Aromatherapy - from an advertisement for aromatherapy "...aromatherapists, practitioners of alternative medicine, and anyone wishing to use aromatherapy to maintain a peaceful equilibrium or bring about positive change, this book concentrates on the mood-changing effects of natural oils. "A good addition to alternative medicine collections."--[6 ]
"Aromatherapy may be traced back over centuries. In ancient Egypt herbal oils were used to embalm the dead. It was the Arab physician Avicenna who developed the distillation method we use today. It was then brought to Europe by the Knights Templar..." [7]
"Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for therapeutic 8 effects. Essential oils have been revered for their fragrance and their restorative effects on the body, mind 9, and spirit for thousands of years." [10]
"Ancient Healing Art creates balanced blends to promote 11:
calmness
emotional and hormonal balance
stress relief
rejuvenation, and more. [12]
Many Christians are taking and applying the oils used in aromatherapy as a form of Biblical anointing. They use it when someone is ill, declaring that the Bible condones this. Yes, we read of many instances where oils and perfumes were used. There's nothing wrong with them per se. Many women are doing the preparation of particular oils and anointing the sick, in direct Biblical disobedience. The anointing that was to be done was only for illness under certain circumstances. A cure is never guaranteed, based on what God's will is for a person's life, and it was not the oil that had the healing effect. James 5:14-15
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Dowsing and Aromatherapy: "Dowsing is an age old means of tapping the unconscious or intuitive nature of our beings. It is used to answer questions. ... The instrument used for dowsing is called a pendulum. A pendulum is usually some type of small object hung on a cord....A pendulum that points towards the bottom is most effective.
The pendulum swings of its own force, with no motion from your hand, when you ask a question (either out loud or mentally). It will swing in one direction for yes and a different direction for no. ...Determine the direction of a yes response and a no response before using the pendulum. To do this you can ask "what is the direction for yes"; then ask "what is the direction for no". Another way is to ask a question that you know is true or false. For example - you can ask "Is my name Kelly"?; then ask "Is my name (and use your name)"? The swing of a pendulum for a yes / no answer may vary from one person to another and from one pendulum to another.
Once you know the direction that your pendulum swings, you are ready to use dowsing for inner guidance. Be sure to phrase your questions for a yes or a no answer. At times the swing may have greater speed. This may be understood as a more "insistent" answer to your question. [13]
Many pregnant women have inadvertently used dowsing to determine whether they are carrying a boy or girl. When I was 19, I was told about this practice by an older "Christian" woman, who advocated it's use. It sickens my heart to understand how easy it is to be pulled into the occult.
Colossians 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Yoga
YOGA: Yoga originated over 5,000 years ago in India and was originally practiced by Hindu Ascetics. All yoga exercises are for the explicit purpose of awakening the chakras.
"Asanas are done to have an impact on the physical body stimulating organs and nerve centers. Meditation and breathing techniques influence the flow of prana (life energy). When the mind and body are in harmony you are then able to focus on spiritual goals...Not only does it calm and center you,.... [ 1 ] "Hatha Yoga teaches you techniques that are related to the physical control of the body. Rythmic breathing methods called Pranayama and postures known as Asanas are used. The word Hatha consists of two polar opposites. Ha means sun, Tha means moon. Ha is masculine, Tha is feminine. Hatha Yoga is the most popular form of Yoga." [2]
'Kundalini is a Sanskrit term that means coil or spiral energy that is aroused through use of Yoga. This energy may channeled through the chakras. Kundalini is often associated with the Goddess Kali. It is sometimes shown as a coiled serpent. " This also leads into Aura colors. [3]
From The Varieties of Religious Experience, p. 307-308 by William James
"...training in mystical insight has been known from time immemorial under the name of yoga. Yoga means the experimental union of the individual with the divine. It is based on persevering exercise; and the diet, posture, breathing, intellectual concentration and moral discipline vary slightly in the different systems which teach it. The yogi, or disciple, who has by these means overcome the obscurations of his lower nature sufficiently, enter into the condition termed samadhi, "comes face to face with facts which no instinct or reason can ever know." He learns ---
"That the mind itself has a higher state of existence, beyond reason, a superconscious state, and that when the mind gets to that higher state, then his knowledge beyond reasoning comes. .. All the different steps in yoga are intended to bring us scientifically to the superconscious state or samadhi....Just as unconscious work is beneath the consciousness, and which, also, is not accompanied with the feeling of egoism....There is not feeling of I , and yet the mind works, desireless, free from restlessness, objectness, bodiless. Then the Truth shines in its full effulgence, and we know ourselves---for Samadhi lies in potential in us all----for what we truly are, free, immortal, omnipotent, loosed from the finite, and its contrasts of good and evil altogether, and identical with the Atman of the Universal Soul." 20
....When a man comes out of Samadhi, they assure us that he remains "enlightened, a sage, a prophet, a saint, his whole character changed, his life changed, illumined." 21
....The Buddhists use the word 'samadhi' as well the Hindus....
