Mind-Body Health
Mental attitudes and emotional states are important elements in healing and disease. Identifying and addressing the impacts of various forms of stress on a patient’s health is an important aspect of Naturopathic treatment. Pharmacologist Candace Pert, author of Molecules of Emotion was among the first to demonstrate the biochemical connectedness of the mind, body and spirit. Research is increasingly demonstrating this mind-body “oneness”. For example, the same neurotransmitters (signaling molecules of the bodies) and hormones that are increased in the brain during times of stress are also present in measurable concentrations to affect our gastrointestinal tissues, supporting the well-recognized link between psychological stress and conditions like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). In other studies, patients have benefited significantly from the complementary use of Mind-Body techniques such as meditation, guided imagery and prayer during conventional treatment for conditions as serious as various forms of cancer. There are many examples where Mind-Body approaches have been shown to benefit human health. One of the best features of many of the Mind-Body therapies is that patients can learn to practice these on their own and benefit from them as needed.
Meditation: Having completed professional training Meditation and Mind-Body Therapies, Dr. Cherevaty frequently assists patients in integrating appropriate mind-body therapies into their treatment plan, such as breathing and centering, guided imagery, journaling and counseling.
Reiki: Dr. Cherevaty completed her Reiki certification in Rishikesh, India. Reiki is a traditional energy practice that helps to restore health and balance in the major energy centres of the body. Reiki can be incorporated into Acupuncture treatments or used therapeutically on its own.
Energy Medicine: One of the chief energy medicine modalities that Dr. Cherevaty provides to her patients is Homeopathy. Please consult the Homeopathic Medicine section of this site for more information.
Physical Medicine
Conversely, by working directly with the physical body, we can bring healing to the mind. Learning to relax your body, to breathe deeply, and benefiting from treatments that gently bring relaxation to your physical body can reflect back to the nervous system to make way for mental-emotional ease and healing.
Bowen Therapy: There are two “arms” to the nervous system: sympathetic or “fight or flight”, and parasympathetic or “rest and digest”. Only one of these systems can be dominant at one time. Bowen Therapy is a gentle, manual treatment that triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to become dominant, creating a restful, healing state. Minimal, non-invasive moves are performed on the fascial tissue at specific sites of the body. Treatments usually consist of two to three visits, spaced about 5 days apart, followed by several treatment-free weeks. Depending on the condition being treated, patients may experience complete resolution of their concern after the first two to three visits, or may require follow-up treatments several weeks later. Bowen Therapy can be helpful for people who have joint or muscular pain, stiffness or tension; those who find it difficult to relax; have recurrent headaches, insomnia, or infertility.
Myofascial Release: This is a specialty Acupuncture technique developed for the treatment of muscular spasms, pain and stiffness. The practitioner identifies the centre of the muscular spasm, known as a “tight band”. An acupuncture needle is inserted into the spasm, which causes it to spontaneously relax. The result is decreased pain, increased local blood circulation and normalized tissue mobility.
Cupping: Traditional Chinese Cupping involves the application of special suction cups to muscular areas of the body to draw out excesses of dampness, pain or stagnation in the tissue. This is a pleasant, relaxing treatment that can dissolve muscular adhesions and provide prompt results in the treatment of muscular pain and tension, including torticollis. It is also helpful for certain health conditions including lower respiratory tract infections and chronic asthma.
Contact us to find out more about Mind-Body and Bodywork Therapies.