These 8 Holistic Therapies Will Literally Change Your Life

How can we each live a happier, healthier, more productive life? It’s a question I get all the time not only from addicts, but others who simply want to be healthier. The good news is that there are many activities we can participate in that will improve our overall health and lifestyle. Here are 8 holistic therapies that can improve your life.

Meditation – Meditation not only helps to create a sense of calm and patience in a person, but it also changes the way the brain functions, improving decision-making and reducing symptoms of disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Mindfulness – Related to meditation, mindfulness is the practice of being in the moment. When we are mindful, we’re not thinking about either the past or future; we are in the now. There are many ways to practice mindfulness. One way to be in the now is to participate in hobbies that require a keen sense of concentration, such as riding horses, sailing, or playing chess. If you’re focused on these things, you are practicing mindfulness and can apply that kind of attention to other activities.

Yoga – Yoga employs both the principles of meditation and mindfulness along with physical movement. Yoga teaches that we should be gentle and patient with ourselves. When practiced at an appropriate level – that is not pushing yourself to do things you cannot yet do – the rewards are great.

Acupuncture – This type of complementary medicine is several thousand years old. It works on the principle that there are energy pathways, called meridians, in the body. These paths can become blocked or imbalanced. These blockages and imbalances are what create disease. By balancing, unblocking and strengthening the meridians through the insertion of thin needles at various points in the body, the body is able to heal itself of its ailments. Acupuncture has been proven particularly effective as a form of pain management and has few side effects, which are most often confined to local bruising at the needle insertion site.

Chiropractic – The chiropractor physically manipulates the musculoskeletal structure of the body, focusing on the spine, in order to place it in proper alignment. A body that is properly aligned can move and work with relative ease. Like acupuncture, chiropractic care has been documented to relieve pain and should be a first-line pain treatment choice, before surgery.

Massage – A massage therapist is to the muscles what the chiropractor is to the bones. The massage therapist rubs, kneads and stretches the muscles in order to relax them and improve circulation and function. Like some of the other complementary therapies on this list, massage is known to create a sense of relaxation and calm, as well as reduce depression and anxiety symptoms. Massage can also be part of physical therapy to heal aches and improve some medical conditions.

Nutrition – What we eat matters. Putting healthy food into our bodies changes our entire health outlook. Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables along with other nutrient rich foods will improve overall health. You know what’s junk and what’s healthy. Reward yourself with what is good for you.