Footnotes: 20. ..quotations taken from Vivekananda, Raja Yoga...
21. ....comparing the results of Yoga with those of the hypnotic or dreamy states artificially producible by us, says: "It makes of its' true disciples good, healthy, and happy men....Through the mastery which the yogi attains over his thoughts and his body, he grows into a 'character." By the subjection of his impulses and propensities to his will, and the fixing of the latter upon the ideal of goodness, he becomes a 'personality' hard to influence by others, and thus almost the opposite of what we usually imagine a 'medium' so-called, or 'psychic subject' to be...." See also Yoga Swami Vishnu [4]
"Asanas are done to have an impact on the physical body stimulating organs and nerve centers. Meditation and breathing techniques influence the flow of prana (life energy). When the mind and body are in harmony you are then able to focus on spiritual goals...Not only does it calm and center you,.... [ 1 ] "Hatha Yoga teaches you techniques that are related to the physical control of the body. Rythmic breathing methods called Pranayama and postures known as Asanas are used. The word Hatha consists of two polar opposites. Ha means sun, Tha means moon. Ha is masculine, Tha is feminine. Hatha Yoga is the most popular form of Yoga." [2]
'Kundalini is a Sanskrit term that means coil or spiral energy that is aroused through use of Yoga. This energy may channeled through the chakras. Kundalini is often associated with the Goddess Kali. It is sometimes shown as a coiled serpent. " This also leads into Aura colors. [3]
From The Varieties of Religious Experience, p. 307-308 by William James
"...training in mystical insight has been known from time immemorial under the name of yoga. Yoga means the experimental union of the individual with the divine. It is based on persevering exercise; and the diet, posture, breathing, intellectual concentration and moral discipline vary slightly in the different systems which teach it. The yogi, or disciple, who has by these means overcome the obscurations of his lower nature sufficiently, enter into the condition termed samadhi, "comes face to face with facts which no instinct or reason can ever know." He learns ---
"That the mind itself has a higher state of existence, beyond reason, a superconscious state, and that when the mind gets to that higher state, then his knowledge beyond reasoning comes. .. All the different steps in yoga are intended to bring us scientifically to the superconscious state or samadhi....Just as unconscious work is beneath the consciousness, and which, also, is not accompanied with the feeling of egoism....There is not feeling of I , and yet the mind works, desireless, free from restlessness, objectness, bodiless. Then the Truth shines in its full effulgence, and we know ourselves---for Samadhi lies in potential in us all----for what we truly are, free, immortal, omnipotent, loosed from the finite, and its contrasts of good and evil altogether, and identical with the Atman of the Universal Soul." 20
....When a man comes out of Samadhi, they assure us that he remains "enlightened, a sage, a prophet, a saint, his whole character changed, his life changed, illumined." 21
....The Buddhists use the word 'samadhi' as well the Hindus....
Footnotes: 20. ..quotations taken from Vivekananda, Raja Yoga...
