Alternate Therapies?

[Frenchieboy]

Has anyone else got any "faith" in Alternate Therapies?

I am a Reiki Master/Teacher, I am also trained in Indian Head Massage, Aromatherapy and Spiritual Healing but my main "strength" lies in Reiki!

OK, I know that some will dismiss the idea of various forms of "Spiritual Healing" as a load of rubbish or relying on the Placebo Effect but I have a lot of faith and belief in "Spiritual Healing" methods - Let me give you an example:

3 years ago I was in a lot of pain with a back problem. My Doctor said that three of the discs between the vertebrae in my back were breaking down and there was nothing that could be done except for an operation to "fuse the vertebrae together" which I declined so he told me that I would be on Pain Killers for the rest of my life. I "treated" my self with long courses of self healing using Reiki and the pain started to subside and now only crops up occasionally if I "jar my back". I am now at the stage where I can not remember having the need to take a pain killer for nearly a year (I was having to take 8 Tramadol tablets every day).

As well as treating many other people for a variety of "problems" I have also treated various animals, most of which have shown remarkable signs of recovery in a relatively short period, including a Harris Hawk that was classed as downright vicious and unmanageable. One of the beauties of Reiki is that you do not have to have "physical contact" with the "patient", the healing can be done via "Distant Healing", and it works on both people and animals!

Please note: This is post is not a way of trying to "Drum Up Business" as I do not charge anything for my services, I get my reward from the knowledge that I have helped someone else. Nor do I see myself as having any special powers or abilities, I am just a chanel for the healing energies that are available freely to everyone.

So, does anyone else on this forum use or believe in these "Alternate Therapies?

Edited September 1, 2009 by Frenchieboy

[jonno 357]

No sorry not for me. I've had my fair share of muscle aches and pains and the always seeked professional medical advice of my GP. She has never said go and see a faith healer or a witch doctor if she is not sure what the problem is

 

Jonno

[poontang]

Yep, worked for me

 

I had a frozen shoulder for about a year, 3 trips to the doctors and plenty of tablets and no improvement. Next step was steroid injections. I had virtually no rotation in my left arm and a lot of pain.

I was shooting with a friend of mine and struggling with my shoulder when he mentioned that he did some sort of healing. Well after a lot of pee taking i popped over to see him one evening. I sat for about half an hour while he did his thing and i have to say the results were incredible.

When i left i jumped in the car and automatically crossed my left arm over my body to get to the seatbelt. I suddenly realised i hadn't been able to do that for nearly a year without having to support my arm with my right hand. Within 24 hours my arm was back to normal. I saw him about a year ago and have had no problems since.

I have to say it doesn't always work as i have always suffered back problems, sometimes to the point of not being able to move. I did see my mate and he did do his healing again and although it eased the pain the root cause of the problem remains. I now go to physio most weeks and things are beginning to improve.

I think there's definately a place for alternative therapies, and as long as you keep an open mind they can certainly be beneficial. My mate doesn't charge and did warn me beforehand that it may not always work, i had nothing to lose and it certainly helped me.

 

I'd recommend it.

[vole]

I think they are all so very different from each other that you cant give a single answer. On the whole I think the more madcap ones with no basis whatever in fact or science are alot of cobblers with cynical people taking advantage of the desperate and gullible.

As we speak,my Mrs is off to a homeopath.She reckons it works but again,some of the stuff I have seen from Homeopaths verges on the ridiculous. I have personally dealt with the consequences of people who have for example chucked their antibiotics away and gone to a Homeopath only to end up in septic shock on Intensive Care.

I think that the current trend of the media telling us that certain things we have eaten for years are suddenly going to kill us or walking on the cracks in the pavement gives you cancer have made neurotic people flock to the quacks who ply them with weird and expensive therapies.

Likewise,there are some people I know and trust who have had alot of relief from manipulation type treatments and Accupuncture.

I had Accupuncture once,she stuck needles in my head when it was back pain I had. I think she just disliked me.

