Welcome to Holistic Touch Therapies.

This web site intends to give the visitor a greater understanding of Alternative, Complementary and Holistic Therapies. 
Click on the sitemap link for a full list of therapy explanations on this site

Complementary Therapies

Complementary therapies can help you feel better and improve your quality of life and improve your general health to give you a sense of control.  Reducing stress, tension, sleeplessness, anxiety, depression and making you feel more relaxed.  They can even help to reduce the symptoms of cancer, such as pain, feeling sick, breathlessness, constipation, diarrhoea, tiredness and poor appetite as well as help to moderate some of the side effects of traditional cancer treatment.

Complementary therapies can be very effective at masking pain, which can sometimes hide a more serious underlying condition and are often used in conjunction with conventional medicine.  Some cancer support groups for example, offer complementary therapies for free or make a small charge and some hospitals and hospices provide complementary therapies as part of cancer care, alongside conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy.  Many people with cancer now use complementary therapies to help support themselves through cancer and its treatment.  However, complementary therapies should not be seen as an alternative to orthodox medicine, but as a valuable support that recognizes the emotional and spiritual aspects as well as the physical aspects. 

Alternative Therapies

Complementary therapies are not the same as alternative therapies, which are used instead of conventional treatment.  Whereas integrated therapies combine mainstream medical treatments with complementary or alternative therapies for which some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and efficacy now exists.  Alternative therapies provide some services not available from conventional medicine.  They include the following: folk medicine, herbal medicine, diet fads, homeopathy, faith healing, ‘new age’ healing, chiropractic, naturopathy, massage, and music therapy although this list is not exhaustive.  Alternative therapies are used instead of conventional medical treatment in the belief that the treatment will have some curative effect on a disease. 

Growing Popularity

Americans for example, now spend $4 billion annually on alternative products such as vitamins and herbs. Recent studies by Tindle, Davis, Phillips, & Eisenberg, in 2005, showed that approximately 72 million adults in the United States use complementary and alternative therapies.  Also indicated from these studies is a figure of more than $34 billion per year spent on out-of-pocket for these therapies according to Herman, Craig, & Caspi, 2005. 

Treatments

Nevertheless it is important to find out which particular therapies offer the most effective treatments for your needs, as well as discover which treatments you feel comfortable with.  In the United Kingdom, more treatments are becoming available on the National Health Service, with many general practices providing access to complementary therapy.  Individual therapies have been proven to improve the quality of life for many people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), these can include:  acupuncture, aromatherapy, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, massage, meditation, reiki and reflexology.  It is always a good idea to consult your physician before considering any of the complementary therapies available, and it is important to double check that any additional treatment undertaken will not adversely affect any current treatment programme you are on.

If you choose to integrate complementary therapies into your treatment plan, you must discuss your choices openly, honestly and regularly with your doctor and others on your health care team.  There is no right or wrong time to consider using complementary therapies.  If you are considering this option, ask your doctor if there are complementary therapies available at your treatment hospital or clinic, or even through your physician’s practice.  Perhaps they may be able to recommend particular therapies or practitioners as more doctors are being convinced that complementary medicine does have a place in today’s society.  For some people, complementary therapies are helpful in coping with effects of conventional treatments, reducing anxiety and giving them back some control over their lives.

 Click on the sitemap link for a full list of therapy explanations on this site