Health and Wellness Glossary 2011


Local Healthy Living Profi les


Health and Wellness Glossary


Acupressure: Based on the same system as acu- puncture, but fi ngers and hands are used, instead of stimulation with needles, in order to restore the balanced fl ow of the body’s life energy (qi or chi, pronounced “chee”). This force moves through the body along 12 energy pathways, or meridians, which practitioners unblock and strengthen. Com- mon styles of acupressure include Jin Shin, which gently holds at least two points at once for a minute or more, and Shiatsu, which applies fi rm pressure to each point for three to fi ve seconds.


Acupuncture: An ancient Oriental technique that stimulates the body’s ability to sustain and balance itself, based on the theory that an electromagnetic life-force (qi or chi, pronounced “chee”) is chan- neled in a continuous fl ow throughout the body via a network of ‘meridians.’ Disease is understood as an imbalance in the meridian system.


Diagnosis of an imbalance is made by “reading” the pulse, face, tongue and body energy. To cor- rect it, a practitioner inserts acupuncture needles at specifi c points along the meridians to stimulate or disperse the fl ow of life-force. Acupuncture principles include the yin and yang polarities and the associations of the fi ve elements of fi re, earth, metal, water and wood with bodily organs.


Alexander Technique: A system of re-educating the body and mind to support and facilitate proper posture and ease of movement. Through gentle manual guidance, accompanied by verbal direc- tions, the Alexander teacher coaches the student to become aware of unnecessary tension and to unlearn longstanding patterns of movement. The Alexander Technique is an established method for helping to improve chronic conditions such as back, shoulder or neck pain, nervous tension, poor coordination, breathing problems and vocal strain. It is frequently used by athletes and performing art- ists to improve performance level.


Aromatherapy: An ancient healing art that uses the essential oils of herbs and fl owers to treat emo- tional disorders such as stress and anxiety and a wide range of other ailments. Oils are massaged into the skin, inhaled or added to a water bath. Of- ten used in conjunction with massage therapy, acu- puncture, refl exology, herbology and chiropractic or other holistic treatments.


Art Therapy: Uses the creative process of mak- ing art to improve and enhance physical, mental and emotional well-being and to deepen self- awareness. The therapist makes a diagnosis and determines treatment plans by encouraging a cli- ent to express his or her feelings and unconscious thoughts through the nonverbal creative process and by observing the forms and content created.


Astrology: A system of traditions and beliefs that holds that the relative positions of celestial bod- ies either directly infl uence life on Earth or cor- respond to events experienced on a human scale. Modern astrologers defi ne astrology as a symbolic language, art form and type of divination that can provide information about personality and human affairs, aid in the interpretation of past and present events, and predict the future.


Ayurveda: The oldest medical system known to man and a comprehensive spiritual teaching prac- ticed in India for 4,000 years. It focuses on achiev- ing and maintaining perfect health via the balance of the elements air, fi re and water (illness is con- sidered an excess of any element). A patient’s body type, determined according to ayurvedic principles, is the basis for individualized dietary regimens and other preventive therapeutic


interventions.


Ayurvedic prescriptions might include purifi ca- tion procedures for the restoration of biological rhythms; experience of expanded consciousness through meditation; nutritional counseling; stress reduction; enhancing neuromuscular conditions; and behavioral modifi cation.


Bee venom therapy (BVT): The therapeutic ap- plication of honeybee venom, through live bee stings, to bring relief and healing for various spi- nal, neural, joint or musculoskeletal ailments.


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