21. ....comparing the results of Yoga with those of the hypnotic or dreamy states artificially producible by us, says: "It makes of its' true disciples good, healthy, and happy men....Through the mastery which the yogi attains over his thoughts and his body, he grows into a 'character." By the subjection of his impulses and propensities to his will, and the fixing of the latter upon the ideal of goodness, he becomes a 'personality' hard to influence by others, and thus almost the opposite of what we usually imagine a 'medium' so-called, or 'psychic subject' to be...." See also Yoga Swami Vishnu [4]
Magnetic Therapy
Magnetic Therapy ~ "...Practitioners use devices such as magnetic wrist bands and beds to treat illness....The use of magnets can be traced to ancient Greeks, Egyptian and Chinese doctors...Modern magnetic therapy can be traced to Viennese physician Franz Anton Mesmer. Magnetic therapy is also known as magnetotherapy or biomagnetic therapy. According to magnetic therapy practitioners iron atoms in the red corpuscles of the blood respond to magnetism. When a magnet is placed on the patients body blood flow through the area is enhanced. This is claimed to improve the supply of oxygen to cells, stimulate the metabolism and help in the elimination of waste products. A large variety of products such as straps, mattresses, shoe insoles, pillows and car seat covers are available. Super magnets are supposed to emit a higher magnetic force and should be placed on specific parts of the body often over lymph nodes or acupuncture points. There are also devices that emit pulsating fields at specific frequencies aimed at certain areas of body tissue." [29]
Hypnosis / Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis/ Hypnotherapy ~ "Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used healing trances [channeling] and the tribes in Africa and the Americas used dancing and drumming for hypnotic effect. Modern hypnotherapy emerged from the work of 18th century Austrian doctor Franz Mesmer. In 1943 Scottish surgeon James Braid explained hypnotherapy in scientific terms. Then in the 1890,s a school of hypnotism was founded in France. In his early work Sigmund Freud used hypnosis. The most modern form of hypnosis which is used today was founded by Milton Erikson. Practitioners of hypnotism believe that the mind has different levels of consciousness. While under hypnosis the rational part of the mind is bypassed. This means the subconscious part is receptive to hypnosis...." [28]
Channeling
Channeling ~ Channeling is an occult term for mediumism or spirit-possession, in this case, employing spirit guides 23 in new age medicine. Channeling occurs when someone permits a spirit entity to possess him or her for new age healing purposes. The spirits may perform psychic diagnosis or healing through a healer, or they may speak through the person's vocal chords in order to give spiritual, medical, and other teaching. Automatic writing and inner voice dictation are other forms of spirit communication by channeling.
"How Does it Claim to Work?: By meditation, visualization 24, hypnosis 25, altered states of consciousness, and other methods, the spirits are able to enter, possess, and control a person, much in the same manner a puppeteer controls a puppet. People claim that by permitting spirits to possess and speak through them, mankind can attain a wealth of spiritual and other wisdom directly from spirits who have "passed on" or are highly evolved. The spirits claim they can assist people's health concerns and direct them toward true individual and social enlightenment. [26]
"How Does it Claim to Work?: By meditation, visualization 24, hypnosis 25, altered states of consciousness, and other methods, the spirits are able to enter, possess, and control a person, much in the same manner a puppeteer controls a puppet. People claim that by permitting spirits to possess and speak through them, mankind can attain a wealth of spiritual and other wisdom directly from spirits who have "passed on" or are highly evolved. The spirits claim they can assist people's health concerns and direct them toward true individual and social enlightenment. [26]
Meditation
Meditation ~ Meditation is a mental discipline that induces a state of total relaxation and inner harmony [and an altered state of consciousness]. Various techniques all involve focusing the mind on an object or activity. In Eastern societies it is used as a means of spiritual enlightenment. In Western societies it tends to be used as a means of dealing with stress...Meditation is a state of heightened mental awareness. Meditation is ... in the worlds major religions including Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Meditation was mainly introduced to the West through Indian Yoga practices which were brought to England in the 19th century...Meditation involves withdrawing from external reality and achieving deep relaxation. [21]
MANTRA MEDITATION : A word or a phrase that is continually repeated. It may be repeated aloud or in silence. It may be a positive statement or relate to personal beliefs. [Note: Wilkinson's 'Prayer of Jabez' falls in this category, although it is once daily]
ROSARIES : Rosary beads may be used in the meditation process to count repetitions.
TIBETAN PRAYER WHEEL : Each rotation of this cylinder will stand for one recitation of a mantra.
OM : A sacred mantra widely used in meditation, particularly with yoga [Note: Om signifies the Hindu pagan trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.]
BREATH AWARENESS : Focus your attention on your breathing. You think of a peaceful word with each outward breath. [22] [Note: Bill Bright and many others endorse spiritual breathing]
MANTRA MEDITATION : A word or a phrase that is continually repeated. It may be repeated aloud or in silence. It may be a positive statement or relate to personal beliefs. [Note: Wilkinson's 'Prayer of Jabez' falls in this category, although it is once daily]
ROSARIES : Rosary beads may be used in the meditation process to count repetitions.
