Achieving optimal health is not a passive process.  It requires active participation from mind, body and spirit.  Optimal health involves making positive choices, changing established habits, modifying your environment, and getting into the right mindset. The more effort one puts in, the better the results.  It is not just a matter of mind over body, but a thoughtful understanding of how our minds and emotions affect our well-being.
 

“We all need to be advocates for our well-being,” says Carol Martin of Avalon Wellness Centre. “Incorporating complementary care therapies into a complete health plan that includes mainstream Western medicine can help enhance quality of life at any age.  It’s about choosing what is right for you.”
 
Ms. Martin cites one of her advanced-age clients. High blood pressure, circulation problems, and arthritis were some of the conditions diagnosed by her physician. In addition to medical care, the client chose to integrate massage, esoteric healing, and Ortho-Bionomy treatments into her healthcare strategy. The cumulative effect is that the client has been able to retain her independence, enjoys improved mobility, and has been able to remain in her own home.
 
In another instance, Ms. Martin was able to help a young sensitive child overcome daily nightmares through esoteric healing, an energetic approach that helps energy balance at all levels of a person's being.
 
“Complementary care requires that we take a very individualized approach to each of our clients, sourcing out and addressing the underlying issues that may cause sickness or pain,” says Ms. Martin. “I’ve found that complementary care therapies work hand-in-hand with allopathic care for the benefit of the client. We can address emotional aspects of healing that would be more difficult to tap into through Western medicine. And, we can support clients as they choose to allow better habits to form.”

According to a December 2003 article in The Washington Post “…there is a growing awareness that the workings of the body and mind cannot be neatly compartmentalized into the departments and disciplines taught in medical school. As a result, paying attention to the emotional state of patients with infectious and chronic diseases is increasingly more than a matter of good bedside manner; it is becoming an essential part of treatment.”

A balanced combination of allopathic and complementary care is ideal. They are like parts of the yin-yang symbol, depicting the continuum between medical and mind approaches.  As the yin-yang symbol shows, while one aspect may be in ascendancy at a particular point in time, the other aspect is there as well, waiting for its turn.  A solid path towards wellbeing comes with the use of both types of healthcare to support each other.

About The Author:

Carol Martin is a teaching member of the INEH (International Network of Esoteric Healing) and practicing RMT since 1982, specializing in Cranial Sacral Therapy, Ortho-Bionomy and Esoteric Healing. Carol Also holds courses in Stress Management, Meditation, and an Introduction to Healing With Energy.