Jury is still out really,but I believe that the ones that DO work would have been adopted by mainstream medicine.

[ME]

I am a big fan of burgers, booze and the healing heat of a BBQ.

 

It works for me, I just put on a stone in three weeks

[Ozzy Fudd]

i know that alot of people (especially the country ones) over here put faith in charms -not a lucky rabbits foot, etc, just the name for it, sounds a bit like that reiki stuff - when i twisted my ankle a month or so ago my cousin rang to get the charm for it, dont know if it worked or not, i just kept firing nurofen into me

[Frenchieboy]

Yep, worked for me

 

I had a frozen shoulder for about a year, 3 trips to the doctors and plenty of tablets and no improvement. Next step was steroid injections. I had virtually no rotation in my left arm and a lot of pain.

I was shooting with a friend of mine and struggling with my shoulder when he mentioned that he did some sort of healing. Well after a lot of pee taking i popped over to see him one evening. I sat for about half an hour while he did his thing and i have to say the results were incredible.

When i left i jumped in the car and automatically crossed my left arm over my body to get to the seatbelt. I suddenly realised i hadn't been able to do that for nearly a year without having to support my arm with my right hand. Within 24 hours my arm was back to normal. I saw him about a year ago and have had no problems since.

I have to say it doesn't always work as i have always suffered back problems, sometimes to the point of not being able to move. I did see my mate and he did do his healing again and although it eased the pain the root cause of the problem remains. I now go to physio most weeks and things are beginning to improve.

I think there's definately a place for alternative therapies, and as long as you keep an open mind they can certainly be beneficial. My mate doesn't charge and did warn me beforehand that it may not always work, i had nothing to lose and it certainly helped me.

 

I'd recommend it.

 

Thanks for that! It goes to show that we are not all "Witch Doctors" and that it can work. Having said that I ALWAYS state that any "pateints of mine should ALWAYS see their GP before stopping any prescribed medication, no matter how much better they feel after treatment!

I also have to concede that some of these "Alternate Therapies" do seem a bit far fetched at times.

Edited September 1, 2009 by Frenchieboy

[jonno 357]

Thanks for that! It goes to show that we are not all "Witch Doctors" and that it can work. Having said that I ALWAYS state that any "pateints of mine should ALWAYS see their GP before stopping any prescribed medication, no matter how much better they feel after treatment!

I also have to concede that some of these "Alternate Therapies" do seem a bit far fetched at times.

 

 

Ave you got a cure for cancer over the phone? Now that would be a neat trick eh?

 

Jonno

[shot shot]

As much as I would like to be able to turn around and say with absolute certainty that all this is hocus pocus, I can't.

 

The manipulation of brain chemistry though certain states of thought can have a huge effect on the way we "feel". Fact.

 

I'm addicted to placebos

[Diceman]

Unfortunately none of these alternative therapies have yet managed to pass even the most basic of scientific scrutiny. James Randi has been offering a million dollars to anyone that can prove their worth (in tests agreed beforehand by both sides) for years and he still has the money in the bank. Homeopathy in particular has been demonstrated as bull many times in tests, but it is still a multi billion pound business, selling pure water in tiny bottles for twelve quid, so perhaps they don't care about taking Randi's million off him.

Having said all that, if the placebo works for you then go for it, but be honest with yourself. A lot of people feel they have to report a positive effect out of either politeness to the therapist or embarrassment that they have given a load of cash to a charlatan. A colleague of mine swore blind that the juice squeezed out of a fungus that some tibetan monks grew (honestly I'm not making this up) cured her breast cancer. I have a feeling that the chemotherapy had something to do with it but she won't be persuaded otherwise.

 

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

[fullbore]

No sorry not for me. I've had my fair share of muscle aches and pains and the always seeked professional medical advice of my GP. She has never said go and see a faith healer or a witch doctor if she is not sure what the problem is

 

Jonno

 

 

"modern" medicine is very young, and is controlled by the pharmaceutical companies, so why should your doc send you to see an alternative when all it would do is take money away from the already obscenely wealthy drugs companies. So if you're still unsure, after a lifetime of practising martial arts, and having seen all manner of things which aren't possible by scientific methods, I do have an open mind on many things.

