Help, only a foot away
Do you suffer from constant headaches, insomnia, back pains or digestive disturbances? Help is only a few feet away! Yes, Foot Massage, Reflexology or Zone Therapy may be all that you need to rid yourself of these nagging, often stress-induced, problems.
Reflexology is a form of massage in which pressure is applied to certain parts of the feet and hands (most often, the feet) to relax the body and heal any of its organs, glands or other structures. The therapy works on the feet to help heal the whole person not just the prevailing symptoms. It is based on the scientific premise that the feet and hands are mirror images of the entire body and that they are connected to every part of the body through the nervous system. Hence body balance is restored when specific reflex points in the feet or hands are stimulated, explains Reflexologist Lizeh Hasan of Essensuals, Dubai.
Although reflexology has been practiced since ancient times in Egypt, China and India, it was founded as a scientific therapy only in 1915 by Dr.William Fitzgerald, an American ENT specialist. He termed it as Zone Therapy. Physiotherapist Eunice Ingham later refined the therapy in 1930 and called it Reflexology. She observed that congestion or tension in any part of the foot mirrored the very phenomena in a corresponding part of the body. Hence treating the relevant area of the feet could decongest the affected organs or tissues in the body. For example, the tip of the toes reflect the head, the arch of the foot corresponds to the kidneys, liver and pancreas, the ball of the foot represents the chest and heart regions, the heel area corresponds to the low back and intestines.
Pressure applied to the feet generates a signal through the peripheral nervous system from where it enters the central nervous system. Here it is processed in various parts of the brain and then relayed to the internal organs to effect the necessary adjustments wherever required. By the same logic chemicals such as endorphins are released which lead to reduced pain and stress, thereby setting the healing process in motion.
Most clients who seek reflexology sessions are victims of high levels of stress and tension that has come to characterize today’s living, says Lizeh. Needless to say, the therapy helps them on all three planes – physical, mental and emotional, by enhancing blood circulation, by oxygenating all cells of the body, by stimulating the lymphatic system to rid the body of all the accumulated toxins. It thus helps to energize and de-stress the individual, by restoring harmony and activates the organs and systems of the body to function properly. By restoring the body’s natural equilibrium, reflexology helps individuals who suffer from stress and related conditions, digestive disorders, different kinds of headaches including migraine, arthritis, back problems, menstrual disorders including PMS (Pre Menstrual Syndrome) and insomnia, to name a few.
Reflexology can treat a range of health problems, independently of any other system of medicine. However, it should not be treated as a substitute for conventional medicine, emphasizes Lizeh. “We do not claim Reflexology to be an alternative therapy. But we believe it can complement the conventional system of medicine and that it is compatible with all other forms of therapeutic systems. For instance, Reflexology may be highly beneficial and even self sufficient in the initial stages of hypertension, diabetes or cardiac conditions. But once these conditions have set in, alongside conventional medication, reflexology may be used to keep the blood pressure or sugar levels in check. Similarly, reflexology will not fix fractures or dislocated bones or conditions that necessarily require surgery. However, in these situations, regular use of Reflexology will enhance the main line of treatment by keeping the circulation stimulated and the lymph system active, thus hastening the healing process.
Reflexology has proved beneficial in the case of mentally challenged and autistic individuals. It helps calm aggressive and violent tendencies in them and enables them to interact better socially. However, it is more the “touch” and contact of the therapist that helps these cases, emphasizes Lizeh. “Reflexology helps calm even the normal adults who are prone to undue anger and aggression and exhibit quarrelsome, garrulous behaviour with family, friends or even at work.”
Reflexology is not recommended for pregnant women, particularly in the first trimester. However, the therapy is immensely beneficial for women close to labor since it eases the process and makes for safe delivery. The therapy is also not advised for epileptics, people with foot infections and patients with serious health problems including uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension or cardiac problems and cancer.
A typical reflexology session lasts for between 40 minutes to an hour. A six weekly course of one session per week is the normal recommendation though this may be extended depending upon the intensity, frequency and chronicity of a person’s condition. It is absolutely necessary to maintain a minimum interval of four days between one session and the next so as to allow the body to detoxify itself.
After a session or two, most individuals observe a sense of well being and relaxation. Some people may complain of feeling lethargic, sleepy or nauseous. But these are not signs to be feared since they are temporary and reflect the body’s response to the therapy, indicating that the healing process is taking place.
Clients are advised to take plenty of water following therapy to enable flushing of toxins from the body, to abstain from eating spicy food, drinking and smoking, at least for 24 hours following therapy. Also, they are advised to go slow on any exercise regimen and pay heed to the body’s signal and not push themselves beyond their limit.
However, once such a course is completed for a specific condition, people usually find it useful to continue with regular treatments in order to maintain general well being and also as a preventive against disease condition. The therapy is also a preventive since it strengthens the body’s immune system and healing capacity, both to fight infection and to help patients recuperate from chronic conditions. Since it promotes good health, even healthy individuals can have periodic reflexology sessions to keep themselves fit, opines Lizeh.
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Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Qi Gong
Published in Eternal Solutions
Life Energy: Therapeutic Effect
As more and more individuals are becoming victims of stress, the modern bane which is at the root of a host of illnesses, alternative therapies are fast gaining ground, globally. Qi Gong, pronounced Chi kung, is a millennia old Chinese healing system, an exercise which draws upon your inner energy to tone muscles, regulate hormones, boost blood circulation and lift spirits, to set the healing process in motion on all four planes – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. According to Dr.Zou Wei Jia, a Qi Gong practitioner, who is also a renowned master of Kung Fu and Acupuncture, Qi Gong, in addition to being a treatment therapy which brings cure, is as much a preventive therapy that rejuvenates, heals and enhances overall well being by strengthening the immune system and building resistance to disease.
Qi Gong, meaning, working with the energy of life, builds energy using a combination of fluid movements, breathing exercises and visualization, to regulate the internal functions of the body, explains Dr.Jia. Healing with Qi Gong is based on the premise that disease arises when a person’s vital body energy is either stagnant or imbalanced. Therefore, exercises that promote and balance Qi, will restore health and harmony by a therapeutic process which requires no medication. The nucleus of Qi Gong is the exercise of Yi, which is consciousness, and Qi, which is the vital energy.
According to Dr.Jia, the movements of Qi Gong, through the regulation of the three postures – walking, sitting and lying – harvests energy and stimulates its flow through the body, thereby enhancing energy and flexibility levels. No wonder then, that Dr.Jia, a well built, short and stocky individual, manages to wriggle himself into the clothes of a one year old! Or for that matter, you can witness Dr.Jia smashing stones and metal planks with his bare hands> And if that’s not enough, you can watch Dr.Jia lying on a sheet of glass pieces and nails while a four tonne vehicle is driven over him! And all this is done merely by breathing techniques and fluids movements of Qi Gong!
Qi Gong beginners learn to ‘walk like the wind’ and stand in a variety of ways. There are various standing postures associated with Qi Gong, all of which deliver weight to the ground through the feet. Standing positions are accompanied by a host of hand positions, both of which are meant to exercise the skeletal muscles and induce Qi to descend quickly, which helps strengthen the body constitution, explains Dr.Jia. Sitting positions similarly include sitting cross-legged, sitting on a chair – but sitting to maintain the body in a stable state, as ‘sitting like a block’. The sitting postures are believed to relax the individual and bring him to a state of quiet so as to enhance the body’s ability to collect or activate the vital energy. The lying position of Qi Gong, likewise, is meant to set the body in a state of calm, restraining the mind and encouraging inner quiet and to regulate the function of the central nervous system.
The realms of treatment with Qi Gong are wide, meant to boost brain activity, heal, build muscle strength and endurance and to help shape the spirit. Therapy with Qi Gong, according to Dr.Jia, increases vascular circulation, improves co-ordination and tones and stretches muscles. It is highly effective in treating chronic pain and disorders of the digestive, respiratory, nervous and cardiovascular systems. The range of illnesses amenable to treatment with Qi Gong include sciatica, rheumatism, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic sprains, quadriplegia, tetraplegia, asthma, chronic gastritis, impotency, diabetes, hypertension, insomnia and various other ailments.
A sound complement to western system of medicine, Qi Gong ensures its practitioners, speedy recovery, fewer side effects and reduced drug regimen when they are on allopathic treatment. “The therapeutic effects of Qi Gong cannot be exaggerated but it is true that it is very effective for various addictions also,” reveals Dr.Jia.
Are there any categories of people in whom therapy with Qi Gong is contra-indicated? Dr.Jia advices that a vigorous form of the therapy is best not practiced by pregnant women; rather, they should keep to light forms of Qi Gong exercises. Also, Qi Gong exercises increase circulation and may suppress appetite in some people. So it is better to avoid the exercises by women during their monthly cycle and by individuals who may suffer from any kind of bleeding disorders and anorexia. Additional, the exercises help people to adapt quickly to changing weather conditions.
Dr.Jia explains that there are three ways in which healing through Qi Gong may be brought about. Through self practice. Secondly by external Qi Gong whereby there is emission of Qi by a master to the patient in whom the Qi is in a state of imbalance. Thirdly, by a combination of self healing and healing through a master.
While Qi Gong exercises can be done by anyone regardless of age, precautions should be taken, especially in the case of beginners, while doing them and they should be initiated into the system by recognized teachers and professionals in the art. Dr.Jia states, “Ideally you can start a child of 4 or 5 years on to Qi Gong exercises. Because learning is that much easier at these tender ages because the grasping power is also very good at this age.” Qi Gong exercises are generally recommended for between 5 – 20 minutes duration, to begin with and then go on up to 45 minutes to an hour per day. This could be done with breaks of a couple of minutes in between and change in posture. Also, Qi Gong exercises are best done, two hours before or after a meal.
******
Life Energy: Therapeutic Effect
As more and more individuals are becoming victims of stress, the modern bane which is at the root of a host of illnesses, alternative therapies are fast gaining ground, globally. Qi Gong, pronounced Chi kung, is a millennia old Chinese healing system, an exercise which draws upon your inner energy to tone muscles, regulate hormones, boost blood circulation and lift spirits, to set the healing process in motion on all four planes – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. According to Dr.Zou Wei Jia, a Qi Gong practitioner, who is also a renowned master of Kung Fu and Acupuncture, Qi Gong, in addition to being a treatment therapy which brings cure, is as much a preventive therapy that rejuvenates, heals and enhances overall well being by strengthening the immune system and building resistance to disease.
