Many emerging alternative therapies such as reiki, hypnosis and crystal healing are not yet available on the NHS despite their increasing popularity. Various studies have shown people really do believe in the power of complementary medicine – of course some are still sceptical – and it seems our health service is not keeping up with demand. Private health insurance policies do cover alternative therapies and if you can find the right policy, at the right price, by comparing different health insurance providers using online comparison sites, you will be able to explore the various options available to you.
For those interested but with a lack of knowledge, alternative medicine can be an intriguing and perhaps confusing world – and while they may be keen to seek out some form of treatment for an ailment, they are unsure of what is the correct choice for them. It helps to know exactly what you will get when you put yourselves in the hands of an alternative therapist.
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Acupuncture involves placing needles into specific parts of the body, to treat the symptoms of pain as well as illness and disease. It originates from China and is perhaps the complementary therapy with the most evidence to suggest it works – research suggests it can be effective in providing relief from minor ailments such as headaches and backpain. It can also work well at relieving nausea caused by cancer treatment.
Reiki is used by practioners to channel a persons ‘life force’ by laying their hands on the patient to produce a healing effect. It used to treat mental and physical stress and devotees swear after a session they feel energised and back on form. As it is an ‘energy medicine’ some scepticism surrounds it’s effectiveness, with critics claiming patients are merely experiencing a placebo effect.
Shiatsu, meaning ‘finger pressure’ is a form of Japanese massage – the practioner uses massage to adjust the bodies physical structure and inner energies to ward off illness. It is used to treat conditions such as insomnia, headaches, anxiety, back pain and skin irritations and can improve the nervous and immune systems – again sceptics point to the placebo effect but shaitsu massage has been proven to be effective.
Hypnotherapy involves placing a person in a relaxed state, almost a light trance, and then addressing their fears, addictions and worries. It is gradually being recognised as effective in this area – when a patient is placed under hypnosis their heart rate and metabolism slows and their mind is in a more suggestive state.
Not all private health care providers will cover every single alternative therapy available – there is still a great deal of suspicion surrounding the more ‘out there’ ones. If you are interested in having access to alternative medicine compare health insurance providers to find the right insurance for your needs.
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Via EPR Network
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