While Western medicine excels in treating acute problems, the holistic approach, long favored in Eastern healing traditions, aims to prevent problems before they cause illness. Holistic treatment focuses on the whole person, including lifestyle and mental state.
Eastern healing practices and complementary therapies have a long anecdotal history of health benefits. There has been little systematic research into their effectiveness, but what is accepted is that many of these therapies induce relaxation and a sense of well-being, both of which can have therapeutic effects.
Meditation
The mind is central to Eastern traditions of health and well-being, and an important aspect of some forms of Eastern medicine is meditation. Whereas in Christian spirituality, meditation often means concentrating the mind on a particular topic, Eastern meditation aims to promote detachment from thoughts and images, opening up silent gaps between them to quieten the mind. Most traditional meditation has four basic requirements:
- A quiet place.
- A comfortable, poised posture.
- An object for the attention to dwell upon.
- A passive attitude.
Posture is vital. In most meditative techniques, the spine is kept straight, which distributes weight evenly and reduces muscular tension. In Buddhist meditation, the focus of attention is often the rise and fall of the breath, and the gentle movement and rhythm of abdominal breathing promote relaxation. Studies of brain wave patterns in meditation indicate that the deepest relaxation occurs when thoughts are few or absent.
Yoga
Yoga is one of the most ancient health techniques of the East, dating back more than 5,000 years. The name means ‘yoke’ or ‘union’ in Sanskrit and represents the binding of body and mind into one harmonious experience. In the practice of yoga, breathing techniques are important because breathing is seen as the source of life. Physical exercises are designed to improve efficiency and overall health, and meditation brings inner silence and alleviates stress. There is good evidence that yoga can improve fitness, flexibility, strength, and stamina and have beneficial effects on metabolic rate, lung capacity, and blood pressure.
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
As a young actor, Frederick Alexander (1869- 1955 ) suffered from recurrent hoarseness, which his doctors failed to cure. He decided to try to tackle the problem himself and began by watching himself. He noticed that, as he started to recite, he pulled his head back and down towards his shoulders, raising his chest and hollowing his lower back. The resulting tension in his neck affected the relationship of all his other body parts: his voice problem was in his posture.
Alexander realized that he only had to think about reciting, and his body reacted with its habitual pattern of tension. He began to practice ‘ directions’ and what he called ‘inhibition.’ in which he used mind control to stop himself from responding in his automatic, harmful way. His hoarseness disappeared, and his health and well-being improved.
Bach Flower Remedies
Bach flower remedies are infusions of flowers in water preserved in alcohol that can be either taken in drops on the tongue or diluted in water. They were devised by an English physician, Dr Edward Bach, who believed that the body has inherent powers to heal itself but that long-standing anxiety impairs a person’s health. His remedies do not address physical complaints directly but aim to help patients ‘let go of negative thoughts so that the ‘life force’ can flow freely, allowing the body to regain health. The theory is that the life force of the flowers contained in the remedies helps to revive the body.
Ayurvedic Medicine
This traditional Indian medical system has always recognized the power of the mind to heal. Diseases are believed to begin with imbalances in bodily energy, which create a chain effect of mental stress, unhealthy living, and further ill health. These can be corrected by techniques that combine mental and physical practices.
Ayurvedic treatment includes diet and lifestyle changes, massage with oils, herbal remedies, and therapies to promote internal cleansing and the removal of toxic waste. Breathing exercises and body postures derived from yoga aim to improve physical health, while meditation is considered essential to healing and disease prevention.
Western Developments
Eastern medicine has influenced several holistic practices in the West. Autogenic training, sometimes referred to as Western yoga, is a system of relaxation exercises that increases control over physiological processes. It is particularly useful in chronic illnesses, such as high blood pressure. Other therapies include the Alexander technique, Bach flower remedies, and biofeedback, which improves health by teaching people to respond to signals from the body.