Qi Gong, meaning, working with the energy of life, builds energy using a combination of fluid movements, breathing exercises and visualization, to regulate the internal functions of the body, explains Dr.Jia. Healing with Qi Gong is based on the premise that disease arises when a person’s vital body energy is either stagnant or imbalanced. Therefore, exercises that promote and balance Qi, will restore health and harmony by a therapeutic process which requires no medication. The nucleus of Qi Gong is the exercise of Yi, which is consciousness, and Qi, which is the vital energy.
According to Dr.Jia, the movements of Qi Gong, through the regulation of the three postures – walking, sitting and lying – harvests energy and stimulates its flow through the body, thereby enhancing energy and flexibility levels. No wonder then, that Dr.Jia, a well built, short and stocky individual, manages to wriggle himself into the clothes of a one year old! Or for that matter, you can witness Dr.Jia smashing stones and metal planks with his bare hands> And if that’s not enough, you can watch Dr.Jia lying on a sheet of glass pieces and nails while a four tonne vehicle is driven over him! And all this is done merely by breathing techniques and fluids movements of Qi Gong!
Qi Gong beginners learn to ‘walk like the wind’ and stand in a variety of ways. There are various standing postures associated with Qi Gong, all of which deliver weight to the ground through the feet. Standing positions are accompanied by a host of hand positions, both of which are meant to exercise the skeletal muscles and induce Qi to descend quickly, which helps strengthen the body constitution, explains Dr.Jia. Sitting positions similarly include sitting cross-legged, sitting on a chair – but sitting to maintain the body in a stable state, as ‘sitting like a block’. The sitting postures are believed to relax the individual and bring him to a state of quiet so as to enhance the body’s ability to collect or activate the vital energy. The lying position of Qi Gong, likewise, is meant to set the body in a state of calm, restraining the mind and encouraging inner quiet and to regulate the function of the central nervous system.
The realms of treatment with Qi Gong are wide, meant to boost brain activity, heal, build muscle strength and endurance and to help shape the spirit. Therapy with Qi Gong, according to Dr.Jia, increases vascular circulation, improves co-ordination and tones and stretches muscles. It is highly effective in treating chronic pain and disorders of the digestive, respiratory, nervous and cardiovascular systems. The range of illnesses amenable to treatment with Qi Gong include sciatica, rheumatism, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic sprains, quadriplegia, tetraplegia, asthma, chronic gastritis, impotency, diabetes, hypertension, insomnia and various other ailments.
A sound complement to western system of medicine, Qi Gong ensures its practitioners, speedy recovery, fewer side effects and reduced drug regimen when they are on allopathic treatment. “The therapeutic effects of Qi Gong cannot be exaggerated but it is true that it is very effective for various addictions also,” reveals Dr.Jia.
Are there any categories of people in whom therapy with Qi Gong is contra-indicated? Dr.Jia advices that a vigorous form of the therapy is best not practiced by pregnant women; rather, they should keep to light forms of Qi Gong exercises. Also, Qi Gong exercises increase circulation and may suppress appetite in some people. So it is better to avoid the exercises by women during their monthly cycle and by individuals who may suffer from any kind of bleeding disorders and anorexia. Additional, the exercises help people to adapt quickly to changing weather conditions.
Dr.Jia explains that there are three ways in which healing through Qi Gong may be brought about. Through self practice. Secondly by external Qi Gong whereby there is emission of Qi by a master to the patient in whom the Qi is in a state of imbalance. Thirdly, by a combination of self healing and healing through a master.
While Qi Gong exercises can be done by anyone regardless of age, precautions should be taken, especially in the case of beginners, while doing them and they should be initiated into the system by recognized teachers and professionals in the art. Dr.Jia states, “Ideally you can start a child of 4 or 5 years on to Qi Gong exercises. Because learning is that much easier at these tender ages because the grasping power is also very good at this age.” Qi Gong exercises are generally recommended for between 5 – 20 minutes duration, to begin with and then go on up to 45 minutes to an hour per day. This could be done with breaks of a couple of minutes in between and change in posture. Also, Qi Gong exercises are best done, two hours before or after a meal.
******
Life Coaching
Published in City Times
It’s about knowing where you want to go
Most people today are so caught up in the momentum and activity of their present roles in life that they are not actually doing the activities that give them the most reward, both personally and financially, says Nic Woodthorpe-Wright, Life Coach in Dubai.
Nic is a qualified life coach and has been “actively involved in mentoring Dubai’s future leaders in the Sheikh Mohammed Leadership Development Program.” He has worked with several global and international companies at a senior management level before he decided to commit his skills, expertise and experience in the arena of personal development.
What is Life Coaching all about?
Nic: Life Coaching in essence is really about helping individuals get to ‘get the best out of themselves’. Human beings have a huge amount of potential and Life Coaching is about helping people tap into this huge reservoir of their innate abilities to desired effect, objectives or goals. It is about helping individuals tap into aspects of themselves that either they are not aware of, or, are aware of but are frustrated by not being able to get in touch with.
Is it some kind of a structured or systematic approach to people’s problems?
Nic: No, it doesn’t really deal with problems in that sense. Most people are not in control of their lives – their environment controls them. Most people are not happy with their current career, level of health, current relationships or the extent of their personal wealth. The majority of these people realize that a change would benefit their lives, but they still bury their heads in the sand because they don’t know how to go about bringing this change. Life Coaching is not about any structured learning programme at all. The reason for this is that the client is the key focus, the person I work with. I always work on a one-to-one basis, either face-to-face, through the telephone or even via the email if a client wishes to do so because he is residing in another place.
So how do you go about bringing this change?
Nic: Again, it is not the life coach who brings about the change. In order for the process to work, for it to be appropriate, it is the cline who is going to be driving the agenda. If it was I, the life coach who is driving the agenda, then we don’t develop focusing in the key areas that the individual wants to work on, defeating the very purpose of the process! It is a highly motivational and empowering approach that allows individuals to achieve more in a matter of months than sometimes has been achieved in years.
How does the process get initiated?
Nic: Life coaching operates on a one-to-one basis for individuals who desire positive change. The goals themselves may be related to their career, family, relationships, finance or health. The clients I see, will have an area that they know to be the key area of focus and that’s where we start from. This key area in most instances, will also be inter-related with other areas of lives. Since it is a client-driven approach, the life coach merely acts as a catalyst in terms of the individuals seeking their own solution. Because the life coach does not pretend to know more about the client in terms of the client’s life. So it’s important to understand that I’m not here to tell people how to live their lives. My role is to open up the idea to the client, to look at options, to get a clear understanding of his life, see where he is and to know where he wants to go from here. I do this after getting a little bit of history of the client to understand what has brought him to the present.
How is life coaching different from psychological counseling?
Nic: Psychological counseling involves a lot of psychotherapy which deals with people who have a problem and it predominantly works in the past, wherein the clients are asked to go back in time and recall things. But life coaching is future-oriented – we start with a basic understanding of the individual in the present and then we say, “hey, where do you want to go from here”! The people I work with are not people with problems per se. They are people who are frustrated by their environment and don’t quite know what they want to do from the present, but do know that they would be better off with change. Hence they seek expert advice so that they don’t waste years trying to chart a programme of change for themselves because they have no clear idea themselves about how to make this change.
So what are the broad ranges in terms of area where life coaching would appear productive for a client?
Nic: Life coaching can help you get out of the ‘rut’, get you clarity on what you truly desire, build your vision for the future and help speed up your journey to your desired goal, help you find your balance in life, work less and earn more, enable you to make better choices and decisions, improve your finances, personal and business relationships, make you more effective and productive and through all this help you minimize stress and cope or be rid of health problems.
Does the process work on hourly basis? Is yes, to what extent is the process time bound in terms of the number of hours or sessions required?
Nic: The sessions work on an hourly basis wherein the clients see me once a week, may be for about eight weeks in all. But as I said earlier, the process is entirely client-driven and how many sessions each person requires, is entirely individualistic, based on his needs and present state.
********
It’s about knowing where you want to go
Most people today are so caught up in the momentum and activity of their present roles in life that they are not actually doing the activities that give them the most reward, both personally and financially, says Nic Woodthorpe-Wright, Life Coach in Dubai.
Nic is a qualified life coach and has been “actively involved in mentoring Dubai’s future leaders in the Sheikh Mohammed Leadership Development Program.” He has worked with several global and international companies at a senior management level before he decided to commit his skills, expertise and experience in the arena of personal development.
What is Life Coaching all about?
Nic: Life Coaching in essence is really about helping individuals get to ‘get the best out of themselves’. Human beings have a huge amount of potential and Life Coaching is about helping people tap into this huge reservoir of their innate abilities to desired effect, objectives or goals. It is about helping individuals tap into aspects of themselves that either they are not aware of, or, are aware of but are frustrated by not being able to get in touch with.
Is it some kind of a structured or systematic approach to people’s problems?
Nic: No, it doesn’t really deal with problems in that sense. Most people are not in control of their lives – their environment controls them. Most people are not happy with their current career, level of health, current relationships or the extent of their personal wealth. The majority of these people realize that a change would benefit their lives, but they still bury their heads in the sand because they don’t know how to go about bringing this change. Life Coaching is not about any structured learning programme at all. The reason for this is that the client is the key focus, the person I work with. I always work on a one-to-one basis, either face-to-face, through the telephone or even via the email if a client wishes to do so because he is residing in another place.
So how do you go about bringing this change?
Nic: Again, it is not the life coach who brings about the change. In order for the process to work, for it to be appropriate, it is the cline who is going to be driving the agenda. If it was I, the life coach who is driving the agenda, then we don’t develop focusing in the key areas that the individual wants to work on, defeating the very purpose of the process! It is a highly motivational and empowering approach that allows individuals to achieve more in a matter of months than sometimes has been achieved in years.
How does the process get initiated?
Nic: Life coaching operates on a one-to-one basis for individuals who desire positive change. The goals themselves may be related to their career, family, relationships, finance or health. The clients I see, will have an area that they know to be the key area of focus and that’s where we start from. This key area in most instances, will also be inter-related with other areas of lives. Since it is a client-driven approach, the life coach merely acts as a catalyst in terms of the individuals seeking their own solution. Because the life coach does not pretend to know more about the client in terms of the client’s life. So it’s important to understand that I’m not here to tell people how to live their lives. My role is to open up the idea to the client, to look at options, to get a clear understanding of his life, see where he is and to know where he wants to go from here. I do this after getting a little bit of history of the client to understand what has brought him to the present.
