Are All Healing Therapies Nonsense? Should We Blame Our GP or NHS?

Thought for the day: Healing therapies are nonsense!

I am so fed up of hearing trite phrases like "The healer is just the channel or tool. It is the patient who heals themselves."

Does this mean that if the 'healing therapy' doesn't get results the patient wants, then it's the patient who is blocking it?

Are all healing therapies nonsense? Are they placebo?

All therapists have an explanation as to how their particular therapy works. Often it relies on a belief in something that has not been, as yet, scientifically proven. Many refer to chakras points, meridians, auras, guides, energy or vibrations.

The list of available complementary or alternative healing therapies (many which are accepted by orthodox medicine as proven) include: Spiritual Healing, Therapeutic Touch, Trance Healing, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Reflexology, Reiki, Sound Healing, Bowen, Herbalism, Homeopathy, Vibrational Medicine, Bach Flowers, Massage, Aromatherapy, Energy Healing, Angel Healing, Tai chi, Pilates, Yoga, Nutritionist, Iridologist (diagnositc) and Meditation .

The above are not all seen as mainstream by society in the sense of going to the GP or hospital would be to obtain pharmaceutical medications, surgery, corrective splints, to have physiotherapy etc. Some people have theories that our automatic default of 'going the orthodox medical route' has been created by big pharma and their marketers and is actually money driven and not healing driven. They propose that 'medicines are big business' and all research is funded and thus controlled by the pharmaceutical industry. Hence, it has been proposed that the whole medical health business is directed by them. Maybe this has some truth in it, maybe not?

Different cultures and countries also appear to come from different viewpoints. Basically, it could be drilled down to one treating the symptoms and one focusing on the cause, to one seeing doctors as responsible for keeping us healthy and one seeing the doctors as responsible for repairing us when we are ill. Proactive and reactive practices.

Of course all medical professionals want to find the cause, but some settle for a named diagnosis which in reality is a collection of symptoms which are then declared to be the cause, for example, arthritis, MS or cancer. Other medical professionals look beyond the diagnosis to the cause of the symptoms and ask, for example, why is there inflammation, extra cells growing or cells dying?

Many people turn to the healing therapies when the mainstream ones are not giving them enough recovery or the 'cure' they desire. We are led to believe in the western world that pharmaceutical or herbal medicines can repair, re balance or correct our bodies . But how did our bodies get into that poor state to start with? Internal or external cause? Is the answer always internal?

If the body and mind was holistically healthy enough I suggest it would not be susceptible to any virus, infection, excess or lack of xyz. It would be able to counteract adverse conditions and recover without intervention unless the situation was extreme, of course, such as a leg being blown off or a new super bug epidemic.

Do we or should we view healing therapies as actual preventative measures - aimed at building up our bodies to maintain optimum health so we are more protected? Should we have regular tops ups by the so called complementary or alternative healing therapists so that we have less visit to our GPs requiring their intervention? Would this aid our ability to allow healing to happen?

If we get ill but have had regular check ups, should be blame the GP? If we all had 'Health MOTs' every six months, would that help to keep us on track? Can we ask our GPS to help us identify what is happening in our body that cause of the symptoms?

If we had a healing therapy given to us every week regardless of our presenting health or illness, would this improve our chances of always being healthy? To receive regular 'healing therapy' - even when we appear very well - would this in fact produce a healthier population?

Scientists explain to us that we are a collection of every changing cells. We are made of atoms so we vibrate, we are energy. Some scientists and researchers have even been able to track and show existence of meridians and electromagnetic aura fields. Some have tracks brain waves pattern changes before, during and after various healing therapies. Some have shown MRI changes occurring as a result of healing therapies. On basic level biofeedback machines have shown how during healing sessions the persons body relaxes and slows.

Most evidence however for healing therapies comes from the mental and emotional feedback of patients. Some cases do, however, even go on to prove that physical changes have indeed occurred in the patient via the usual X ray or blood test results. Yes, the same could be said for improvements due to conventional medicine route only.

A person has to believe in a therapy or have enough belief that it may help them to even try it. Just like taking medicines given by doctor. Often it is presented as only a hope that it might help. Is there a change happening in society at large in which years ago healing therapies were seen as a last resort (after the conventional approach failed to have required results) to one where complementary healing therapies are involved earlier in the process? Many healing therapies are now accepted as part of orthodox medical protocol for example, nutritional advice, physio, massage and acupuncture.

Some hospitals have reiki practitioners or spiritual healers coming on to certain wards or into pain clinics.

Belief, however, still plays major role.

1) Belief in your GP, your consultant and any medical team assembled for your treatment and care.

2) Belief in your 'healing therapist' be that your reiki guy, masseur, reflexologist, spiritual healer, acupuncturist, nutritionist, sound healer etc that their practice will help.

Belief is usually based on evidence or enough people holding the same thoughts and opinions so that something becomes a belief as it is now thought to be true by enough people. If you have any sort of treatment and you feel better afterwards then you believe it worked or works and you are likely to have that 'treatment' again if necessary.

But, why wait till you are ill?

A Top Up Healing Therapies Clinic could keep topping up your energy and health as a preventative measure. But, let's be sensible here - that's not going to happen - yet. However, I believe such clinics, as part of NHS and mainstream healthcare, will be set up in the future.

In the meantime, however, when you feel ill, low in energy or have a diagnosis of some sort please consider trying one of the complementary therapies. You may be drawn to one of the healing therapies mentioned above. Once you understand how it works, your role in the process, have experienced it and as a result feel different or an improvement then you owe it to yourself to return for more healing therapy (remember the prevention is better than cure philosophy of some cultures). If don't experience any of the above positive effects then clearly don't return to that therapy, but please consider trying a different one, get recommendations because a different therapist or a different therapy may be better suited to you and your needs and bring the results you desire.

Equally all healing therapist owe it to their clients or patients to make each experience which they offer even more effective, special and relevant to the patient. How? Really connect with the person...connect to their soul..help them feel, understand and be able to take back control of their own health. Continue to work on yourself, your own understanding and practice so your client or patient picks up on that and knows that you are a key person to helping them get back on the road to recovery and sustained health. Luckily, most therapist I know or have met are themselves following a path to self discovery and greater awareness of the meaning of life. Often what they offer is part of their own 'Great Work', a passion or a calling to help others.

Thank you for reading and contemplating the above. Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Mandy Brown