The world of conventional medicine, over the centuries, has made a great deal of progress, allowing it to help sick people better and better. Interest in natural medicine has also had an impact on modifying the views of traditional medicine, which has accepted natural treatments as an alternative to support recovery. This has particular reference to the fight against stress, which is the affliction of today's civilisation. There are many methods, proposed by non-conventional medicine, that allow one to relax and free oneself from the negative effects of stress.
Table of contents:
- Stress
- What is natural medicine?
- The power of thought
- "Free a European from stress and he will already find his way"
- Schultz autogenic training
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Rebirthing
- Don't give in to stress
The history of mankind has a chapter in which medicine was an undisputed science, as it rushed to man's rescue with a vast array of drugs, antibiotics as well as scalpels. The far-reaching development of medicine has made it possible to carry out increasingly complex surgical procedures and administer vaccines against many diseases. However, this does not change the fact that today's civilisation, the pace and lifestyle of man, who has to adapt to an increasingly fast-paced and consuming daily life, has caused the human immune barrier to weaken considerably. This has led to the emergence of new illnesses of a psychosomatic nature, diseases of the cardiovascular and digestive systems, allergic diseases, cancers and addictions. [1]
Stress
The concept of stress was introduced into science in 1926 by H. Selye. At the time, it was defined as a certain non-specific reaction of the organism to any demands made on it. Another approach, depicts stress as a process during which, there is an imbalance due to external factors. This process is therefore the way in which the organism reacts to a threat. Another approach to stress defines it as a state of mobilisation of the body's forces in response to negative physical and psychological stimuli. However one defines the term, stress can result in various types of functional disorders of the organism.
Researchers addressing this topic have pointed out that stress is not unequivocally bad, namely, one can speak of stress in a positive dimension when it is a factor mobilising the organism to take specific actions.
Nevertheless, today's pace of life and the accumulation of stressful situations cause unpleasant and paralysing feelings, which consequently lead to changes in the organism and disorganisation of human behaviour. [2]
What is natural medicine?
Man's search for solutions to support health, outside the system of official medicine, led to a great increase in interest in natural medicine, so much so that in 1976, the World Health Organisation (WHO), came up with an initiative for a training programme for medical personnel to raise the profile of traditional medicine. The result of this programme was the inclusion of many elements of natural medicine, such as acupuncture, homeopathy and iridology, in medical school curricula.
Natural medicine is based on a holistic approach to the human being, treating the body, mind and soul as one. It has its origins in Far Eastern medicine, where health is understood as the harmony of man with himself and his environment. In this concept, any disturbance of this harmony results in the development of disease.
The world of traditional medicine has recognised that natural medicine is a set of certain methods that aim to save and sustain human health, having nothing to do with so-called secret knowledge or magic, as was previously thought.
Natural medicine is therefore an alternative proposal of solutions to assist traditional medicine in the struggle for human health.
The power of thought
When reaching out to natural medicine, it is worth noting the emphasis it places on the power of human thought. According to its tenets, all illnesses are initiated in a person's negative thinking about themselves and their environment. Thoughts are the creators of our emotions, through the feelings they evoke. Consequently, by way of nerve impulses, they influence the functioning of the various organs of our body.
It is important to be aware that man is responsible for his thoughts. We are capable of actively directing our thoughts, although this is arduous work and requires patience. It is worthwhile in this situation to pay attention to so-called affirmations, i.e. positive thoughts, chosen by us and imposed on our subconscious, which constitutes a large and meticulous, but nevertheless passive, storehouse of our memory. Creating affirmations is not easy either, as it is not enough to use words, the words must entail a certain image of what we expect.
What happens in our lives is a kind of result, stemming from the thought patterns we have fixed in our mind, as we follow them to create our reality.
"Free a European from stress and he will already find his way"
These words, uttered by a Hindu yogi, illustrate very clearly what is the main affliction of our time. The ubiquitous stress associated with the development of civilisation and technology, presents man with new tasks to cope with. How can one relax or unwind in such conditions? The most common solution is to resort to pharmacotherapy, or the use of various types of tranquillisers or sedatives. However, this is not a solution, as it does not in any way teach people how to cope with stressful situations.
The first psychotherapeutic systems date back to the 19th century. Here, it is worth referring to the teachings of Freud or the relaxation techniques that came to us from the Far East. Recently, methods such as Schultz's autogenic training or Jacobson's relaxation have gained popularity as relaxation techniques that, when used regularly, can achieve excellent results.
Schultz autogenic training
This is a type of exercise that involves putting the body into a state of relaxation and then saying autosuggestions that, expressed in a simple form, affect the way our body feels. There are two variants of this workout - feeling the weight of the body and feeling the heat. According to the author's suggestions, the exercises should be performed twice a day and after a few days, our wellbeing should improve. It is a technique that allows you to free yourself from stress, anxiety, as well as helping to form your own personality and facilitating the creation of affirmations.
Yoga
Yoga is the oldest philosophical system of India. Its basic premise is to portray harmony and unity in human life to reach a state of enlightenment.
The word YOGA, often used interchangeably with the word YOGA, comes from the Sanskrit word 'YUI' meaning binding, joining. Yoga has been practised in India for thousands of years and for a very long time, its secrets were closely guarded. Today, we are free to enjoy its benefits, but it is important to remember that one should enter the world of Yoga gradually.
There are several paths of Yoga, representing different stages of spiritual development.
These include such paths as:
- hatha-yoga,
- bhakti-yoga,
- karma-yoga,
- mantra-yoga,
- jnana-yoga,
- raja-yoga,
- tantra-yoga.
The physical exercises in yoga, begin with learning the asanas, or body postures, of which there are about 80, and pranayama, or exercises in controlling the breath. In addition to the physical exercises that are performed during yoga training, great importance is attached to the diet, which involves the gradual abandonment of meat and animal fats in the diet.
The effect of the exercises is not only to make you feel better, but also to improve the flexibility of the body, strengthen the heart and the spine. It relieves pain as well as mental difficulties, including stress of any kind.
Meditation
When talking about practising yoga, meditation should also be mentioned. It has been used since ancient times and has been associated primarily with religious and cultural rituals. Regardless of this, the aim of any meditation is to bring the body and mind into a state of deep relaxation and rest. It serves the purpose of achieving inner peace, harmony and problem solving.
There are many techniques and methods of meditation, associated with different kinds of body postures and appropriate exercises. A prerequisite for successful meditation is to find a quiet, secluded room that is slightly shaded and to adopt a comfortable position. The entire meditation takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Prepared in this way, we reproduce the text of the meditation and try to follow the instructions. It is important to remember to complete the meditation, whatever thoughts are running through our mind. Meditation, from this angle, is a training of inner discipline for us.
Rebirthing
This way of self-discovery was popularised in Poland by Lucyna Winnicka. From a literal translation, the word means 'being born again'. Rebirthing (RB) is based on the breath, which she considers a natural system for healing and releasing negative thoughts. Most people use only one-fifth of their lung capacity to breathe, with few of us using fresh air in the process. During RB training, work is done on transforming our consciousness towards freeing ourselves from negative thought patterns by learning to create affirmations. RB is a form of relaxation, allows us to let go of stress, teaches us how to enjoy life, allows us to feel inner strength, as well as helping us to recover. The experience of RB training, is very varied and individual. The sessions last from a few to several hours. They take place individually at first, as a preparation for group sessions. [1]
Free yourself from stress, photo shutterstock
Don't give in to stress
Although stress remains an integral part of our lives, we don't have to give in to it passively. We can learn how to cope with it and effectively free ourselves from its effects without causing them to accumulate, as happens with the impact of chronic stress. [2]