How is life coaching different from psychological counseling?
Nic: Psychological counseling involves a lot of psychotherapy which deals with people who have a problem and it predominantly works in the past, wherein the clients are asked to go back in time and recall things. But life coaching is future-oriented – we start with a basic understanding of the individual in the present and then we say, “hey, where do you want to go from here”! The people I work with are not people with problems per se. They are people who are frustrated by their environment and don’t quite know what they want to do from the present, but do know that they would be better off with change. Hence they seek expert advice so that they don’t waste years trying to chart a programme of change for themselves because they have no clear idea themselves about how to make this change.
So what are the broad ranges in terms of area where life coaching would appear productive for a client?
Nic: Life coaching can help you get out of the ‘rut’, get you clarity on what you truly desire, build your vision for the future and help speed up your journey to your desired goal, help you find your balance in life, work less and earn more, enable you to make better choices and decisions, improve your finances, personal and business relationships, make you more effective and productive and through all this help you minimize stress and cope or be rid of health problems.
Does the process work on hourly basis? Is yes, to what extent is the process time bound in terms of the number of hours or sessions required?
Nic: The sessions work on an hourly basis wherein the clients see me once a week, may be for about eight weeks in all. But as I said earlier, the process is entirely client-driven and how many sessions each person requires, is entirely individualistic, based on his needs and present state.
********
Holistic Healing with Osteopathy
Published in City Times
Holistic Healing with Osteopathy
Osteopathy, (derived from Greek: osteon meaning bones and pathos meaning suffering) was founded by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, M.D in 1874. The system involves finding the root cause of the problem leading to illness and weeding it out, instead of treating the symptoms alone. It is a holistic method of treatment that focuses on all aspects of an individual’s wellbeing: mind, body and spirit, explains Tim Mills, UK registered Osteopath at Orthosports Medical Centre, Jumeirah.
The emphasis of Osteopathy is on the structural and functional integrity of the body. Hence, Osteopaths diagnose and treat individuals to restore health by correcting mechanical imbalances within and between bodily structures including the muscles, bones, ligaments, organs and fascia or the thin tissue underneath the skin. This is achieved by improving, restoring and maintaining the harmonious functioning of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems of the body.
And this may be done with the help of all medical means including medication with drugs, patient education and manual body therapy and surgery as well. Though most of the manipulation techniques of osteopathy are unique, some of these massage movements are also used by physiotherapists, chiropractors and massage therapists.
Conditions commonly treated by Osteopaths are associated with various pains, strains, and injuries, especially related to sports. Besides, Osteopathy has been found to be very effective in the treatment of asthma, migraine, arthritis, tendonitis, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), digestive disturbances, ear infections, sinusitis, knee and joint pains, dizziness, back and neck pains, whiplash and postural problems. The basic idea is to bring to equilibrium, all system of the body. Because the form of treatment is gentle, the system benefits people of all ages. It can be safely practiced on children and babies with colic, insomnia and glue ear.
On the first visit, the Osteopath will first take a complete case history followed by a clinical example of the patient. The Osteopath will perform a series of movements and with his keenly developed sense of touch, palpates various areas of the body to identify points of weakness or excess strain. Further investigations like X-Ray, blood test, et al may be necessary in certain instances to confirm diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment. For 24 hours following treatment, it is advised not to indulge in heavy exercise so as to allow the tissues time to heal and settle to balance. Osteopathy is, however, not necessarily a cure-all: while some conditions in some individuals may be cured, in other instances, conditions are partially relieved or maintained in balance.
The treatment by osteopathy includes hundred different techniques encompassing soft tissue techniques, rhythmic passive joint mobilization and high velocity thrust techniques to enhance mobility and the range of movements of joints. For children and old people, gentle release techniques are adopted to enable the body to return to efficient normal function.
While chiropractic therapists manipulate an affected joint beyond its physiological and anatomical range of motion, Osteopaths look for restrictions in joint movement that occur within the normal range of motions and try to rectify them but do not manipulate them beyond their physiological or anatomical range of motion. This perhaps is the reason why adverse effects from therapy are barely evident. The true contra-indication to Osteopathy relates to medical emergencies and urgencies when it is not used. Also, it is not used on cancer patients and those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, says Mills.
In fact, Osteopathy can be safely practiced during the entire period of pregnancy without causing any untoward effect on the mother or child. It can be undertaken for easing the physical discomforts associated with pregnancy, to help reduce nausea, breathlessness and heart burn, prepare the mother for demands of labor and help her post-delivery recovery. It is claimed that even miscarriages can be averted in a small number of cases and the pregnancy stabilized to proceed to full term.
An integral part of the treatment plan involves home exercises and lifestyle modifications which complement the Osteopath’s treatment intended to promote the body’s self-healing mechanism to get re-activated or re-energized.
In most instances, considerable improvement from treatment is visible between two to six sessions of theray. A single session may be all that is required in some instances, though.
*******************
Holistic Healing with Osteopathy
Osteopathy, (derived from Greek: osteon meaning bones and pathos meaning suffering) was founded by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, M.D in 1874. The system involves finding the root cause of the problem leading to illness and weeding it out, instead of treating the symptoms alone. It is a holistic method of treatment that focuses on all aspects of an individual’s wellbeing: mind, body and spirit, explains Tim Mills, UK registered Osteopath at Orthosports Medical Centre, Jumeirah.
The emphasis of Osteopathy is on the structural and functional integrity of the body. Hence, Osteopaths diagnose and treat individuals to restore health by correcting mechanical imbalances within and between bodily structures including the muscles, bones, ligaments, organs and fascia or the thin tissue underneath the skin. This is achieved by improving, restoring and maintaining the harmonious functioning of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems of the body.
And this may be done with the help of all medical means including medication with drugs, patient education and manual body therapy and surgery as well. Though most of the manipulation techniques of osteopathy are unique, some of these massage movements are also used by physiotherapists, chiropractors and massage therapists.
Conditions commonly treated by Osteopaths are associated with various pains, strains, and injuries, especially related to sports. Besides, Osteopathy has been found to be very effective in the treatment of asthma, migraine, arthritis, tendonitis, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), digestive disturbances, ear infections, sinusitis, knee and joint pains, dizziness, back and neck pains, whiplash and postural problems. The basic idea is to bring to equilibrium, all system of the body. Because the form of treatment is gentle, the system benefits people of all ages. It can be safely practiced on children and babies with colic, insomnia and glue ear.
On the first visit, the Osteopath will first take a complete case history followed by a clinical example of the patient. The Osteopath will perform a series of movements and with his keenly developed sense of touch, palpates various areas of the body to identify points of weakness or excess strain. Further investigations like X-Ray, blood test, et al may be necessary in certain instances to confirm diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment. For 24 hours following treatment, it is advised not to indulge in heavy exercise so as to allow the tissues time to heal and settle to balance. Osteopathy is, however, not necessarily a cure-all: while some conditions in some individuals may be cured, in other instances, conditions are partially relieved or maintained in balance.
The treatment by osteopathy includes hundred different techniques encompassing soft tissue techniques, rhythmic passive joint mobilization and high velocity thrust techniques to enhance mobility and the range of movements of joints. For children and old people, gentle release techniques are adopted to enable the body to return to efficient normal function.
While chiropractic therapists manipulate an affected joint beyond its physiological and anatomical range of motion, Osteopaths look for restrictions in joint movement that occur within the normal range of motions and try to rectify them but do not manipulate them beyond their physiological or anatomical range of motion. This perhaps is the reason why adverse effects from therapy are barely evident. The true contra-indication to Osteopathy relates to medical emergencies and urgencies when it is not used. Also, it is not used on cancer patients and those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, says Mills.
In fact, Osteopathy can be safely practiced during the entire period of pregnancy without causing any untoward effect on the mother or child. It can be undertaken for easing the physical discomforts associated with pregnancy, to help reduce nausea, breathlessness and heart burn, prepare the mother for demands of labor and help her post-delivery recovery. It is claimed that even miscarriages can be averted in a small number of cases and the pregnancy stabilized to proceed to full term.
An integral part of the treatment plan involves home exercises and lifestyle modifications which complement the Osteopath’s treatment intended to promote the body’s self-healing mechanism to get re-activated or re-energized.
In most instances, considerable improvement from treatment is visible between two to six sessions of theray. A single session may be all that is required in some instances, though.
*******************
Floatation Therapy
Published in City Times
Step into your private sea and float your problems away
Can you imagine yourself floating in a 30 cm deep tank with 10 inches of water, warmed to a comfortable 35.5 degrees Celsius for an hour and coming out of it absolutely refreshed! Yes, this is precisely what Floatation Therapy does to you – it makes you feel refreshed, rejuvenated and de-stressed. Using Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy or Technique, (R.E.S.T), the approach is holistic in nature and brings relief in a range of health conditions, particularly those triggered by stress, says Dr.Pinky George, qualified Naturopath, Yoga and Stress Management Consultant, Mizan Naturopathy Centre, Abu Dhabi.
Floatation requires no special training - one does not need to know swimming - only a mind that is open to new experience. Essentially, it is spending an hour or so lying quietly in the dark, suspended in a warm solution of Epson salt which is so dense that you float effortlessly. The first and last 10 minutes of the session include some gentle music to help you relax and indicate the session is over. The music may be instrumental or even recitation from the Holy Quran as per the clients’ individual choice. Once inside the tank, the tank door is closed and the light switched off. However, if the clients so wish, they may continue to float with the door open or partially closed and the light on, should they feel more comfortable doing so. “Invariably, after a session or two, most people like to float in total darkness, with the light off and the door closed,” reveals Dr.George.
“Does it not sound strange that large number of people are actually paying enthusiastically to enter a state of sensory depravation, in a culture where status is earned by frantically exposing one’s senses to as many stimulations as possible? Isn’t this “seeking sensory depravation” ironical in a world where most people are so terrified of being alone, they would drop money just to sit around in a bar with people they can’t stand otherwise!” quizzes Dr.George.
