Taking care of your health is not as simple as you might think.
Healthcare is not just about healing. It is about creating a balanced way of life that prevents certain conditions from arising in the first place.
More so, there are alternative ways to approach healing instead of using traditional modern medicines. These are usually referred to as holistic medicines.
However, holistic medicine comes in many forms – and it pays to know the variations and unique purposes of each if you’re going to incorporate such practices into your life.
The following is a closer look at natural healing in all it’s most common forms.
What Is Holistic Medicine?
The purpose of all holistic medicines is to encourage unlimited life force energy through the body, mind, and spirit.
Each practice works to unlock energy where it tends to be held and build up, and to spread positive energy throughout your being.
Such an accomplishment can happen through the foods you eat, the way you move and manipulate the muscles in the body, or how you settle the mind.
Whatever your focus, the ultimate aim is to create a beautiful, balanced relationship between your body, your mind, and your spirit. This can come about through any one of (or combination of) the following holistic medicines.
An Overview of Different Holistic Medicines
It’s one thing to recognize you want to try holistic medicine. It’s another to understand which holistic approach may be best for you right now.
Here are a few of the most common natural forms of medicating to consider.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing method.
It is the practice of stimulating specific points on the body – commonly associated with needles, but also through the use of cupping therapy or just by an acupuncturist applying pressure with their hands.
This form of healing can be used for anything from mental illness to bodily aches and pains. Some people go to their acupuncturist on a regular basis in order to encourage the best health of both mind and body, and of course, spirit.
Aromatherapy
If needles and pressure points sound a bit extreme to you, you may want to venture into holistic medicines by starting with aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is all about the use of essential oils.
Essential oils are made out of naturally-occurring elements in nature – like flowers, roots, and seeds. The best way to make sure aromatherapy works is to get pure essential oils, not chemical knockoffs.
Once you have your oils, there are various ways to use them. Some people use essential oils in a diffuser for better focus at work or to sleep well at night.
You can also apply the oils topically on your skin, or mix them with skincare products like lotion or toner waters. At times, some essential oils can also be digested.
Be sure to research the various purposes of each oil before using aromatherapy. There is a big difference in using something like lavender versus peppermint or eucalyptus, for example.
Ayurvedic Medicine
Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient Indian form of holistic medicine. Similar to the way acupuncture spread from China and generated a large following in the modern Western world, Ayurvedic medicine is becoming more and more common, too.
This holistic approach uses a mix of different practices to establish the mind, body, spirit equilibrium mentioned above. Some principles of Ayurveda focus on what you eat and when you eat it, while others are all about massage and motion.
Together, these tools create a holistic balance all in one.
Reflexology
Reflexology is all about pressure points – specifically on the feet, hands, and ears.
These are areas of the body that we tend to forget about, but that actually have a profound effect on how the mind feels and how other aches and pains arise. As such, reflexology aims to release pressure in its focus areas to encourage a better state of health throughout.
Some reflexologists will focus on one area, while others may do a full session on the feet, the hands, and the ears. Also, you can learn how to do reflexology on yourself.
Reiki
Most people understand how holistic medicines can improve the state of the body and mind. What they have trouble making the connection with, though, is how natural medicine improves and encourages the spirit.
To deep dive into this part of holistic healing, try Reiki.
Reiki is an energy healing practice. Its fundamental purpose is rooted in the fact that life force energy flows in each and every one of us.
When a person is feeling sick in the mind or body, their life force energy is low. When they are balanced, happy, and overall enthusiastic about life, their life force energy is abundant.
The purpose of a Reiki healer is to transfer their life energy to those who are sick. This can be done by touching their patient as well as by hovering the hands slightly above the patient’s body.
At times, reiki can even be done from a distance.
Using Various Holistic Methods Together
Having trouble deciding which holistic medicine you want to try first?
Good news – different holistic medicines can be used in conjunction with one another. Although it’s best to take each one on at a time, there is practically no limit to how you incorporate a few different ones into your life.
You may choose to start your morning with an Ayurvedic ritual and doze into sleep with the help of essential oils. Maybe, you go to an acupuncturist or Reiki specialist somewhere in between the start and end of your day a few times per week or month.
This is just one example of how to invite natural healing methods into your life. Not to mention, all the other forms of holistic medicines like chiropractic work, homeopathy, and more.
Some would even argue that medical marijuana is a form of holistic medicine – although it is probably better termed as just “untraditional.”
Marijuana is another healing approach that ranges from flowers to concentrates to THC and CBD. It is a wide world of many different tools and tricks to promote body and mental health. You can read more about which marijuana product and treatment is best for you before trying it out.
Being Healthy While Working from Home
Whether you’re smoking something strong every morning or practicing yoga before you get to work, there are many ways holistic medicines can improve your overall quality of life.
You just have to find which holistic approach – or combination of different ones – works best for you. To best identify that, it pays to be aware of what your body, mind, and spirit really need.
This varies for every person, and it is definitely unique for those who work from home as opposed to people with steady office jobs, or those who are retired.
For a better understanding of how working from home affects your health, click here.