Hypnotherapy for chronic pain treatment uses concentration, relaxation, and focused attention to attain a heightened state of awareness called a trance or hypnotic state. The person in the trance becomes able to block out outside stimuli and concentrate on specific tasks or thoughts. It is used to help people perceive stimuli differently, such as by…
DetailsAyurveda medical practitioners believe we’re all born in a state of balance. This balance is thrown out of whack by the processes of life. These disruptions can be physical, emotional, spiritual, or combinations of all these. In Ayurveda, an individual’s prakriti, or essential “constitution,” is considered to be a unique combination of physical and psychological…
DetailsManipulation, or massage therapy, is thousands of years old. References to massage have been found in literature from ancient China, Rome, Greece, India, and Egypt. As a treatment, it is used in conventional medicine as well as in complementary and alternative medicine. The basic goal of the massage therapist is to increase the flow of…
DetailsTranscutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS ) units are small, battery-powered devices used for chronic pain treatment that produce a vibration or signal intended to interrupt pain transmissions from nerves before they reach the brain. The TENS machine can be worn outside and attached to your body via electrodes with sticky patches, or a surgeon can…
DetailsChi Kung is a form of exercise developed by the Chinese to enhance the mind-body connection and give you an enhanced relationship with your internal body. Also spelled Qigong, Chi Kung is the mother of Tai Chi and was developed before the martial arts influence. Practitioners of Chi Kung believe “to strain is NOT to…
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Practitioners of acupuncture believe illness, including chronic pain, is due to imbalances of energy in the body. Acupuncture is a component of traditional Chinese medicine in which the body is seen as a balance of two opposing and inseparable forces or energy—yin and yang. Yin represents cold, slow, or passive aspects of the person, while…
DetailsYoga is a Sanskrit word meaning “union.” It can be thought of as a form of exercise developed over thousands of years in India. It promotes health and happiness by working on the mind, body, and spirit. Yogis practiced yoga exercises to join their inner spirit with the spirit of the universe. Originally, the asanas…
DetailsPilates is an innovative system of mind-body exercise developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s. It was designed to build strength without adding bulk and to create a sleek, toned body. The Pilates method, as well as the specially designed apparatus used with the exercises, focuses on core postural muscles that keep the body…
DetailsStretching exercises are used to help keep muscles and ligaments limber and flexible. Stretching can ease stiffness, increase your range of movement, reduce stress on joints, and increase the flow of blood and nutrients throughout the body, all of which help fight pain and are helpful as a part of a comprehensive chronic pain treatment…
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Physical therapy is the treatment, prevention, and management of movement disorders arising from conditions and diseases. It has its origins in ancient history and was first reported 5,000 years ago in China as massage and manual therapy. Hippocrates explained massage and hydrotherapy in 460 BC. Ayurveda therapists, practitioners of the oldest medical modality known, used…
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