Well, that’s exactly what floatation therapy is all about – it cuts you off from the outer world, provides you a chance to go ‘within’, be by yourself and seek your own balance and harmony in life. Floatation therapy offers people the chance of regaining physical, emotional or psychological health. While exercising and healthy eating are only part of healthy living, relaxing is equally, if not more imperative, to sound wellbeing. This is even more essentially in today’s highly pressurized society. Recent research has shown that up to 80% - 90% of people visit their GP due to a psychosomatic or stress related disorder.
Why would floating in a swimming pool not bring on the same effects as when you float in the tank? Dr.George responds, “Besides astronauts in space, this is the only situation you will encounter where your body is free from the forces of gravity. Every single muscle in the body goes into a state of relaxation. Because of the silence and darkness in the tank, you allow your mind to drift into the deepest state of relaxation possible which in turn balances the brain. It reduces the activity of the left logical side of the brain and increases activity on the right, creative side. So for the first time, both sides of your brain are in total harmony. Also, a large proportion of our energy, almost 85% and much of our brain, are devoted to dealing with and counteracting gravity. So when you in this Epsom solution floatation tank, you eliminate powerful and constant external stimulation, liberating large regions of the mind and great quantities of energy for novel, creative purposes.”
The weightless, temperature-balanced, fluid environment frees muscles, heart, nervous system and brain from 90% of their normal "housekeeping" workload. This unique stimulus-free environment triggers a profound "Relaxation Response" which is totally automatic, and which spreads to all levels of the body.
Scientific research experiments show that simply by focusing awareness in a certain way, a person can actually strengthen his or her immune system, lower blood pressure, slow heartbeat, release or inhibit the release of certain hormones, alleviate pain and alter the activity of the heart muscles, brain and mind, says Dr.George. The therapeutic benefits from floating are many and varied. “One hour of floating is equivalent to 4 hours of blissful sleep. Floating reduces stress, relieves muscle tension, especially in people pursuing sedentary lifestyles like computer professionals, those with desk jobs, people whose job requires them to drive a lot, for people who have stiffness around the neck, back and shoulders, chronic backache sufferers, those with joint pains, arthritis, migraine people who are victims to the burn-off syndrome, hypertension. Floating helps any problem which is psychosomatic and stress-related. It helps women with PMS, people suffering from insomnia, mild depression, people who need to slow down and people having jet lag. Floating is safe even for pregnant women during all trimesters, if they are normal and healthy, without any pregnancy-associated problems and if they themselves are comfortable floating.”
The sensory depravation associated with floating, brings about a gentle, pleasant, controllable and temporary shift in consciousness in anyone who floats. This shift in consciousness is healthy, educative and it can be manipulated, explored and used in a variety of ways to cause changes in our attitudes, physiology and behaviour that presents even after one emerges from the tank, explains Dr.George.
How does this therapy compare with meditation which also involves looking inwards and reaching a state of calm? Dr.George responds, “To reach deep levels of meditation, it takes much practice, repeated efforts to shut out sounds, light and other environmental stimuli. With floatation, one need not do that work. Undistracted, one starts concentrating immediately on one’s inner perceptions and delves deep into one’s mind.”
EEG changes indicate that individuals who floated in the float tanks for an hour, significantly increased their theta level. Theta waves offer access to free associated, insight, creative inspirations and hence is potentially very productive and opens the mind to learning, reveals Dr.George. “Research into the brain waves of the two hemispheres of floaters indicates that floating increases right brain function, thus enabling left-dominant people to gain access to the right brain more readily. This is the key to stress management – the balance between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Synchronisation of brain waves, hemispheric harmony, is one explanation for the increase in productivity, performance, efficiency and the generalized feeling of competence, confidence and wholeness experienced by floaters.”
The number of Floating sessions required by a person, like any other form of therapy, is very much individual. The ideal situation is to keep healthy, promote health and prevent disorders by regular exercise and floating is one such mode which impacts health in a positive way, says Dr.George.
It has been suggested that floatation could be introduced in schools because it helps learning, says Dr.George. This is based on the fact that when the mind is calm and relaxed, learning is rapid and clear. It enhances, concentration, memory, alertness and eases the learning process.
In conclusion Dr.George says, “By restricting sensory input in the tank, we increase sensory awareness! By becoming blind, we learn to see in a new and more powerful way; by giving up, letting go, we gain greater control and power over ourselves and ultimately over the external world. And once out of the tank after a float, we seem to perceive the world with startling directness, richness and clarity. There is no training required, no secret wisdom, no guru or special decoder ring, no weeks of discipline! That day is not far when float tank will evolve as an essential equipment for clinics, hospitals, health and fitness centres, stress management centres, offices, factories, de-addiction clinics, resorts of spas and homes.
Box Items
1.Origin of Floatation
Floating in a float chamber was invented by Dr.John Lily, a medical practitioner and neuro-psychiatrist in the 1950s. He experimented with physical isolutation during his training in psychoanalysis at the national Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, Maryland. A longstanding question in neurophysiology had been the source of energy to the brain and its origins. One answer was that the energy sources are biological and internal and don’t depend upon the external environment. It was argued that if you cut off all stimuli to the brain, then it would go to sleep.
Dr. Lily decided to test this hypothesis. He did this by creating an environment that totally isolated an individual from external stimulation. From here he studied the origin of consciousness and its relation to the brain. Thus evolved the first floatation tank in a rather rudimentary form. From this form, today we have a variety of sophisticated floatation tanks including the most commonly used fiberglass tanks.
In 1982, the International R.E.S.T Investigators Society (IRIS) was founded. This brought together clinicians, researchers, floatation centre operators, tank manufacturers and other involved with floatation, to form a body for research, lectures and share experience. IRIS organizes a R.E.S.T conference tri-annually and makes information available to all interested.
NASA employs floatation to stimulate weightlessness.
2. The Floatation Tank – its safety and maintenance mechanisms
• To 10 inches of water, 700 lbs of Epsom salt is added.
• The water is maintained at skin temperature of 35.5 degrees Celsius.
• Two buttons to your left and one button to your right, allow you to control the tank’s door, call an attendant and control the in-built light present in the tank.
• An automatic filtration system guarantees purified water for every single floater.
• An extremely sensitive carbon filter ensures quality water for each floater.
• The water is well chlorinated and is checked to maintain the right percentage of alkalinity, PH and chlorine levels as required by floatation standards.
• Daily, weekly and monthly checklists are undertaken by trained personnel from the United Kingdom who strictly adheres to the operational and maintenance instructions as specified by the manufacturers.
• A centrally-controlled monitor in the clinic will allow the therapist to monitor clients in the float tank – to see if the tank door is shut, the light is off, to monitor the water temperature, to check whether clients are in or outside the float tank, to communicate with them if they require.
• A generator is present to make assurance doubly sure for floaters who may fear getting shut in the tank should power supply be cut off for some reason. The generator will supply uninterrupted power for two hours following power shut.
3. Float instructions and precautionary measures
• Ensure a shower before stepping into the float tank.
• If you have a cut, an abrasion on the skin or have just shaved or waxed, the salt can sting and cause slight itchiness. Therefore dry the area completely and apply a light layer of vaseline which is provided in the private room housing the floatation tank.
• While in the tank, make sure to wear the earplugs that are provided since the ears are below the surface of the solution. In rare cases, the Epsom salts can crystallize on the ear drum and can cause ear ache.
• Once into the tank, avoid touching your face or eyes since the salt can sting.
• After a float, take a shower and ensure that the salt is completely washed off the skin.
4. Contra-indications for floating
The therapy is contra-indicated in individuals who are schizophrenic, epileptics, people with acute and contagious skin disorder, patients who’ve had a recent stroke and individuals with unstable health conditions as in high risk cardiac patients.
Step into your private sea and float your problems away
Can you imagine yourself floating in a 30 cm deep tank with 10 inches of water, warmed to a comfortable 35.5 degrees Celsius for an hour and coming out of it absolutely refreshed! Yes, this is precisely what Floatation Therapy does to you – it makes you feel refreshed, rejuvenated and de-stressed. Using Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy or Technique, (R.E.S.T), the approach is holistic in nature and brings relief in a range of health conditions, particularly those triggered by stress, says Dr.Pinky George, qualified Naturopath, Yoga and Stress Management Consultant, Mizan Naturopathy Centre, Abu Dhabi.
Floatation requires no special training - one does not need to know swimming - only a mind that is open to new experience. Essentially, it is spending an hour or so lying quietly in the dark, suspended in a warm solution of Epson salt which is so dense that you float effortlessly. The first and last 10 minutes of the session include some gentle music to help you relax and indicate the session is over. The music may be instrumental or even recitation from the Holy Quran as per the clients’ individual choice. Once inside the tank, the tank door is closed and the light switched off. However, if the clients so wish, they may continue to float with the door open or partially closed and the light on, should they feel more comfortable doing so. “Invariably, after a session or two, most people like to float in total darkness, with the light off and the door closed,” reveals Dr.George.
“Does it not sound strange that large number of people are actually paying enthusiastically to enter a state of sensory depravation, in a culture where status is earned by frantically exposing one’s senses to as many stimulations as possible? Isn’t this “seeking sensory depravation” ironical in a world where most people are so terrified of being alone, they would drop money just to sit around in a bar with people they can’t stand otherwise!” quizzes Dr.George.
Well, that’s exactly what floatation therapy is all about – it cuts you off from the outer world, provides you a chance to go ‘within’, be by yourself and seek your own balance and harmony in life. Floatation therapy offers people the chance of regaining physical, emotional or psychological health. While exercising and healthy eating are only part of healthy living, relaxing is equally, if not more imperative, to sound wellbeing. This is even more essentially in today’s highly pressurized society. Recent research has shown that up to 80% - 90% of people visit their GP due to a psychosomatic or stress related disorder.
Why would floating in a swimming pool not bring on the same effects as when you float in the tank? Dr.George responds, “Besides astronauts in space, this is the only situation you will encounter where your body is free from the forces of gravity. Every single muscle in the body goes into a state of relaxation. Because of the silence and darkness in the tank, you allow your mind to drift into the deepest state of relaxation possible which in turn balances the brain. It reduces the activity of the left logical side of the brain and increases activity on the right, creative side. So for the first time, both sides of your brain are in total harmony. Also, a large proportion of our energy, almost 85% and much of our brain, are devoted to dealing with and counteracting gravity. So when you in this Epsom solution floatation tank, you eliminate powerful and constant external stimulation, liberating large regions of the mind and great quantities of energy for novel, creative purposes.”
