Other Healing Modalities
Lifestyle Medicine encourages us to leverage other concepts and healing modalities around health, beyond the spectrum of what we currently encounter in modern Western Medicine. Don't be afraid to explore what's out there. Each has it's place, and may become a valuable resource for you at some point in your wellbeing journey.
Below is a list of various concepts and modalities for you to explore and consider. Feel free to reach out to discuss if/when you have questions.
Massage
The rubbing and kneading of muscles and tendons to loosen tissues, increase blood flow, alleviate tension and pain. Massage is also good for reestablishing neural pathways associated with touch, facilitating a sense of connection and comfort.
Reflexology
A system of massage focusing on reflex points in the hands, feet and head that when triggered, relieve tension and facilitate healing.
Herbal Medicine
The science of herbs and their power to calm and heal us.
Acupuncture
Inserting super fine needles into the body, targeting trigger points of the nervous system, with the intent to alleviate pain and reset neural pathways.
Meditation
Mental exercises that focus on the concentration of one's breathing and repetition of a mantra for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual, physical, emotional awareness and calm.
Somatic Moments
Physical "time out" sessions where body movements are connected with a pattern of thinking in an effort to calm the mind and refocus intention.
Functional Medicine/Lab Testing
A preventive, upstream, root cause approach to diagnosis and healing. Identifying antecedents, mediators and triggers of disease and then focusing on 7 "nodes" of healing: assimilation, communication, detoxification, defense/repair, transport, structure and energy.
Fecal Transplant
Inoculating an unhealthy gut using the biome from someone with a strong, healthy one. Provides a kick start to helping someone struggling with metabolic / digestive system disorders.
Probiotics and Prebiotics
PRO-biotic = friendly microbes.
PRE-biotic = food for microbes.
Administration of live microorganisms and their nutrients in adequate amounts to provide a boost to rebuilding the gut microbiome.
Emotional Integration
Seeking mental patterns that don't serve our wellbeing, and exploring ways to remove, reframe, limit and ideally eliminate them.
Myofascial Release (MFR)
A form of massage that focuses on releasing myofascial tissue that contributes to tightness, mobility issues and musculoskeletal pain. It's also the unburdening of muscle tension from emotions stuck in tissue.
Hot/Cold Therapy
Stimulating the vagal nerve/gut-brain axis, to help reset the connections between the digestive system and the brain - which in turn, assists resetting mental and emotional wellbeing, hormone transmission, signaling, and mental health.
Forest Bathing
The act of getting out into nature / woodlands - recognizing that all living things are connected/interconnected with natural systems, which are an essential component for human survival.
HSP Support
HSP = Highly Sensitive Person. Exploring ways to navigate the world when you have a nervous system that is highly sensitive to stimulation.
Body Liberation
The ability to live an authentic, validated life - accepting the body that you have and being happy in your own skin.
Polyvagal Theory
A social engagement system that explores how nervous system responses can enable connection and better ability to cope with stress / heal from trauma.
The 4 Claires
Clairvoyance = clarity of vision
Clairaudience = clarity of hearing
Clairsentience = clarity of feelings
Claircognizance = clarity of knowing
The art of developing your intuition and critical thinking, so you can better enable true healing.
Macrobiotics
The exploration of food and how it affects the physiological, biological, emotional, ecological and spiritual order of our daily lives.
Blue Zone Theory
Exploring the communities around the world where people are living longer, healthier lives - proving that environment is a major contributor to sustainable wellbeing.
Escaping Self Abandonment
Releasing one's need to conform or be perfect when it doesn't serve our wellbeing. Learning to dial into one's authenticity.
Ancestral Biohackiing
The practice of leveraging natural systems like sunlight, water, fire, and real food to enable the body to heal and thrive.
Holistic Health
Exploring and understanding that we are not made of separate parts, but are one cohesive organism, and the decisions we make when fixing a problem impact all aspects of our health and wellbeing.
Ancestral Food Traditions
Returning to whole, natural food sources and eating patterns (getting away from industrial food systems and our modern toxic eating culture).
Earthing / Grounding
The act of physically connecting with the Earth to release the positive electrons that promote inflammation and stress.
Ayurveda
Science of life and ancient healing - flowing with the body's natural wisdom to promote wellbeing.
Self Care
Understanding the importance of self care - mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and that prioritizing caring for ourselves is NOT a selfish act, but one of true abundance for all - for when we are optimally well, then we can optimally serve/help others.
ChronoNutrition
Eating at a time of day that works best for you and your body, recognizing circadian rhythms, frequency and amounts.
Intermittent Fasting
Extended absences of food to rest and reset the digestive system, and to quiet the "noise" of bad eating patterns so you can reconnect with food more instinctively.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
An advanced form of natural medicine, that focuses on correcting imbalances in the body so the body can naturally heal itself. 4 principles: i) the body is an integrated whole, ii) body is connected to, and influenced by nature, iii) the body is designed to heal itself, iv) prevention is better than cure.
Feng Shui
The art of designing a home space to enable you to live in a harmonious, healing way with the Earth (optimizing your Qi). This is done by aligning to the rhythms of nature (light, air, color, space, environment and the elements (wood, earth, metal, water, fire).
Sound Therapy
The use of audio-frequencies to influence calm and enable healing.
Behavioral Medicine
Understanding that disease is more often than not a reflection of our mindset, habits and choices. Change the mindset, habits, choices - change the outcome.
Supplementation
To fill a gap until rich, healing lifestyle patterns can be maintained. To understand that supplementation is ideally temporary.
Psychedelics
The use of plants and fungi to restore physical and mental health challenges by fixing disfunctions of the neuro/endocrine system and chemical reactions within the brain.
Epigenetics
The study of the impact of environmental influencers on gene behavior, and therefore the wellbeing outcomes we are able to achieve.
NUTRITIONAL EPIGENETICS: the study of how food influences our genes.
Farmacology
The understanding that food is medicine, and that eating low on the food system, plus being knowledgeable in how our food should be grown, harvested and processed is essential for optimal wellbeing of us, and our planet.
The Ripple Effect
Our thoughts and actions have health consequences, not only for us, but also those around us.
give a body what it needs and it will take care of itself