[fullbore]

. A lot of people feel they have to report a positive effect out of either politeness to the therapist or embarrassment that they have given a load of cash to a charlatan.

 

 

 

 

So why don't they feel the same politeness when theit GP has been inept in their treatment? Or having to pay privately to see the same specialist in the same NHS hospital that my tax money has paid for just to be seen in a reasonable time. That pigs me off, if he works for the NHS and wants to set up on his own, then leave the NHS and get and equip your own premises like any other trade would have to do

[jonno 357]

"modern" medicine is very young, and is controlled by the pharmaceutical companies, so why should your doc send you to see an alternative when all it would do is take money away from the already obscenely wealthy drugs companies. So if you're still unsure, after a lifetime of practising martial arts, and having seen all manner of things which aren't possible by scientific methods, I do have an open mind on many things.

 

 

 

Nothing wrong with obscenely wealthy drug companies they pay obscene wages

[fullbore]

Nothing wrong with obscenely wealthy drug companies they pay obscene wages

 

 

Ah well that makes it allright then, guess we can rely on you for an unbiased opinion then, not at all money motivated

[jonno 357]

. A lot of people feel they have to report a positive effect out of either politeness to the therapist or embarrassment that they have given a load of cash to a charlatan.

 

 

 

 

So why don't they feel the same politeness when theit GP has been inept in their treatment? Or having to pay privately to see the same specialist in the same NHS hospital that my tax money has paid for just to be seen in a reasonable time. That pigs me off, if he works for the NHS and wants to set up on his own, then leave the NHS and get and equip your own premises like any other trade would have to do

 

 

Its not as simple as that. Consultants do most of there work for the NHS and cater for the priveledge few that have private medical insurance.Oh and you don't see them privately in an NHS hospital and they don't perform medical surgery in NHS hospitals.I think you have been misinformed there, usually BUPA or PPP or Sedgewick Lowdes private hospitals

 

You should know they Yorkshire Clinic ? Thats a private hospital and all of the bradford consultants and surgeons work there. Its going out of Bradford on the Bingley Road. I have had 4 knee ops there over the years from 1992 by a Mr Hamilton

[apache]

The only alternative therapy I have seen work is acupuncture and since that involves sticking needles in people I approve!

 

I have seen puppies die from parvovirus that received a homoeopathic 'vaccine'.

 

I put a dog to sleep with severe sarcoptic (fox) mange that it had chewed mouthfuls of it's own flesh to suppress the mad itch the homoeopath was treating with water and some cream.

 

I know a farmer that spent £300 on a homoeopathic nosode (spelling?) to 'cure' his mastitis problem - I can assure you it did no good.

 

Modern medicine is a miracle. Millions of people are alive and in better health because of it. Yes we hear horror stories but think of the people around you, how many are diabetic, epileptic, have transplants, on painkillers etc. I think we all know someone who's diabetic WITHOUT MODERN MEDICINE THEY WOULD BE DEAD. Ask the homeopath/reflexologist/faith healer/ herbalist how you are going to manage that?

 

I have an alternate theory why alternative therapy seems to work - many things will get better with time! Arthritis tends to be very painful at the initial stages of the condition, but as the disease progresses the pain level often falls as things settle down in the joint. This natural settling down may explain some of these 'cures'.

 

IF alternative therapy worked it would stand up to scientific scrutiny.

[jonno 357]

We have a wonderful NHS with some of the best medicine in the world at our disposal. We manage major organ transplants with ease.

 

 

Jonno

[Supersonic]

Frenchieboy - I was a firm 'non-believer' until I met my present g/f 10 yrs ago (she is a Reiki master) - boy that stuff is good! Don't knock it until you've tried it, it turned my life around where 'traditional' medicine couldn't.

