Conventional medicine can do little to alleviate the many and varied symptoms of M.E., which is why so many sufferers turn towards alternative therapies.
M.E. affects everyone in a slightly different way, making it a difficult condition to treat or diagnose. Symptoms also range from mild to severe and sufferers often find themselves fluctuating from one end of the scale to the other over a period of years.
Alternative or complementary medicine comes in many guises and what works for one person with M.E. does not work for another. Sometimes it is easier to break the illness down and use a particular method of healing for a particular symptom such as aromatherapy to ease aching muscles and joint pains, homeopathy to combat dizziness or nausea and hypnotherapy to achieve a more positive state of mind.
Your experience of alternative healing will very much depends on your therapist, your initial state of health and your attitude towards non-conventional medicine (you cannot be helped by anything which you are convinced doesn’t work!).
My own personal experience of alternative healing has been a very positive one. I won’t lie to you and say that one course of treatment completely healed me but I did find, in particular, homeopathy and reflexology very helpful in getting me up to the next level in my recovery. Reiki helped me to feel calm and I can currently tap into previously undiscovered energy reserves through brain entrainment.
Here are just some examples of alternative therapies for you to consider:
Aromatherapy – the practise of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well being.
Acupuncture - The technique of inserting thin needles through the skin at specific points on the body to control pain and other symptoms.
Acupressure - The application of pressure or localized massage to specific sites on the body to control symptoms such as pain or nausea.
Chinese Herbal Medicine – Originating from the 3rd Century BC, Chinese Herbal Medicine is based on the concepts of Yin and Yang and aims to restore balance.
Homeopathy - a gentle, holistic system of healing based on the theory of treating ‘like with like’. Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine that uses immeasurably small doses of medicines to stimulate the body's own defense and healing process and focuses on bringing the entire body back into homeostasis, or balance.
Hypnotherapy - in Hypnotherapy, a deep state of relaxation is achieved through focused attention. While in this trance-like state, the unconscious mind is highly receptive to new perspectives and ideas. It can be used to bring the subconscious mind into alignment with the conscious mind to make positive suggestions.
Indian Head Massage - a treatment based on old Ayurvedic techniques involving work on the upper back, shoulders, neck, scalp and face. Massage movements are used to relieve accumulated tension, stimulate circulation and restore joint movement. Indian Head Massage can help reduce stress and fatigue, increase mental clarity, and relax and rejuvenate the receiver.
Reflexology - A science based on the belief that each part of the body is interconnected through the nervous system to the hands and feet. Pressure is applied to certain parts of the feet and hands in order to promote relaxation and healing elsewhere in the body and helping to restore balance.
Reiki - Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
Meditation - Meditation as a form of alternative medicine brings about mental calmness and physical relaxation by suspending the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. Meditation is used to reduce stress, alter hormone levels, and elevate one's mood.
Yoga – A system of exercises to help you control the body and mind. Yoga also improves your breathing and focuses the alignment of your body. Through practices of holding a variety of body positions or asanas, and the centering of the mind and breath in a meditative way, the practitioner increases body awareness, posture, flexibility of body and mind and calmness of spirit.
Here are some websites which you might find useful:
BBC Guide to Complementary Medicine
Complementary Healthcare Information Service UK
the NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners
Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine
The British Reflexology Association
International Institute of Reflexology
I hope this gives you some more options and helps you to reach an improved state of health.