The weightless, temperature-balanced, fluid environment frees muscles, heart, nervous system and brain from 90% of their normal "housekeeping" workload. This unique stimulus-free environment triggers a profound "Relaxation Response" which is totally automatic, and which spreads to all levels of the body.
Scientific research experiments show that simply by focusing awareness in a certain way, a person can actually strengthen his or her immune system, lower blood pressure, slow heartbeat, release or inhibit the release of certain hormones, alleviate pain and alter the activity of the heart muscles, brain and mind, says Dr.George. The therapeutic benefits from floating are many and varied. “One hour of floating is equivalent to 4 hours of blissful sleep. Floating reduces stress, relieves muscle tension, especially in people pursuing sedentary lifestyles like computer professionals, those with desk jobs, people whose job requires them to drive a lot, for people who have stiffness around the neck, back and shoulders, chronic backache sufferers, those with joint pains, arthritis, migraine people who are victims to the burn-off syndrome, hypertension. Floating helps any problem which is psychosomatic and stress-related. It helps women with PMS, people suffering from insomnia, mild depression, people who need to slow down and people having jet lag. Floating is safe even for pregnant women during all trimesters, if they are normal and healthy, without any pregnancy-associated problems and if they themselves are comfortable floating.”
The sensory depravation associated with floating, brings about a gentle, pleasant, controllable and temporary shift in consciousness in anyone who floats. This shift in consciousness is healthy, educative and it can be manipulated, explored and used in a variety of ways to cause changes in our attitudes, physiology and behaviour that presents even after one emerges from the tank, explains Dr.George.
How does this therapy compare with meditation which also involves looking inwards and reaching a state of calm? Dr.George responds, “To reach deep levels of meditation, it takes much practice, repeated efforts to shut out sounds, light and other environmental stimuli. With floatation, one need not do that work. Undistracted, one starts concentrating immediately on one’s inner perceptions and delves deep into one’s mind.”
EEG changes indicate that individuals who floated in the float tanks for an hour, significantly increased their theta level. Theta waves offer access to free associated, insight, creative inspirations and hence is potentially very productive and opens the mind to learning, reveals Dr.George. “Research into the brain waves of the two hemispheres of floaters indicates that floating increases right brain function, thus enabling left-dominant people to gain access to the right brain more readily. This is the key to stress management – the balance between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Synchronisation of brain waves, hemispheric harmony, is one explanation for the increase in productivity, performance, efficiency and the generalized feeling of competence, confidence and wholeness experienced by floaters.”
The number of Floating sessions required by a person, like any other form of therapy, is very much individual. The ideal situation is to keep healthy, promote health and prevent disorders by regular exercise and floating is one such mode which impacts health in a positive way, says Dr.George.
It has been suggested that floatation could be introduced in schools because it helps learning, says Dr.George. This is based on the fact that when the mind is calm and relaxed, learning is rapid and clear. It enhances, concentration, memory, alertness and eases the learning process.
In conclusion Dr.George says, “By restricting sensory input in the tank, we increase sensory awareness! By becoming blind, we learn to see in a new and more powerful way; by giving up, letting go, we gain greater control and power over ourselves and ultimately over the external world. And once out of the tank after a float, we seem to perceive the world with startling directness, richness and clarity. There is no training required, no secret wisdom, no guru or special decoder ring, no weeks of discipline! That day is not far when float tank will evolve as an essential equipment for clinics, hospitals, health and fitness centres, stress management centres, offices, factories, de-addiction clinics, resorts of spas and homes.
Box Items
1.Origin of Floatation
Floating in a float chamber was invented by Dr.John Lily, a medical practitioner and neuro-psychiatrist in the 1950s. He experimented with physical isolutation during his training in psychoanalysis at the national Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, Maryland. A longstanding question in neurophysiology had been the source of energy to the brain and its origins. One answer was that the energy sources are biological and internal and don’t depend upon the external environment. It was argued that if you cut off all stimuli to the brain, then it would go to sleep.
Dr. Lily decided to test this hypothesis. He did this by creating an environment that totally isolated an individual from external stimulation. From here he studied the origin of consciousness and its relation to the brain. Thus evolved the first floatation tank in a rather rudimentary form. From this form, today we have a variety of sophisticated floatation tanks including the most commonly used fiberglass tanks.
In 1982, the International R.E.S.T Investigators Society (IRIS) was founded. This brought together clinicians, researchers, floatation centre operators, tank manufacturers and other involved with floatation, to form a body for research, lectures and share experience. IRIS organizes a R.E.S.T conference tri-annually and makes information available to all interested.
NASA employs floatation to stimulate weightlessness.
2. The Floatation Tank – its safety and maintenance mechanisms
• To 10 inches of water, 700 lbs of Epsom salt is added.
• The water is maintained at skin temperature of 35.5 degrees Celsius.
• Two buttons to your left and one button to your right, allow you to control the tank’s door, call an attendant and control the in-built light present in the tank.
• An automatic filtration system guarantees purified water for every single floater.
• An extremely sensitive carbon filter ensures quality water for each floater.
• The water is well chlorinated and is checked to maintain the right percentage of alkalinity, PH and chlorine levels as required by floatation standards.
• Daily, weekly and monthly checklists are undertaken by trained personnel from the United Kingdom who strictly adheres to the operational and maintenance instructions as specified by the manufacturers.
• A centrally-controlled monitor in the clinic will allow the therapist to monitor clients in the float tank – to see if the tank door is shut, the light is off, to monitor the water temperature, to check whether clients are in or outside the float tank, to communicate with them if they require.
• A generator is present to make assurance doubly sure for floaters who may fear getting shut in the tank should power supply be cut off for some reason. The generator will supply uninterrupted power for two hours following power shut.
3. Float instructions and precautionary measures
• Ensure a shower before stepping into the float tank.
• If you have a cut, an abrasion on the skin or have just shaved or waxed, the salt can sting and cause slight itchiness. Therefore dry the area completely and apply a light layer of vaseline which is provided in the private room housing the floatation tank.
• While in the tank, make sure to wear the earplugs that are provided since the ears are below the surface of the solution. In rare cases, the Epsom salts can crystallize on the ear drum and can cause ear ache.
• Once into the tank, avoid touching your face or eyes since the salt can sting.
• After a float, take a shower and ensure that the salt is completely washed off the skin.
4. Contra-indications for floating
The therapy is contra-indicated in individuals who are schizophrenic, epileptics, people with acute and contagious skin disorder, patients who’ve had a recent stroke and individuals with unstable health conditions as in high risk cardiac patients.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Published in Eternal Solutions
Painless healing of painful problems
Vishaka had been suffering chronic acidity for over two decades. During this period she had totally abstained from eating bread which her system could not tolerate. A few rounds of energy tapping miraculously rid her of the problem. Not only did she resume eating bread but she also stopped all medication for the problem!
Rufina was plagued by intense guilt following divorce from her husband. She felt she had not done right by her children in taking this extreme measure. The profound guilty feeling incapacitated her from carrying on her everyday household chores. On a friend’s advice, she attended a course on Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and within three rounds of ‘tapping’, she felt light-hearted and realized there was no need for her to feel guilty because she had done the best she could for her children under the most adverse situations!
There have been diverse instances and problems including those of debilitating phobias, anxiety, depression, self-doubt, grief, sexual or emotional abuse, addictions, aches and pain, physical and emotional, which have found incredible relief with EFT, says Rohini Singh Chopra, certified EFT Master and Healer. Simply put, EFT is the most painless way of dealing with very painful things, since, among other things, it works without forcing the recipient to repeatedly re-experience the negative emotional state,” says Singh.
Citing Vishaka’s case, Ms.Singh reveals, “What had led to this chronic acidity and indigestion in Vishaka? During the healing process it was revealed that she suffered a very deep rejection by her mother. Stomach is the seat of emotions and in Vishaka’s case, she had a profound hatred of her childhood and this emotion translated to her emotional problems. The tapping enabled her to release physical and emotional trauma and she experienced as an unlocking of the pent up negative feelings which had hitherto kept her trapped. Very often during this stage of energy release, people describe feelings of light headedness and a sense of freedom.”
What is EFT and how does it work? Singh explains, “EFT is an energy therapy which works basically by tapping on the end points of energy meridians and is a powerful tool for the quick relief from emotional distress and pain. Since there is an inevitable link between mind and body and all physical issues have some emotional basis to them, if you take care of the emotional link, the physical aches, pains and ailments, no matter how big, are suitably impacted and healing takes place.”
EFT holds that the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system which disturbs the free flow of energy. EFT, developed by Stanford Engineer Gary Craig, has roots in ancient Chinese medicine and the modern day system of Applied Kinesiology and it is rightly described as acupuncture sans needles since it uses the fingers to gently tap 12 points on the face, hands and torso, the energy meridians of the body, to straighten out the disrupted energy flow. The one-minute-wonder can actually effect healing in a minute, essentially by reprogramming the mind with positive affirmations and thinking, says Singh. She adds, “Of course, we don’t expect every problem and everybody to get healed in one minute! But such is the effect of this technique which is simple and easy for anyone to learn and practice.”
On a very physical level, what can EFT do? Well, EFT is capable of relieving chronic pain, pains from rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, allergic symptoms, and much more. Even diabetics can be off their medication totally; just about any ailment can find relief with this technique, assures Singh. “Victims of various phobias, children with dyslexia and ADDH, those suffering from Parkinson’s, hypertension, et al, have all been helped with EFT. “I myself have worked with Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis patients and have achieved good results. I also work with the Cancer Support Organisation in Delhi and the results are excellent. We have dealt with the purely physical pain of these patients. For instance, a woman had had her breast removed and she couldn’t move her arm. We tapped for that and it’s been magical that she was able to raise her arm in 20 minutes.”
But what about a cure for the cancer itself? Singh is candid on this issue. “It depends on what you are trying to heal. Healing has many connotations; for instance, there are 2-3 aspects of cancer healing. For one, the patient is already undergoing conventional therapy; you can’t step in and ask him to stop the therapy. What we can do is allay their fears w.r.t. the cancer therapy, chemotherapy in particular, the side effects of which are painful in terms of nausea, et al. Of course, the medication being too strong, we cannot help the falling off of hair resulting from the chemotherapy. EFT helps make the patients comfortable with whatever they are going through, give them a perspective which makes them comfortable with dying. This in itself is healing! However, there have been plenty of instances of cancer victims finding themselves cured of the malady!”