TIBETAN PRAYER WHEEL : Each rotation of this cylinder will stand for one recitation of a mantra.
OM : A sacred mantra widely used in meditation, particularly with yoga [Note: Om signifies the Hindu pagan trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.]
BREATH AWARENESS : Focus your attention on your breathing. You think of a peaceful word with each outward breath. [22] [Note: Bill Bright and many others endorse spiritual breathing]
Homeopathy
Homeopathy ~ Homeopathy is based on a system of "like cures". Basically it means that a poison [which] causes illness in a healthy person can treat the same in someone who is ill. A substance is greatly reduced to make a remedy safe to use to stimulate the body's self healing properties. Treatment works according to three basic laws of cure. (A) That symptoms move down from the top of the body, (B) Move outwards from the inside of the body, (C) Move from, the most important organs to the least important. The more a remedy was diluted the more specific the effect seemed to be. The symptoms of illness are seen by the Homeopath as a sign that the body is using its own natural self healing abilities to fight back. Homeopathic treatment seeks to stimulate this self healing process. Practitioners may be classical or complex homeopaths. The practitioner will ask about medical history, lifestyle, diet, moods, likes and dislikes. The practitioner draws up a symptom picture to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. Your symptom picture is matched with those in the homeopathic repertories which includes over 2,000 remedies. The real skill lies in prescribing your remedy. [19]
Feng Shui
Feng Shui ~ Feng Shui means "the way of wind and water" and is the 4,500 years old Chinese art of placement. Feng Shui is the practice of how to arrange your home, garden and business to achieve harmony, balance, success and wealth. [16]
""Fung Shui", translated as, the influences of wind and water, is the Chinese science of "reading" nature in order to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. By the twelfth century, fung shui played an important role in all aspects of Chinese life, from birth till death. A compass with a magnetic centre and seasonal markings is used by an accomplished fung shui artist to choose the site of a person's new home or burial place. This is done to avoid offending demons, invisible ones of course, who inhabit the earth. Offending nature will cause great ills to fall upon you and your descendants, according to Chinese belief. Now, this practice is most popularly applied to graves. If a grave is placed in the wrong area or facing in the wrong direction, ill fortune will follow the family members of the deceased. A fung shui specialist is often called to a building site to assure the builder of the correct direction of the structure..." [17]
"...Although Feng Shui is Chinese, ... has links to many other cultures, such as Native American, Japanese, and Indian. Feng Shui is about bringing balance to life - a balance between extremes...Feng Shui deals with energy, the energy in an environment....
"There are three basic principles in Feng Shui which form the basis of its philosophy: Everything is alive....The second principle is that everything is connected. We are connected to everybody and everything in the physical world....The third principle is that everything is changing, all the time.....So these are the basic principles of Feng Shui. You can work with them to empower your life. By balancing and harmonizing the Chi (life force energy), you are working with the energetic health of the building, which has a direct impact on you. ... Enhancing the energy of your home has a direct impact on your own energy and life...." [18]
""Fung Shui", translated as, the influences of wind and water, is the Chinese science of "reading" nature in order to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. By the twelfth century, fung shui played an important role in all aspects of Chinese life, from birth till death. A compass with a magnetic centre and seasonal markings is used by an accomplished fung shui artist to choose the site of a person's new home or burial place. This is done to avoid offending demons, invisible ones of course, who inhabit the earth. Offending nature will cause great ills to fall upon you and your descendants, according to Chinese belief. Now, this practice is most popularly applied to graves. If a grave is placed in the wrong area or facing in the wrong direction, ill fortune will follow the family members of the deceased. A fung shui specialist is often called to a building site to assure the builder of the correct direction of the structure..." [17]
"...Although Feng Shui is Chinese, ... has links to many other cultures, such as Native American, Japanese, and Indian. Feng Shui is about bringing balance to life - a balance between extremes...Feng Shui deals with energy, the energy in an environment....
