Frequently asked questions...


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What health complaints do you work with?

Our practitioners are trained to discuss any health complaint. Some of the most common are pain, obesity, general stress and anxiety, trouble sleeping, headaches, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Some of our clients just feel like they're heading down the wrong road and want to get back on a healthy track. Our recommendations for how to best proceed are decided on a case by case basis--with you in mind--and may include more than one of the modalities listed below. Whether you want to lose weight, have more energy, less pain, eat better or work toward resolving a health complaint we can help!

What is Holistic Health? 

The World Health Organization defines health as a “state of complete physical, social, and mental well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Holistic health broadens this definition to include spiritual and emotional well-being and living in harmony with your physical and natural surroundings. It is an approach to health and wellness that recognizes the patient is ultimately responsible for the healing process. As such, holistic health encourages the patient to be responsible for lifestyle choices and habits that contribute to wellness. The alternative therapies that are used in holistic health (see below) have been accepted for centuries in some cultures and are designed to bring the body into balance, thus restoring health.

What is a Holistic Health Practitioner?

A Holistic Health Practitioner is an adviser and guide, providing information and motivation to individuals who seek to improve their general health and enhance their physical, mental and spiritual well-being with natural approaches including herbs, nutrition, energy healing, yoga, and meditation. More about us

What is a Holistic Health Consultation like and who needs one?

It is a comprehensive assessment of your physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being. It is not for everyone, but for people with chronic and/or complex health complaints. If you have a sore shoulder from lifting weights, for example, we would limit our discussion to learning more about it and what caused it.

In the Holistic Health Consultation, clients complete a comprehensive questionnaire covering such topics as eating and exercise habits, family and medical history, lifestyle habits and emotional and spiritual well-being. After reviewing the questionnaire with the client, a Holistic Health Practitioner will make specific recommendations for enhancing health and any specific health concerns using alternative approaches, such as nutrition, herbs, yoga, meditation, massage, guided imagery, energy medicine, homeopathy and aromatherapy. See our services

What is Yoga?

In the West, Yoga is best known as a form of physical exercise. Actually, the physical postures, called asanas, are designed to develop not only physical, but also mental and spiritual well-being. Breathing techniques, balancing exercises and progressive relaxation are a part of every class. Flexibility, strength and balance of the mind, body and spirit are all enhanced through regular practice. Over time, Yoga restores the body to optimum function, relieving many health complaints. It is especially effective at addressing stress-related concerns, rehabilitating physical injuries and areas of weakness and improving posture. Yoga is practiced barefoot on a yoga mat, which is typically sticky to prevent sliding. See our services

What is Energy Healing?

Many ancient healing traditions hold that the universe is made up of life force energy. This energy is in us and all around us. Health problems can arise when our energy becomes stagnant, blocked or agitated. Practitioners of energy healing are trained to rebalance and channel this energy to stimulate the body’s own healing response and promote relaxation. When you grab your stubbed toe to relieve the pain you are engaging in a type of energy healing. Acupuncture is also a type of energy work.  Reiki is a form of energy healing that uses symbols to harness and direct life force energy. Click here to learn more about our Reiki training. Quantum-Touch uses breath work to channel energy and its advanced practitioners also use visualization techniques. Children and pets are particularly open and receptive to this energy. It can be used to assist with all types of health complaints and is particularly recommended for stress and anxiety-related health complaints, pain and structural misalignments. Practitioners typically place their hands gently on or close to the body. Clients remain fully-clothed and can receive energy standing, sitting or lying down depending on their health complaint. Distance energy healing can also be used to send energy to someone in another physical location. See our services

What is Herbal Medicine?

Herbal healing is the oldest type of medicine known to man. Even today, herbs are the principal source of medicine in many parts of the world. The value of the herbs or other plant-based remedies lies in their chemical composition and other properties that are still being discovered. Many pharmaceutical drugs are derived from herbs, bark, leaves, roots and other parts of plants. Herbal treatments can facilitate healing of all types of disorders in all parts of the body. See our services  

What is Nutritional Healing?

We eat so that we can live, grow, sustain our health, and expend energy for work and play. The body requires a host of nutrients including water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants to fuel physiological processes and protect against ill health. In general, what we eat and drink can have profound effects on our bodies and our moods. Unfortunately, today’s “modern” diet tends to be unhealthy, full of the wrong kinds of fat, sugar, artificial flavors and colors, treated with chemicals and processed out of nutrients. It is therefore important to know and practice the principles of a healthful diet, including incorporating organic produce and meat, supplementing with vitamins and minerals, and drinking clean water to maintain optimal health. See our services 

What is Massage Therapy?

