etc.
Chakras: Energy centers within our bodies that are the openings for life energy to flow into and out of our aura. Too much or too little energy in one chakra can be the cause health problems or frustrations in everyday life. (2) the seven vital energy centers of the body. The chakras extend from the base of spine to the crown of head. Located in the rectal area, near the genitals, behind the navel, at the heart, at the neck, between the eyebrows, and on the crown of the head. Each chakra corresponds to certain colors, emotions, organs, nerve networks, and energies.
Chakra healing: (chakra balancing, chakra energy balancing, chakra therapy, chakra work): Any method akin to aura balancing and relating to chakras.
Craniosacral Therapy: A manual procedure for remedying distortions in the structure and function of the craniosacral mechanism - the brain and spinal cord, the bones of the skull, the sacrum, and interconnected membranes. It is used to treat chronic pain, migraine headaches, TMJ, and a range of other conditions
Crystal Healing: Use of crystals or gemstones to facilitate balance and healing.
Emotional Release Bodywork: Often used with abuse survivors, chronic illnesses, or when a person is feeling “stuck,” the practitioner assists the person in releasing old traumas or emotions from the physical body. A very useful adjunct treatment when one is doing traditional talk therapy or counseling.
Energy Work, Energy Healing/Balancing: Healing technique that involves working in the body's energy field to promote mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual healing. (see biofield therapy)
Essential Oil: Essential oils are the subtle, volatile liquids that are distilled from plants, shrubs, flowers, trees, bushes and seeds. See the FAQ for more details.
Etheric levels: Some healers see things in terms of the etheric levels, and note that just above the skin's surface, the human energy field is divided into etheric levels. Each of these levels is three-dimensional and envelops the body like a sheath or shell. The levels closest to the body are the physical, emotional, and mental. The physical level is linked to vitality and is the one most easily seen in a person's aura. The emotional level contains the energy associated with both positive and negative emotions. Because physical and emotional energies are interconnected, emotions can have a profound effect on how the body functions. The third level is the mental field and contains energy associated with thought, conceptualization, rationalization, and interpretation of events. Energy from this layer surrounds and interfaces with the emotional level, intensifying the relationship between thoughts and feelings.
Foot Reflexology: A cousin of acupuncture. It involves pressing reflex areas on the feet. These areas correspond to organs and systems of the body. Foot Reflexology cleanses the mind and body and revitalizes energy. A common theory of reflexology holds that massaging certain areas of the feet restores health by breaking up and dispersing "crystals".
Healing Crisis: As you move toward better health with any natural healing system or better nutrition, a part of the healing process is that the body will begin to discard toxic residues that have built up in your body over the years. The healing process usually does not occur without repercussions. During the initial phase of healing, as your body begins to clean house, (detoxify) and your vital energy begins to repair and rebuild internal organs, you may experience headache, tiredness, flu-like symptoms, fatigue or other symptoms.
Holistic Healing: A view of health care focusing on the "whole self" (body, mind and spirit) and natural or spiritual cures. The system embraces both traditional and New Age therapy.
Holistic medicine: 1. Alternative medicine. 2. Form of alternative medicine that focuses on (a) personal accountability for one's health; (b) the human body's ability to heal itself; and (c) balancing the body, mind, and "spirit" with the environment. Holistic medicine encompasses acupuncture, biofeedback, faith healing, folk medicine, meditation, megavitamin therapy, yoga and many more.
Homeopath: A physician who treats disease using minute doses of natural substances that would, in a healthy person, elicit the symptoms of the disease being treated. Similar to the theory of immunization.
Homeopathic medicine: Pronounced “home-ee-oh-path-ick,” a CAM alternative medical system. In homeopathic medicine, there is a belief that "like cures like," meaning that small, highly diluted quantities of medicinal substances are given to cure symptoms, when the same substances given at higher or more concentrated doses would actually cause those symptoms. Similar to the theory of immunization.