"There are three basic principles in Feng Shui which form the basis of its philosophy: Everything is alive....The second principle is that everything is connected. We are connected to everybody and everything in the physical world....The third principle is that everything is changing, all the time.....So these are the basic principles of Feng Shui. You can work with them to empower your life. By balancing and harmonizing the Chi (life force energy), you are working with the energetic health of the building, which has a direct impact on you. ... Enhancing the energy of your home has a direct impact on your own energy and life...." [18]
Karate
Karate ~ part of yin and yang. "The word karate is a combination of two Japanese characters: kara, meaning empty, and te, meaning hand; thus, karate means "empty hand." Adding the suffix "-do" (pronounced "doe"), meaning "way," i.e., karate-do, implies karate as a total way of life that goes well beyond the self-defense applications. In traditional karate-do, we always keep in mind that the true opponent is oneself. 12
"...Karate history can be traced back some 1400 years, to Daruma, founder of Zen Buddhism in Western India. Daruma is said to have introduced Buddhism into China, incorporating spiritual and physical teaching methods that were so demanding that many of his disciples would drop in exhaustion. In order to give them greater strength and endurance, he developed a more progressive training system, which he recorded in a book, Ekkin-Kyo,....The physical training, heavily imbued with Daruma's philosophical principles, was taught in the Shaolin Temple in the year 500 A.D. Shaolin (Shorin) kung-fu, from northern China, was characterized by very colorful, rapid, and dynamic movements; the Shokei school of southern China was known for more powerful and sober techniques. These two kinds of styles found their way to Okinawa, and had their influence on Okinawa's own original fighting method, called Okinawa-te (Okinawan hand) or simply te....These two origins explain the double character of Karate--extremely violent and efficient but at the same time a strict and austere discipline and philosophy with a nonviolent emphasis..." [13]
Biblical Discernment Ministries has an excellent write-up on 'Christian Karate' and the fallacy about it being a witnessing tool. 14
Zen Buddhism ~"...Historically, Zen Buddhism originates in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Around 500 B.C. he was a prince in what is now India. At the age of 29, deeply troubled by the suffering he saw around him, he renounced his privileged life to seek understanding. After 6 years of struggling as an ascetic he finally achieved Enlightenment at age 35. After this he was known as the Buddha (meaning roughly "one who is awake"). In a nutshell, he realized that everything is subject to change and that suffering and discontentment are the result of attachment to circumstances and things which, by their nature, are impermanent. By ridding oneself of these attachments, including attachment to the false notion of self or "I", one can be free of suffering."
"The teachings of the Buddha have, to this day, been passed down from teacher to student. Around 475 A.D. one of these teachers, Bodhidharma, traveled from India to China and introduced the teachings of the Buddha there. In China Buddhism mingled with Taoism. The result of this mingling was the Ch'an School of Buddhism. Around 1200 A.D. Ch'an Buddhism spread from China to Japan where it is called (at least in translation) Zen Buddhism." [ 15]
"...Karate history can be traced back some 1400 years, to Daruma, founder of Zen Buddhism in Western India. Daruma is said to have introduced Buddhism into China, incorporating spiritual and physical teaching methods that were so demanding that many of his disciples would drop in exhaustion. In order to give them greater strength and endurance, he developed a more progressive training system, which he recorded in a book, Ekkin-Kyo,....The physical training, heavily imbued with Daruma's philosophical principles, was taught in the Shaolin Temple in the year 500 A.D. Shaolin (Shorin) kung-fu, from northern China, was characterized by very colorful, rapid, and dynamic movements; the Shokei school of southern China was known for more powerful and sober techniques. These two kinds of styles found their way to Okinawa, and had their influence on Okinawa's own original fighting method, called Okinawa-te (Okinawan hand) or simply te....These two origins explain the double character of Karate--extremely violent and efficient but at the same time a strict and austere discipline and philosophy with a nonviolent emphasis..." [13]
Biblical Discernment Ministries has an excellent write-up on 'Christian Karate' and the fallacy about it being a witnessing tool. 14
Zen Buddhism ~"...Historically, Zen Buddhism originates in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Around 500 B.C. he was a prince in what is now India. At the age of 29, deeply troubled by the suffering he saw around him, he renounced his privileged life to seek understanding. After 6 years of struggling as an ascetic he finally achieved Enlightenment at age 35. After this he was known as the Buddha (meaning roughly "one who is awake"). In a nutshell, he realized that everything is subject to change and that suffering and discontentment are the result of attachment to circumstances and things which, by their nature, are impermanent. By ridding oneself of these attachments, including attachment to the false notion of self or "I", one can be free of suffering."