Adding a word of caution, Singh reveals, “However, we don’t view EFT as a substitute for any particular system of medicine. We view it as complementary to other therapies. For instance, if you fall down and break a bone, surgery or putting a cast is a must; EFT cannot take on this role. But what is does do is provide pain relief and augment the healing and recovery process.
Is the therapy contra-indicated in any instance or does it have any side effects? “Not at all,” assures Singh. “The worst that may happen is that it will have no effect on the individual. The success rate associated with the technique is 95% and in 5% of cases there’s been no response. This is because there are people who come for healing but don’t really want to get well! These are people holding on to illnesses for a variety of reasons which may include attention and sympathy seeking motives.”
But would EFT not be able to remove this block? “Yes, you can remove this block itself and that is exactly how we deal with addictions,” Singh is reassuring. “In the ultimate analysis, EFT is a tool for spiritual growth which can make you a more joyful person. It does this by allowing you to respond better and differently to situations that you can’t change. The way you think and your attitudes will be influenced by this tapping, for your own betterment as an individual.”
Even babies have grown in wombs with EFT, reveals Singh. “The circumstances in which EFT is used is so totally diverse and varied: it has been very successfully used in the USA on Vietnam War veterans and victims to help them get over the severe trauma. The technique works amazingly to enhance creativity. It’s been used in Golf and other sports, in the field of fine arts like music, dance, painting and writing to enhance these abilities.”
Sabina was plagued by a feeling of intense guilt following divorce from her husband. She felt it was not in the best interests of her children. Her guilt rendered her incapable of carrying on her routine chores. On a friend’s advice, she attended a course on Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and within three rounds of ‘tapping’, she felt light-hearted and realized there was no need for her to feel guilty because she had done the best she could for her children under the most adverse situations!
Karishma had been suffering chronic acidity for over fifteen years, during which period she had totally abstained from eating bread which her system could not tolerate. A few rounds of energy tapping, miraculously rid her of her problem so much so that she was not only able to consume bread, but was also off her medication for the problem!
There have been several such instances, diverse problems, problems of addiction, aches and pain, physical and emotional, which have found incredible relief with EFT
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a powerful technology for quickly resolving emotional distress. It is even capable of relieving physical complaints such as chronic pain, allergic symptoms, and much more. When effective, not only does it do this quickly, but it works without forcing the recipient to repeatedly re-experience the negative emotional state. This treatment is generally permanent, relatively easy to apply, boasts a higher than 80% success rate and is free of negative side effects.
EFT is a wonderful tool that can be learned very easily. The technique has been described as a psychological form of acupuncture but without the needles. It has roots in ancient Chinese medicine and the modern day system of Applied Kinesiology.
The Emotional Freedom Technique was developed by Stanford Engineer Gary Craig. All that was necessary was for the recipient to focus on the distressing emotion or memory and tap the energy points. This method then became known as ‘The Emotional Freedom Technique’.
When a person remembers a painful or traumatic incident it causes their energy system to disrupt. As the body recalls the memory, it also re-produces the original emotional state associated with that time. EFT works directly to re-balance the energy field; as a result, negative emotions are cleared and harmony is restored. Similarly, life-long phobias, compulsive behaviors and unhealthy patterns of belief can be eliminated.
The reason this treatment is so effective, is that it treats the problem directly by correcting imbalances in the body’s system. Once the imbalance is corrected, the negative emotion quickly resolves, leaving the person free of troubling emotions that may have been limiting their lives.
How does EFT Work?
By stimulating certain acupressure points, neural receptors under the skin convert that pressure to an electrical impulse that is transmitted to the brain. The person is then asked to connect to the physical pain, unpleasant emotion or just simply “tune in” to the uncomfortable memory or future event, whilst these energy points are gently tapped. This allows a release of physical and emotional trauma which is experienced as an unlocking of the negative feelings, and a release of the emotional intensity that has kept the person trapped. People often report a release of energy at this stage and describe feelings of light-headedness, yawning, sighing and a sense of freedom.
The EFT process can take from five minutes to half an hour depending on the number of aspects surrounding a problem. For instance if a marriage breaks down a person can be left with varied emotions such as anger, jealously, resentment, grief, regret, and even sometimes a sense of failure. These are all different aspects to the same problem, which may need to be addressed individually.
EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over five thousand years, but without the invasiveness of needles. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the face and hands and voicing positive affirmations.
Painless healing of painful problems
Vishaka had been suffering chronic acidity for over two decades. During this period she had totally abstained from eating bread which her system could not tolerate. A few rounds of energy tapping miraculously rid her of the problem. Not only did she resume eating bread but she also stopped all medication for the problem!
Rufina was plagued by intense guilt following divorce from her husband. She felt she had not done right by her children in taking this extreme measure. The profound guilty feeling incapacitated her from carrying on her everyday household chores. On a friend’s advice, she attended a course on Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and within three rounds of ‘tapping’, she felt light-hearted and realized there was no need for her to feel guilty because she had done the best she could for her children under the most adverse situations!
There have been diverse instances and problems including those of debilitating phobias, anxiety, depression, self-doubt, grief, sexual or emotional abuse, addictions, aches and pain, physical and emotional, which have found incredible relief with EFT, says Rohini Singh Chopra, certified EFT Master and Healer. Simply put, EFT is the most painless way of dealing with very painful things, since, among other things, it works without forcing the recipient to repeatedly re-experience the negative emotional state,” says Singh.
Citing Vishaka’s case, Ms.Singh reveals, “What had led to this chronic acidity and indigestion in Vishaka? During the healing process it was revealed that she suffered a very deep rejection by her mother. Stomach is the seat of emotions and in Vishaka’s case, she had a profound hatred of her childhood and this emotion translated to her emotional problems. The tapping enabled her to release physical and emotional trauma and she experienced as an unlocking of the pent up negative feelings which had hitherto kept her trapped. Very often during this stage of energy release, people describe feelings of light headedness and a sense of freedom.”
What is EFT and how does it work? Singh explains, “EFT is an energy therapy which works basically by tapping on the end points of energy meridians and is a powerful tool for the quick relief from emotional distress and pain. Since there is an inevitable link between mind and body and all physical issues have some emotional basis to them, if you take care of the emotional link, the physical aches, pains and ailments, no matter how big, are suitably impacted and healing takes place.”
EFT holds that the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system which disturbs the free flow of energy. EFT, developed by Stanford Engineer Gary Craig, has roots in ancient Chinese medicine and the modern day system of Applied Kinesiology and it is rightly described as acupuncture sans needles since it uses the fingers to gently tap 12 points on the face, hands and torso, the energy meridians of the body, to straighten out the disrupted energy flow. The one-minute-wonder can actually effect healing in a minute, essentially by reprogramming the mind with positive affirmations and thinking, says Singh. She adds, “Of course, we don’t expect every problem and everybody to get healed in one minute! But such is the effect of this technique which is simple and easy for anyone to learn and practice.”
On a very physical level, what can EFT do? Well, EFT is capable of relieving chronic pain, pains from rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, allergic symptoms, and much more. Even diabetics can be off their medication totally; just about any ailment can find relief with this technique, assures Singh. “Victims of various phobias, children with dyslexia and ADDH, those suffering from Parkinson’s, hypertension, et al, have all been helped with EFT. “I myself have worked with Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis patients and have achieved good results. I also work with the Cancer Support Organisation in Delhi and the results are excellent. We have dealt with the purely physical pain of these patients. For instance, a woman had had her breast removed and she couldn’t move her arm. We tapped for that and it’s been magical that she was able to raise her arm in 20 minutes.”
But what about a cure for the cancer itself? Singh is candid on this issue. “It depends on what you are trying to heal. Healing has many connotations; for instance, there are 2-3 aspects of cancer healing. For one, the patient is already undergoing conventional therapy; you can’t step in and ask him to stop the therapy. What we can do is allay their fears w.r.t. the cancer therapy, chemotherapy in particular, the side effects of which are painful in terms of nausea, et al. Of course, the medication being too strong, we cannot help the falling off of hair resulting from the chemotherapy. EFT helps make the patients comfortable with whatever they are going through, give them a perspective which makes them comfortable with dying. This in itself is healing! However, there have been plenty of instances of cancer victims finding themselves cured of the malady!”
Adding a word of caution, Singh reveals, “However, we don’t view EFT as a substitute for any particular system of medicine. We view it as complementary to other therapies. For instance, if you fall down and break a bone, surgery or putting a cast is a must; EFT cannot take on this role. But what is does do is provide pain relief and augment the healing and recovery process.
Is the therapy contra-indicated in any instance or does it have any side effects? “Not at all,” assures Singh. “The worst that may happen is that it will have no effect on the individual. The success rate associated with the technique is 95% and in 5% of cases there’s been no response. This is because there are people who come for healing but don’t really want to get well! These are people holding on to illnesses for a variety of reasons which may include attention and sympathy seeking motives.”
But would EFT not be able to remove this block? “Yes, you can remove this block itself and that is exactly how we deal with addictions,” Singh is reassuring. “In the ultimate analysis, EFT is a tool for spiritual growth which can make you a more joyful person. It does this by allowing you to respond better and differently to situations that you can’t change. The way you think and your attitudes will be influenced by this tapping, for your own betterment as an individual.”
Even babies have grown in wombs with EFT, reveals Singh. “The circumstances in which EFT is used is so totally diverse and varied: it has been very successfully used in the USA on Vietnam War veterans and victims to help them get over the severe trauma. The technique works amazingly to enhance creativity. It’s been used in Golf and other sports, in the field of fine arts like music, dance, painting and writing to enhance these abilities.”
Sabina was plagued by a feeling of intense guilt following divorce from her husband. She felt it was not in the best interests of her children. Her guilt rendered her incapable of carrying on her routine chores. On a friend’s advice, she attended a course on Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and within three rounds of ‘tapping’, she felt light-hearted and realized there was no need for her to feel guilty because she had done the best she could for her children under the most adverse situations!