A therapist uses hands, and sometimes elbows and forearms, to loosen muscle and connective tissues. This can improve circulation, which enables fresh oxygen to enter the tissues, and releases toxins from the soft tissues and muscles. It is an effective form of treatment for muscular aches and pains, stiff joints, poor posture, and tension and stress-related ailments. There are many types of massage, ranging from gentle to deep pressure to hot stone. Rolfing is a type of deep tissue massage that works on the connective tissue, or fascia, to release, realign and balance the whole body. It can resolve pain and discomfort from many different causes, including trauma, back pain and repetitive motion injury. See our services 

What is Meditation? 

A type of “mind/body medicine,” meditation seeks to still the mind from internal thoughts and outside distractions. Many consider prayer to be a form of meditation. People who meditate commonly focus on the breath (see below), an object, a sound or walking as a way to still the mind. Studies have shown that regular meditation can help relieve stress and balance a person’s physical, emotional and mental states thus promoting health. Indeed, studies have shown that people who meditate regularly are "biologically younger" than their non-meditating peers. See our services
 

What is Breath Work?

Most people are "shallow breathers," meaning that breathing is concentrated in the upper portion of the lungs and is rapid. Proper breathing is slow on the inhalation, inflating the lungs fully and expanding into the belly. The exhalation is similarly slow and squeezes out all of the stale air in the lungs. Breathing in such a way not only oxygenates the entire body, allowing all of the body's systems to operate at peak efficiency, but it also calms and quiets the mind. In fact, focusing on various aspects of breathing is a form of meditation and the easiest for people to learn. Commit to being mindful of how you breathe throughout your day. Spend a few minutes every morning and evening enjoying your breath or anytime you feel unwell, worn out or frazzled. Start now: as you continue reading this page practice slowly filling your lungs and belly with air and exhale. See our services

What is Guided Imagery?

Another type of “mind/body medicine,” guided imagery seeks to establish a connection between the subconscious physiological processes of the body and the conscious mind. This is done by first settling into a deeply relaxed state. Then you simply ask your body what is wrong and what is causing illness to manifest. This can offer important insights into the disease process and what is required for healing. Guided imagery may also be used to facilitate healing by visualizing the body being well. Sessions may be done on your own or with a guided imagery therapist. It works particularly well with stress-related health complaints (skin and digestive troubles) and chronic illness or anytime you want to give your body a healing boost.  

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy literally means “treatment using scents.”  Botanical oils such as rose, lemon, lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus and peppermint are used in baths, massaged into the skin, inhaled directly or steam-diffused to scent an entire room. Essential oils have been known to affect one’s mood, alleviate fatigue, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. They also can be used to alleviate a wide-variety of physical complaints, including aches and pains, nausea, colds, insect bites, insomnia and burns. See our services

What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an ancient healing system used to diagnose and treat illness by reestablishing harmony in the body. It is based on the idea that there are 12 energy meridians running up and down the body. Illness manifests when there is an imbalance in the energy running along one or more meridians. In diagnosing illness, TCM practitioners take several readings of the pulse at each wrist and observe the color and form of the face, tongue and body. This information is assessed in conjunction with a person’s health complaints, work and living habits, physical environment, family health history and emotional life. Treatment typically includes acupuncture, herbs, dietary modifications and massage to recover and sustain health. Although it can be used as a system of primary health care, in the West it is often used to treat chronic illness that has failed to respond to conventional treatment.

What is Acupuncture?

Now a fairly common form of holistic treatment in the West, acupuncture is part of the Traditional Chinese Medicine system. A licensed practitioner inserts very small, thin, sterile needles into one or more acupuncture points to stimulate the flow of energy within the body. This restores proper function to the muscles, nerves, vessels, glands and organs. There is no pain associated with the insertion of the needles because they are so small. Acupuncture is most commonly used to treat a wide-range of ailments including pain, skin disorders, high blood pressure, stroke, colds, digestive disorders, addictions,  earaches and gynecological problems.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda originated in India more than 10,000 years ago and is believed to be the oldest system of healing in the world. Meaning “science of life,” Ayurvedic philosophy holds that all life—people, animals and nature—are combinations of three elements: air (Vata), fire (Pitta) and water (Kapha). When these elements are balanced you are healthy; when they are not, illness arises. Dietary modifications are particularly common in Ayurvedic treatments because of a belief that if food is not properly digested it sits in the intestinal track, blocking the absorption of nutrients. As the food decays in the intestines toxins form, causing most diseases in the body. Other types of Ayurvedic treatments include yoga, herbs, massage and meditation.

What is Homeopathy?

In Latin, the word homeopathy is derived from homios, which means “like” and pathos meaning “suffering.” Homeopathy is based on the principle of “like treats like.” In other words, a medicinal substance that triggers specific symptoms in a healthy individual at high doses can be used to heal a sick person exhibiting those very symptoms. These medicinal substances are diluted and shaken numerous times until there is no chemical trace of the original substance remaining. The selection of a homeopathic remedy depends not only on the symptoms exhibited, but is also highly dependent on the type of person who is sick. It can be used to treat most health complaints and is also used to treat animals. The most popular cold remedy in France is a homeopathic preparation.

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