Meridians or Channels: According to traditional Chinese medicine, shiatsu, and other acupressure systems, energy flows through a person's body via various acupoints that are organized into channels, or meridians. The meridian system contains several hundred points that can be manipulated to promote energy balance in parts of the body that experience discomfort or disease. Although Western science has been able to measure the existence of the acupoints using their electrical properties, researchers are still investigating ways to measure the groupings of points in the meridian channels. Studies have shown that stimulating acupoints can release chemical messengers in the body, including endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.
Naturopathy: A healing system acknowledging the body's natural healing power. Fosters health through education and the use of natural substances such as herbs, foods, air, and sunshine.
Reflexology: 1. Variation of acupressure whose postulate is that all bodily organs have corresponding external "reflex points" (on the scalp, ears, face, nose, tongue, neck, back, arms, wrists, hands, abdomen, legs, and feet), and that manipulation of these points can enhance the flow of energy. 2. Foot Reflexology. 3. Zone therapy. 4. Macro reflexology and micro reflexology. 5. A type of shiatsu that focuses on the hands and feet.
Reiki: (pronounced Ray-key) is a Japanese name consisting of 2 words Rei and Ki meaning spiritually guided life energy (commonly known as Universal Life Energy), an energy which animates us all and is found all around us. Reiki is a form of spiritual healing using "universal life energy" channeled through the practitioner to the recipient. Reiki helps to harmonize body, mind and spirit for yourself or anyone you want to help.
Reiki Attunement: When attending a Reiki course the participant gets attuned/initiated by a Reiki Master through a simple process, this opens him/her to receive and utilize more of the Universal Life Energy. The attunements have in themselves a very powerful balancing and healing effect.
Self-healing: An approach to health, or process that typically involves using affirmations, prayer, and/or visualization techniques to tap one's innate healing potential or vital force. Its states that anyone who does not have congenital or hereditary defects, has not had exposure to damaging radiation, has not ingested alcohol or other drugs excessively, has a nourishing diet, and genuinely wants to enjoy good health, can do so because each of his or her basic systems is perfect.
Shaman: A medicine man/woman who communes with the Spirit world to facilitate healing, or to help the community in which she/he lives. The shaman traditionally is able to leave his or her body and go on “spirit journeys” in order to eliminate illness in the patient or to bring back needed information for the community. (2) Among tribal peoples, a healer who owes his powers to mystical communion with the spirit world. Characteristically, a shaman goes into auto-hypnotic trances, during which s/he contacts spirits. Shamans are found among the Siberians, Eskimos, Native American tribes, in S.E. Asia, and in indigenous cultures around the world. There is also now a realization of modern-day shamanic healers and practitioners in North America. (3) Practitioners who regard themselves as conductors of healing energy or sources from the spiritual realm. A shaman may call upon spiritual helpers such as power animals, angels, Spirit Guides, the client’s Higher Self, or other spiritual forces. This ancient form of healing can be used for a range of emotional and physical illnesses.
Vibrational medicine: The expressions "energy healing," "energy work," and "energetic healing work" appear synonymous with "vibrational medicine." Healing philosophy whose main tenet is that humans are "dynamic energy systems" ("body/mind/spirit" complexes) and reflect evolutionary patterns of soul growth. Its postulates include the following. (1 ) Health and illness originate in subtle energy systems. (2) These systems coordinate the life-force and the physical body. (3) Emotions, spirituality, and nutritional and environmental factors affect the subtle energy systems. Vibrational medicine embraces acupuncture, aromatherapy, Bach flower therapy, chakra rebalancing, channeling, color therapy, crystal healing, absent or distance healing, healing touch, electro acupuncture, flower essence therapy, homeopathy, Kirlian photography, crystal healing, the laying on of hands, meridian therapy, moxibustion, Past-life Regression, Polarity Therapy, psychic healing, Reiki, Transcendental Meditation, and Therapeutic Touch.
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