Karishma had been suffering chronic acidity for over fifteen years, during which period she had totally abstained from eating bread which her system could not tolerate. A few rounds of energy tapping, miraculously rid her of her problem so much so that she was not only able to consume bread, but was also off her medication for the problem!
There have been several such instances, diverse problems, problems of addiction, aches and pain, physical and emotional, which have found incredible relief with EFT
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a powerful technology for quickly resolving emotional distress. It is even capable of relieving physical complaints such as chronic pain, allergic symptoms, and much more. When effective, not only does it do this quickly, but it works without forcing the recipient to repeatedly re-experience the negative emotional state. This treatment is generally permanent, relatively easy to apply, boasts a higher than 80% success rate and is free of negative side effects.
EFT is a wonderful tool that can be learned very easily. The technique has been described as a psychological form of acupuncture but without the needles. It has roots in ancient Chinese medicine and the modern day system of Applied Kinesiology.
The Emotional Freedom Technique was developed by Stanford Engineer Gary Craig. All that was necessary was for the recipient to focus on the distressing emotion or memory and tap the energy points. This method then became known as ‘The Emotional Freedom Technique’.
When a person remembers a painful or traumatic incident it causes their energy system to disrupt. As the body recalls the memory, it also re-produces the original emotional state associated with that time. EFT works directly to re-balance the energy field; as a result, negative emotions are cleared and harmony is restored. Similarly, life-long phobias, compulsive behaviors and unhealthy patterns of belief can be eliminated.
The reason this treatment is so effective, is that it treats the problem directly by correcting imbalances in the body’s system. Once the imbalance is corrected, the negative emotion quickly resolves, leaving the person free of troubling emotions that may have been limiting their lives.
How does EFT Work?
By stimulating certain acupressure points, neural receptors under the skin convert that pressure to an electrical impulse that is transmitted to the brain. The person is then asked to connect to the physical pain, unpleasant emotion or just simply “tune in” to the uncomfortable memory or future event, whilst these energy points are gently tapped. This allows a release of physical and emotional trauma which is experienced as an unlocking of the negative feelings, and a release of the emotional intensity that has kept the person trapped. People often report a release of energy at this stage and describe feelings of light-headedness, yawning, sighing and a sense of freedom.
The EFT process can take from five minutes to half an hour depending on the number of aspects surrounding a problem. For instance if a marriage breaks down a person can be left with varied emotions such as anger, jealously, resentment, grief, regret, and even sometimes a sense of failure. These are all different aspects to the same problem, which may need to be addressed individually.
EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over five thousand years, but without the invasiveness of needles. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the face and hands and voicing positive affirmations.
Curing Leucoderma with Homeopathy
Published in Panorama
Curing Leucoderma with Homoeopath
About 1 to 2 percent of the world's population, or some 50 to 100 million people, have vitiligo. But the heartening news is, there is complete cure for vitiligo or leucoderma in Homoepathy, emphasizes Dr.N.Mahendra Kabra, Founder President of the Dr.N.M.Kabra Foundation and the first Homoeopathic physician from India, to receive the Global Best Scientific Contents Award of Liga Congress, the World Homoeopathic Congress which was held at Capri in Italy in 1996.
Dr. N.Mahendra Kabra
Apart from its headquarters in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, the Foundation has over thirteen branches in India and four in the United Kingdom – at London, Manchester, Leicester and Birmingham and it is claimed to be world best leucoderma center anywhere in the world. Dr.Kabra who has been receiving invitations from various countries to treat vitiligo patients, visits his treatment centers in the UK every three months to treat his patients there. An added advantage of Dr.Kabra’s treatment is his tele-consulation which has become popular with patients in various countries, including patients from the Middle East. After taking complete history from vitiligo sufferers on telephone, Dr.Kabra dispenses the medicines to them through courier system to the cities in which they reside.
What is vitiligo or leucoderma?
Stated simple, leuco means ‘white’ and derma means ‘skin’. So when the skin becomes white or depigmented, it is referred to as leucoderma, or Vitiligo, as referred to in the Western world. The discolouration or depigmentation happens when melanocytes, the specialized skin cells responsible for producing the pigment melanin, stop producing melanin for some reason. This results in the commonly observed white spots or patches on a person’s skin, explains Dr.Kabra.
What causes vitiligo? Dr.Kabra explains that in most cases, vitiligo is the result of an autoimmune-related disorder. “The lack of the pigment is only a result and the cause is somewhere else. Modern science diagnoses it as an auto-immune disorder in most cases, by which the body’s own defense, disrupts the melanocytes. But in Homoeopathy philosophy, we don’t consider any skin disease as a skin disease! It is clearly the internal disorder which we call as constitutional disorder and it can be very easily explained. We all know that the skin is the largest excretory organ of the body and when the excretion is normal, it takes place without our notice. But when it is abnormal, then we call it a skin disease! Whereas it is actually the internal toxins which come out through the skin! And it is this toxin, resulting from an internal imbalance, that has got to be addressed, and not the skin discolouration per se!”
While the causes of vitiligo are yet to be fully and precisely known, there seems a certain heredity link to the disorder, though “it is not a strongly inherited disorder” clarifies Dr.Kabra who classifies the causes of vitiligo as fundamental and precipitating factors or triggers. Explaining this classification Dr.Kabre responds, “Let us take the example of pollution or ultraviolet (UV) intensity. Or take a more personal example of synthetic footwear. Millions of people across the globe use them. But why is it that only a few of them develop vitiligo? The synthetic footwear is the triggering factor in these few who have some fundamental factor for which the synthetic factor proved an excuse.”
Anything and everything can be a triggering factor, explains Dr.Kabra and this includes factors like anxiety, depression, emotional upsets, stress, climate, environment and chemical agents.
Is it true that citrus fruits and dishes prepared from tamarind juice may contribute to vitiligo or aggravate existing patches? Dr.Kabra clarifies the myth, “I have patients in over seventy countries and most of them have either been asked to refrain, or they themselves refrain from citrus fruits, just because of the medical myth that vitiligo increases after consuming citrus fruits. However, I have been asking all my vitiligo patients to carry on taking not only citrus fruits, but all other fruits and vegetables for the simple reason that vitamin C (largely found in citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables), is not toxic or harmful to our body in any way. On the contrary, it is a very important water-soluble vitamin which is not stored in the system. Imagine the havoc when millions of patients all over the world refrain from taking vitamin C which is life-saving and essential to maintain good health.
Having said that, when a person takes vitamin C by eating citrus fruits, in some cases, vitiligo does tend to flare up; I wouldn’t call this aggravation. This flaring up is not a true flaring up; it is only a coming out of the toxins accumulated in the body. It only shows that the person’s immune system is getting boosted by taking the vitamin C.”
How does vitiligo develop and at what age does it usually begin? Dr.Kabra explains “The course and severity of pigment loss differs from person to person. In most cases, vitiligo begins in a small area. Over time, other spots may appear, while existing spots may grow larger. Some people notice that their vitiligo may stay the same for years or even decades, and then suddenly new areas of depigmentation may occur. Occasionally, vitiligo patches will repigment spontaneously, all by themselves, with no treatment whatsoever. Most people with vitiligo do notice this happening at one point or another.
Majority of the individuals experience the first patch before the age of twenty years and again, in majority of cases, the depigmentation first appears on the legs, though it could start anywhere and at any age. And it affects both sexes equally though the incidence of vitiligo differs in different races of people, being more in people living in the tropics than those living in cold climates.”
These patches are more obvious in sun-exposed areas, including the hands, feet, arms, legs face, and lips. The armpits and groin and around the mouth, eyes, nostrils, navel, and genitals, are other common areas where the white patches appear. Vitiligo generally appears in one of three patterns. In the focal pattern, the depigmentation is limited to one or only a few areas. Where people are affected with segmental vitiligo, the patches appear only on one side of their bodies. However, the commonest pattern in which vitiligo appears is the generalized one where the patches occur on different parts of the body, often similar on each side of the body.
Apart from the white patch, are there other symptoms of vitiligo?
People who develop vitiligo usually first notice white patches or spots on their skin while the texture of the skin itself remains normal. Usually, no other symptom, including itching, is present. However, some people with vitiligo may have white hair growing on their scalp, beard, eyebrows and eyelashes. In extremely rare cases, vitiligo can affect eye color or the pigment of the retina, explains Dr.Kabra.
So what is the remedy in Homoeopathy for vitiligo? Dr.Kabra explains, “Since Vitiligo is looked upon by Homoeopaths as a local expression of a systemic disturbance, remedy prescribed is constitutional. This approach to selecting the remedy or remedies involves complete analysis and evaluation of the various factors affecting the particular individual’s constitution to determine the disease diagnosis and the exact treatment in turn. Totality of the patient in terms of his physical, emotional and psychological health and behavioural and personality patterns are taken into account to individualize treatment. In Homoeopathy, it is not the trigger, but the fundamental factor that we treat by medication. The homoeo remedy thus given will normalize the body functions, the vital energy which is in disequilibrium. This medicine is dynamic in nature and it takes care of the fundamental cause.”
Usually Dr.Kabra’s treatment emerges from around fifty homoeopathic remedies for vitiligo which is completely individual in keeping with each patient’s constitution. On treatment time under Homoeopathy, Dr.Kabra is forthright: “The duration of treatment depends on the intensity, chronicity and spread of the patches. The earlier the treatment is begun, better the results in a shorter period of time. However, most patients come to us when the condition has set in significantly, and after trying a host of other therapies. So the problem assumes a chronic nature and hence, treatment with homoeopathic remedies too will take a few years to bear results. This also depends on the patients’ ability to recover their immunity, how best they follow instructions and how physically active they were before treatment and even after treatment. Where heredity plays a role in its occurrence, the treatment time may a little longer. If the condition is a moderate one, it will take about 2 – 3 years of treatment for a complete cure to happen. If the condition is a very severe and stubborn one, that is, where even the lips, finger tips, joints and hair become involved, or where vitiligo occurs in association with some other disorders (as is seen in several instances), like hypothyroidism or other thyroid disorders, diabetes, asthma, arthritis and other autoimmune disorders, it takes more time to cure and this could involve 6 – 7 years.