"The teachings of the Buddha have, to this day, been passed down from teacher to student. Around 475 A.D. one of these teachers, Bodhidharma, traveled from India to China and introduced the teachings of the Buddha there. In China Buddhism mingled with Taoism. The result of this mingling was the Ch'an School of Buddhism. Around 1200 A.D. Ch'an Buddhism spread from China to Japan where it is called (at least in translation) Zen Buddhism." [ 15]
Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do 11- From the TAEKWONDO Bible "..."Taekwondo" is the name of the inherent martial art that has been succeeded to Koreans from the oldest time on....the philosophical principles of Taekwondo is so profound and infinite as such. the philosophical principles included in Taekwondo include all of essence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and are equivalent to conceptions of the oriental traditional philosophy. And you can agree to that they can be applied to another kinds of martial arts and even to dances, too." It also sports the yin and yang symbol.
Tae Bo
TAE- BO 9~ started by Billy Blanks 10, "I created Tae-Bo for the "spirit, mind and body". Blanks is, "A seventh degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, the dominant Korean form of karate, Billy holds black belts in five other forms of martial arts. A seven time world karate champion, he captained the U.S. Karate team and .... has been in the Karate Hall of Fame since 1982."
Tae-Bo is a combination of "Tae Kwon Do, boxing and dance disciplines executed to hip-hop music." The Tae-Bo symbol is yin and yang.
Tae-Bo is a combination of "Tae Kwon Do, boxing and dance disciplines executed to hip-hop music." The Tae-Bo symbol is yin and yang.
Tai Chi
T'AI CHI 7~ " The Chinese system of physiotherapy, or therapeutic exercises, is represented primarily in the practice of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. which is a system of exercises performed in close coordination with regulated breathing. The exercises are comprised of thirty-seven movement patterns, the composition of which is regulated by the principles of yin and yang." "The philosophy of T'ai Chi Ch'uan is rooted in Taoism, which advocates natural effort, and in the I Ching, or Book of Changes. The movements and inner teachings are derived from the complementary relationships between Yin and Yang, two fundamental forces that create and harmonize the Universe by their interaction. The Interaction of Yin and Yang is vital to the practice of T'ai Chi Ch'aun..." "In fact, t'ai chi came to be "represented by the circles divided into light and dark, yang and yin." Other interrelated techniques dependent upon yin/yang are zone therapy, polarity therapy, macrobiotics, Shiatsu, Jin-Shin, Do-in, the martial arts (such as Kung FU, Chi Kung, Karate, T'ai Chi), etc." 8 See Also: "Christian" Occult Symbols ~ Part 1, Part 2: Hexagrams & Doves, Part 3: The Legend of Hanukkah
Acupuncture
Acupuncture ~ "...Practitioners of acupuncture insert fine, sterile needles into specific points of the body as a treatment for various disorders. .... The use of acupuncture in anesthesia is mainly confined to China. Acupuncture is in fact an element within the traditional Chinese medicine health system...The site of the needle depends on the disorder and whether the flow of "qi" [life energy] is to be warmed, reduced or increased. Up to several acupoints may be used. ...For some conditions the practitioner burns the herb Moxa creating heat to stimulate the acupoints. Glass cups may also be placed over acupoints in order to draw "qi" and blood toward them. 6
Acupressure
Acupressure ~ Acupressure is very often described as "acupuncture without the needles" Acupressure also predates acupuncture and is part of traditional Chinese medicine and is based on the theory of "QI". Qi is often referred to as "life energy" and it is what flows channels in the body known as meridians. Finger and thumb pressure is applied to certain acupoints which is used in relieving certain ailments and promoting health and harmony. It is widely practiced in China but still finding its way in the western world. A number of acupuncturists also use acupressure. In China the most common form of acupressure is called "tuina". In Japan the most common form is "anma". Acupressure is a system of massage that promotes the life energy to circulate. The same principles of stimulating points on the meridians are the same whether needles or fingers are used. Another system of acupressure is called "shen tao" which is possibly the oldest form. The Japanese version of acupressure "anma" has developed into what is now called shiatsu. 5
Chinese Medicine
Chinese Medicine ~ Taoist philosophy and spiritual practices including chi gung, t'ai chi, meditation, internal alchemy, Taoism, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine, massage, Chinese herbology