 

Nige

[fullbore]

Its not as simple as that. Consultants do most of there work for the NHS and cater for the priveledge few that have private medical insurance.Oh and you don't see them privately in an NHS hospital and they don't perform medical surgery in NHS hospitals.I think you have been misinformed there, usually BUPA or PPP or Sedgewick Lowdes private hospitals

 

 

Beg to differ, it is the case in Dewsbury hospital that you cannot be seen ooooh for months on end but flash the cash and the same doc sees you in the same room of the same hospital quick style

[al4x]

Frenchieboy - I was a firm 'non-believer' until I met my present g/f 10 yrs ago (she is a Reiki master) - boy that stuff is good! Don't knock it until you've tried it, it turned my life around where 'traditional' medicine couldn't.

 

Nige

 

 

my ex was between that and becoming an equine podiatrist she went from having horses she rode to retired always lame ones and never put two and two together. In my case it was the begining of her turning proper loopy :(

 

Homeopathy has many different levels and its one thing treating minor conditions but I'd never take advice on anything serious from an unqualified homeopathic quack

[Flashman]

Does a happy ending qualify as "alternative"?

[Diceman]

http://whatstheharm.net/index.html

 

Not many happy endings here.

[RhiannonBW]

A few years back I had a ruptured disc in my back. Docs told me I would need 6 weeks off work post operation. Using aromatherapy and homeopathy I was home one day after the operation when all the other patients who had the same operation were only just beginning to get out of bed. I was back at work after 2 weeks - had to beg the doctor to sign me back on. I could have gone back earlier but the GP refused to sign me on, despite the fact I was obviously fit enough. Also, I used non-drug methods to control the pain in the months preceding the operation and the consultant sent me for a scan the day before as he could not believe how little the disability was affecting me - the scan showed that the situation had greatly worsened since my previous scan, and the positive mental attitude that the alternative treatments were giving me really made a difference to my ability to function normally and continue working. Considering how much bad backs cost the country in time off work, the £320 I spent over the months on my treatment seems a small price to pay for keeping mobile, keeping working and keeping sane.

 

It's also worth noting that my then GP and physiotherapist hadn't noticed that I had a slipped disc which developed into a ruptured disc, despite me being unable to walk because of the pain. It took a cranial osteopath to tell me that I needed to insist on an MRI scan because there was more going on that a pulled muscle. If I hadn't sought alternative solutions I'd have spent a few more months crippled and in dreadful pain.

 

When mum had breast cancer she used a combination of alternative medicine and modern stuff too. The alternative stuff certainly made a difference to her state of mind and positivity.

 

I've also been having acupuncture throughout my IVF/pregnancy treatment. My obstetrician has said that acupuncture does seem to have positive benefits.

 

So I'm all for a mix of modern medicine and alternative treatments. If you get the right consultant/doctor then they are happy to work with the patient to find the best approach to treatment. Of course, it also goes without saying that there are a lot of charlatans working in alternative medicine, and finding good ones is hard. Reiki used to be the pyramid selling scam of the alternative movement - you paid £5,000 to train as a 'master' (often in a couple of weekends or less) and then you could flog the 'reiki attunements' for several hundred pounds a time.

 

Caveat emptor!

 

Rhiannon x

Edited September 4, 2009 by RhiannonBW

[Killjoy]

Is Reiki the one when you touch people in places???

 

I had an issue with my elbow a few years ago, i seen a friend who passed me the details of someone who did this kind of stuff but for the life of me i can remember what it was called.

 

He applied firm but gentle pressure around the area in different places for around an hour, cant say the problem was totally cured, but was a massive improvement, so yea, im a believer!!

 

My girlfriends friend, or relative performs something like this, apparantly she generates massive heat in her hands and runs them over the concerned area but without actually making contact.... i have no idea what its called but some people sware by it.

[RhiannonBW]

http://whatstheharm.net/index.html

 

Not many happy endings here.

 

Not many happy endings but a lot of bloody stupid people, most of whom would qualify for a Darwin Award. I can't really see that it is much of an argument against alternative treatments.

 

Rhiannon x