Providing real health alternatives (From Times Series)

Providing real health alternatives

2:12pm Friday 1st April 2005

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by BEENA NADEEM

Not many of us warm to the idea of curing ailments by popping pills, especially when there might well be a more natural alternative. Gone are the days when alternative medicine was seen as something that only tree-hugging, long-haired, floral smock-wearing stereotypes were interested in.

Alternative health has been something that practitioners and health professionals have endorsed for years.

Some therapies are not necessarily medicinal. They are purely to make you feel better, complement your body and your mind, and to allow you to relax, feel better and sometimes pampered. Here we list some of nature's treats, and reveal how they can best help you.

Aloe Vera
Used both in ancient China and India, Greek and Roman doctors also made great use of it. Legend has it that Alexander the Great used it to heal his soldier's wounds.

For years it has been known as a miracle plant - a kind of natural healer. With more than 200 species of aloe, about four or five have the strongest medicinal properties. The most potent of these is Aloe Barbadensis Miller, the real aloe vera.

The plant looks like a cactus but is actually a member of the lily family and is related to onions and garlic.

The aloe vera leaf produces a gel that can be taken internally or applied topically. It helps reduce scarring, increases healing, and contains anti-inflammatory agents. It also assists the immune system and lining of the body, including our skin, and the gut, and can assist with detoxifying the body. There are no side effects either.

Applied topically, as many people know, it also has natural moisturising properties.

Aromatherapy
Something everyone has heard about, but it so often conjures up images of women relaxing in hot baths, with some essential oils added after that oh-so stressful day on her feet, shopping.

But it is a valuable healing art of using essential oils to promote health and well-being for many people.

Used in two ways - inhalation or application to the skin through, for example, creams - it is a pretty flexible technique.

Essential oils number in their hundreds, and they all have different properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-fungal, analgesic, decongestant and sedative.

Inhalation is said to stimulate the brain. This could be on a subconscious level or due to the properties they have. For example, lavender is said to have sedative qualities and be good for arthritic pain.

Massage is when oils are absorbed by the skin directly, or by entering the bloodstream, they can go on to help other parts of the body and can have a warming effect on muscle pain and bring new blood to the area.

They can also be used to help with detoxing, dieting or giving up smoking. But don't be surprised if you feel worse before you feel better.

Look for a professional, such as a member of the International Federation of Aromatherapists (www.ifaroma.org), although there are other organisations.

Dreaming
For many, this is a world of escape, somewhere we go to when our subconscious minds take over and our conscious minds take a back seat. But dreams can be used to help people in a number of ways.

With no provocation, a frustrated co-worker dumps their anger on you.

You bruch it off and ignore it, tired and fed up yourself. But the bad day at the office spills into a nightmare about some crazed person pounding on the door of your flat. You wake up in terror. Perhaps your dreams are asking for an acknowledgement of that anger that you felt too.

There is abundant evidence that, for thousands of years, human beings have looked to their dreams for inspiration and guidance.

Many societies have produced professional dream interpreters, such as the Indian Brahmins, the priests of Greek incubation cults and the Aztec priestly teopexqui ('the masters of the secret things') - not to mention our own modern day psychotherapists.

One current theory about dreams is that, while we sleep, our brain is working to solve problems that we shelved during the day.

With the angry co-worker, perhaps your dream is asking for acknowledgement of your own feelings and asking you not to repress those. This can lead to stress.

Hot stone massage
You may not instantly warm to the idea of placing hot volcanic stones on your body. But hot stone massage is a popular treatment sweeping the country. Using basalt stones which are heated and then applied to the body at specific points, it's very relaxing.

Physically the circulation and metabolism are stimulated; mentally the client reaches a state of deep relaxation.

Combining massage with the use of smooth, hot stones, the warmth penetrates the muscles and is said to help balance the nervous system.

Tai Chi
The philosophy behind tai chi (Taoism) includes the theory that if you fight force with force, any conflict will get worse. It teaches yielding and flexibility to overcome any situation.

Part of the physiological aspect of tai chi includes the effect it has on the brain, lymphatic system and joints.

It is also used for improving circulation and posture. Tai Chi means 'the supreme ultimate' and Chaun means 'fist', so Tai Chi Chaun is, in fact a martial art, despite its reputation as a gentle meditative exercise.

The benefits of tai chi are immense and include improved co-ordination, balance and well-being. Because it is practised slowly and with a relaxed focus, the nervous system becomes calmer and so do you.

This why it is also recommended to people with stressful lives or who are undergoing periods of stress.

This meditative effect is said to give you a clearer mental perspective, while affording a calm mind and sense of emotional and spiritual health.

The softness and flow of movements make you relax, but in a rejuvenating way. The aim is that, by the end of the session, the energy flow within your body gives you a buzz and releases tensions.

The Mei Chaun Academy in Swiss Cottage, with a base at St Margaret's Church Hall, Victoria Avenue, Finchley, offers beginners' courses starting from April 5.

For Finchley Road, call 020 8372 9332. For St Margaret's Church, call Conny on 07796 478 946.

Visit www.locallife.co.uk/barnet/alternatives.asp for alternative health practitioners.

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