"....These days Chinese Herbalism is referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine. [TCM] In China it is a recognized course at university. The three most important principles of TCM are Yin and Yang, Holism and the Five Elements. TCM Traditional Chinese Medicine, views the body holistically. It is seen as a integrated whole. Problems in the one area, affect the others. Running through the body is a network of channels carrying "qi", life energy. In TCM when the Yin and Yang in the body is disturbed, disease or emotional problems occur. This can be further defined as, interior (yin), exterior (yang), deficiency (yin), excess (yang), cold (yin) and hot (yang). TCM also includes the concept of the Five Elements, earth, fire, wood, metal and water. The concept of the Five Elements applies to all things including the bodies internal organs. Chinese herbs are used to balance these forces. Chinese herbs are classified under the Five Elements according to taste. The opposing Yin/Yang qualities of hot and cold are linked with actions of specific herbs. Chinese herbs work on specific organs and meridians with tendencies of action, Floating and Sinking, Ascending and Descending. In TCM herbs are usually taken as a formula of 10 to 15 herbs. Each herb will have a different role..." 4
"....These days Chinese Herbalism is referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine. [TCM] In China it is a recognized course at university. The three most important principles of TCM are Yin and Yang, Holism and the Five Elements. TCM Traditional Chinese Medicine, views the body holistically. It is seen as a integrated whole. Problems in the one area, affect the others. Running through the body is a network of channels carrying "qi", life energy. In TCM when the Yin and Yang in the body is disturbed, disease or emotional problems occur. This can be further defined as, interior (yin), exterior (yang), deficiency (yin), excess (yang), cold (yin) and hot (yang). TCM also includes the concept of the Five Elements, earth, fire, wood, metal and water. The concept of the Five Elements applies to all things including the bodies internal organs. Chinese herbs are used to balance these forces. Chinese herbs are classified under the Five Elements according to taste. The opposing Yin/Yang qualities of hot and cold are linked with actions of specific herbs. Chinese herbs work on specific organs and meridians with tendencies of action, Floating and Sinking, Ascending and Descending. In TCM herbs are usually taken as a formula of 10 to 15 herbs. Each herb will have a different role..." 4
Reflexology
Relexology is a holistic therapy which dispensers believe the feet and hands are a mirror of the body and that by placing pressure on specific reflex points of the feet it will affect the corresponding points of the body.
"The ancient healing art of reflexology has been known to man for many thousands of years. It was first practiced by the early Indian, Chinese and Egyptian peoples..." [1]
"The body has the ability to heal itself. Following illness, stress, injury or disease, it is in a state of "imbalance", and vital energy pathways are blocked, preventing the body from functioning effectively. Reflexology can be used to restore and maintain the body's natural equilibrium and encourage healing." [2]
The Chinese Art of Healing, written by a Buddhist monk , explains "how the ancients relate massage, which includes reflexology, to the Five Elements and to palmistry....the palm of the hand was a replica of Yin and Yang and could provide information about illness and good health and one's entire fate." The Five Elements are metal, wood, fire, water and earth. "According to the ancient Chinese philosophers, in the beginning was Tao. But then Tao separated into...yin and yang...[which] produced the 'five elements'... " 3
"The ancient healing art of reflexology has been known to man for many thousands of years. It was first practiced by the early Indian, Chinese and Egyptian peoples..." [1]
"The body has the ability to heal itself. Following illness, stress, injury or disease, it is in a state of "imbalance", and vital energy pathways are blocked, preventing the body from functioning effectively. Reflexology can be used to restore and maintain the body's natural equilibrium and encourage healing." [2]
The Chinese Art of Healing, written by a Buddhist monk , explains "how the ancients relate massage, which includes reflexology, to the Five Elements and to palmistry....the palm of the hand was a replica of Yin and Yang and could provide information about illness and good health and one's entire fate." The Five Elements are metal, wood, fire, water and earth. "According to the ancient Chinese philosophers, in the beginning was Tao. But then Tao separated into...yin and yang...[which] produced the 'five elements'... " 3
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