Are there any diet restrictions on patients when they are on homoeopathic treatment for vitiligo? Dr.Kabra explains, “As we have two classes of causes for vitiligo, so we have two sets of instructions for treatment: instructions pertaining to the disease and instructions pertaining to the medication. These are aimed to help to support the system to recover, to reach normalcy rapidly. The only important requirement is that the mouth should be clean and odourless when the person takes the medicines and it should remain so for the next 15 minutes. In very rare instances where we may prescribe homoeopathic remedies which may get antidoted by the patient drinking coffee, we ask the patients to abstain from coffee. The only other restriction pertains to triggering factors, from which we ask the patients to abstain – as in using synthetic footwear, metal objects, foodstuffs, food additives, colour or preservatives which are known to have triggered the condition.
What about topical homoeopathic applications for the problem? Dr.Kabra rarely prescribes them for vitiligo but in some cases, he may prescribe the same remedy that is prescribed for oral purposes, to be mixed in water or coconut oil base and applied to the patches.
What is the probability of recurrence once a person is cured of vitiligo? Dr.Kabra is emphatic, “In homoeopathy, we can use the term ‘cure’ oftentimes. When the person is fully repigmented and all the lesions have disappeared, we ask him/her to continue the medication for a few months more so that the internal problem or disorder is completely rooted. Once this is done, the condition does not reappear at any point of time. In fact, I have successfully treated thousands of patients over several years and I have not yet received a report of recurrence of these cases. Which is why I dare to tell patients that I will treat them for free, should they come back with the condition after my treatment!
*****************
Curing Leucoderma with Homoeopath
About 1 to 2 percent of the world's population, or some 50 to 100 million people, have vitiligo. But the heartening news is, there is complete cure for vitiligo or leucoderma in Homoepathy, emphasizes Dr.N.Mahendra Kabra, Founder President of the Dr.N.M.Kabra Foundation and the first Homoeopathic physician from India, to receive the Global Best Scientific Contents Award of Liga Congress, the World Homoeopathic Congress which was held at Capri in Italy in 1996.
Dr. N.Mahendra Kabra
Apart from its headquarters in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, the Foundation has over thirteen branches in India and four in the United Kingdom – at London, Manchester, Leicester and Birmingham and it is claimed to be world best leucoderma center anywhere in the world. Dr.Kabra who has been receiving invitations from various countries to treat vitiligo patients, visits his treatment centers in the UK every three months to treat his patients there. An added advantage of Dr.Kabra’s treatment is his tele-consulation which has become popular with patients in various countries, including patients from the Middle East. After taking complete history from vitiligo sufferers on telephone, Dr.Kabra dispenses the medicines to them through courier system to the cities in which they reside.
What is vitiligo or leucoderma?
Stated simple, leuco means ‘white’ and derma means ‘skin’. So when the skin becomes white or depigmented, it is referred to as leucoderma, or Vitiligo, as referred to in the Western world. The discolouration or depigmentation happens when melanocytes, the specialized skin cells responsible for producing the pigment melanin, stop producing melanin for some reason. This results in the commonly observed white spots or patches on a person’s skin, explains Dr.Kabra.
What causes vitiligo? Dr.Kabra explains that in most cases, vitiligo is the result of an autoimmune-related disorder. “The lack of the pigment is only a result and the cause is somewhere else. Modern science diagnoses it as an auto-immune disorder in most cases, by which the body’s own defense, disrupts the melanocytes. But in Homoeopathy philosophy, we don’t consider any skin disease as a skin disease! It is clearly the internal disorder which we call as constitutional disorder and it can be very easily explained. We all know that the skin is the largest excretory organ of the body and when the excretion is normal, it takes place without our notice. But when it is abnormal, then we call it a skin disease! Whereas it is actually the internal toxins which come out through the skin! And it is this toxin, resulting from an internal imbalance, that has got to be addressed, and not the skin discolouration per se!”
While the causes of vitiligo are yet to be fully and precisely known, there seems a certain heredity link to the disorder, though “it is not a strongly inherited disorder” clarifies Dr.Kabra who classifies the causes of vitiligo as fundamental and precipitating factors or triggers. Explaining this classification Dr.Kabre responds, “Let us take the example of pollution or ultraviolet (UV) intensity. Or take a more personal example of synthetic footwear. Millions of people across the globe use them. But why is it that only a few of them develop vitiligo? The synthetic footwear is the triggering factor in these few who have some fundamental factor for which the synthetic factor proved an excuse.”
Anything and everything can be a triggering factor, explains Dr.Kabra and this includes factors like anxiety, depression, emotional upsets, stress, climate, environment and chemical agents.
Is it true that citrus fruits and dishes prepared from tamarind juice may contribute to vitiligo or aggravate existing patches? Dr.Kabra clarifies the myth, “I have patients in over seventy countries and most of them have either been asked to refrain, or they themselves refrain from citrus fruits, just because of the medical myth that vitiligo increases after consuming citrus fruits. However, I have been asking all my vitiligo patients to carry on taking not only citrus fruits, but all other fruits and vegetables for the simple reason that vitamin C (largely found in citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables), is not toxic or harmful to our body in any way. On the contrary, it is a very important water-soluble vitamin which is not stored in the system. Imagine the havoc when millions of patients all over the world refrain from taking vitamin C which is life-saving and essential to maintain good health.
Having said that, when a person takes vitamin C by eating citrus fruits, in some cases, vitiligo does tend to flare up; I wouldn’t call this aggravation. This flaring up is not a true flaring up; it is only a coming out of the toxins accumulated in the body. It only shows that the person’s immune system is getting boosted by taking the vitamin C.”
How does vitiligo develop and at what age does it usually begin? Dr.Kabra explains “The course and severity of pigment loss differs from person to person. In most cases, vitiligo begins in a small area. Over time, other spots may appear, while existing spots may grow larger. Some people notice that their vitiligo may stay the same for years or even decades, and then suddenly new areas of depigmentation may occur. Occasionally, vitiligo patches will repigment spontaneously, all by themselves, with no treatment whatsoever. Most people with vitiligo do notice this happening at one point or another.
Majority of the individuals experience the first patch before the age of twenty years and again, in majority of cases, the depigmentation first appears on the legs, though it could start anywhere and at any age. And it affects both sexes equally though the incidence of vitiligo differs in different races of people, being more in people living in the tropics than those living in cold climates.”
These patches are more obvious in sun-exposed areas, including the hands, feet, arms, legs face, and lips. The armpits and groin and around the mouth, eyes, nostrils, navel, and genitals, are other common areas where the white patches appear. Vitiligo generally appears in one of three patterns. In the focal pattern, the depigmentation is limited to one or only a few areas. Where people are affected with segmental vitiligo, the patches appear only on one side of their bodies. However, the commonest pattern in which vitiligo appears is the generalized one where the patches occur on different parts of the body, often similar on each side of the body.
Apart from the white patch, are there other symptoms of vitiligo?
People who develop vitiligo usually first notice white patches or spots on their skin while the texture of the skin itself remains normal. Usually, no other symptom, including itching, is present. However, some people with vitiligo may have white hair growing on their scalp, beard, eyebrows and eyelashes. In extremely rare cases, vitiligo can affect eye color or the pigment of the retina, explains Dr.Kabra.
So what is the remedy in Homoeopathy for vitiligo? Dr.Kabra explains, “Since Vitiligo is looked upon by Homoeopaths as a local expression of a systemic disturbance, remedy prescribed is constitutional. This approach to selecting the remedy or remedies involves complete analysis and evaluation of the various factors affecting the particular individual’s constitution to determine the disease diagnosis and the exact treatment in turn. Totality of the patient in terms of his physical, emotional and psychological health and behavioural and personality patterns are taken into account to individualize treatment. In Homoeopathy, it is not the trigger, but the fundamental factor that we treat by medication. The homoeo remedy thus given will normalize the body functions, the vital energy which is in disequilibrium. This medicine is dynamic in nature and it takes care of the fundamental cause.”
Usually Dr.Kabra’s treatment emerges from around fifty homoeopathic remedies for vitiligo which is completely individual in keeping with each patient’s constitution. On treatment time under Homoeopathy, Dr.Kabra is forthright: “The duration of treatment depends on the intensity, chronicity and spread of the patches. The earlier the treatment is begun, better the results in a shorter period of time. However, most patients come to us when the condition has set in significantly, and after trying a host of other therapies. So the problem assumes a chronic nature and hence, treatment with homoeopathic remedies too will take a few years to bear results. This also depends on the patients’ ability to recover their immunity, how best they follow instructions and how physically active they were before treatment and even after treatment. Where heredity plays a role in its occurrence, the treatment time may a little longer. If the condition is a moderate one, it will take about 2 – 3 years of treatment for a complete cure to happen. If the condition is a very severe and stubborn one, that is, where even the lips, finger tips, joints and hair become involved, or where vitiligo occurs in association with some other disorders (as is seen in several instances), like hypothyroidism or other thyroid disorders, diabetes, asthma, arthritis and other autoimmune disorders, it takes more time to cure and this could involve 6 – 7 years.
Are there any diet restrictions on patients when they are on homoeopathic treatment for vitiligo? Dr.Kabra explains, “As we have two classes of causes for vitiligo, so we have two sets of instructions for treatment: instructions pertaining to the disease and instructions pertaining to the medication. These are aimed to help to support the system to recover, to reach normalcy rapidly. The only important requirement is that the mouth should be clean and odourless when the person takes the medicines and it should remain so for the next 15 minutes. In very rare instances where we may prescribe homoeopathic remedies which may get antidoted by the patient drinking coffee, we ask the patients to abstain from coffee. The only other restriction pertains to triggering factors, from which we ask the patients to abstain – as in using synthetic footwear, metal objects, foodstuffs, food additives, colour or preservatives which are known to have triggered the condition.
What about topical homoeopathic applications for the problem? Dr.Kabra rarely prescribes them for vitiligo but in some cases, he may prescribe the same remedy that is prescribed for oral purposes, to be mixed in water or coconut oil base and applied to the patches.
What is the probability of recurrence once a person is cured of vitiligo? Dr.Kabra is emphatic, “In homoeopathy, we can use the term ‘cure’ oftentimes. When the person is fully repigmented and all the lesions have disappeared, we ask him/her to continue the medication for a few months more so that the internal problem or disorder is completely rooted. Once this is done, the condition does not reappear at any point of time. In fact, I have successfully treated thousands of patients over several years and I have not yet received a report of recurrence of these cases. Which is why I dare to tell patients that I will treat them for free, should they come back with the condition after my treatment!
*****************
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