The following options are discussed to help you decide if any holistic methods might be right for you, either to treat a problem you are having, or just to help you acheive the emotional and physical health goals you are currently working on.
De-fin-i-tions
(to be definite; to know; understanding)
1. Classical Homeopathy – the most effective, deepest acting treatment; uses minuscule amounts of plant, animal or mineral substances to stimulate the body to heal itself; the prescription is based on a complete evaluation of all physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual patterns in an individual. In Classical Homeopathy, we use the emotional symptoms to point us in the direction of where to treat the imbalance in the body. Symptoms become metaphors, or symbols, for where imbalances are, either emotionally or spiritually. For example, asthma might be used as an indication of some long-standing unresolved grief or loss; urinary tract infections, a symbol of suppressed anger or resentment; low back pain could be a sign of fear or feelings of being overwhelmed, etc.
Your physical symptoms will all eventually be cured using Classical Homeopathy, but as a part of the process, you will also feel much better and happier emotionally. This type of treatment will take from six months to two or more years. Training to become a Classical Homeopath takes many years of study and is highly specialized. Most good Classical Homeopaths study for at least five years before getting good results. Few homeopaths have the patience to dedicate their lives to this type of intensive in-depth study and discipline.
2. Constitutional Homeopathy – similar to Classical Homeopathy, but in some homeopathic circles, this term is used to describe a method where only one, single remedy is used throughout one’s lifetime. In reality, each person has many constitutional layers and requires many remedies in their life. Constitutional Homeopaths use only one dose of one remedy. In reality, as we evolve, we often need to move from one remedy to the next, (even though in some cases, we may need to stay on only one remedy for a number of years,) and may need to take the remedy daily.
3. Acute Homeopathy – in acute homeopathic prescribing, we don’t place an emphasis on the emotional factors involved in disease; rather, we directly treat, and place our emphasis on removing the physical symptoms as quickly as possible. We do, however, look at the causal factor, which in many cases does include an emotional component. For instance, did the cold or flu begin from the emotional stress of a broken relationship, when out in a cold rain or wind or was the cause from lack of sleep and reduced resistance to infection? Is the constipation caused from a difficulty in letting go, a craving for meat or from not drinking enough water. Acute homeopathy will treat every physical symptom known to man, and treat it quite effectively, and in most cases very quickly. But it won’t be a long-term cure as in Classical Homeopathy.
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4. Oriental Medicine – This encompasses many disciplines and treatment types, including acupressure massage, acupuncture, Chinese nutritional medicine, Chinese manipulation (similar to chiropractic) and Chinese herbal medicine. There are many different ways to practice Oriental Medicine, including Five Element Theory, Yin/Yang Theory, Acute prescribing and Korean constitutional prescribing. I use TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine most, and place an emphasis on the pulse and tongue diagnostic methods. I do not believe in the use of highly technical computer analysis, but use the more traditional techniques of facial observation and Five Element analysis which have been effectively used for thousands of years to diagnose and treat illness.
5. Chinese Herbal Medicine – This method of herbal medicine is based on the diagnostic methods described in the paragraph above on Oriental Medicine. In this case, however, we use herbs, in addition to or instead of acupuncture, to create the most dramatic and quick curative action that is possible. Chinese herbology usually utilizes formulas containing many different herbs rather than just the individual herbs used in the Western approach. This method is very effective in treating chronic illness and preventing future illness from occurring. There are wonderful Chinese herbal formulas for almost every type of illness, ranging from high blood pressure, menopausal symptoms, high cholesterol, migraine headaches, PMS, ADD, insomnia, colitis, allergies and many other illnesses that plague modern society and which have no know cure in Western medicine.
6. Western Herbal Medicine – This approach to herbal medicine uses herbs primarily found on the North American and European continents. This method generally uses single herbs in order to achieve very specific results. There are wonderful single herbs such as Vitex, Dong Quai, Echinacea, Astragalus, Goldenseal, White Willow Bark, Milk Thistle and others, which can be used to build immunity, balance hormones and eliminate many types of pain.
7. Five Element Acupuncture – This method of diagnosis and treatment utilizes the Five Elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Metal and Wood. The Five Elements are a metaphor for the five primary organ functions in the body: spleen/stomach, heart/small intestines, kidney/bladder, lung/large intestines, and gall bladder/liver. Each organ and grouping of organs has an emotional component as well. Utilizing this type of understanding, we can treat constitutionally as well as symptomatically.
8. Acute Acupuncture – This method utilize specific acupuncture formulas which are designed to treat the acute problems you want to treat. This is the type of acupuncture that most medical doctors study, since it only requires a few weekends of study. It requires many years of concentrated study to practice the deeper-acting Five Element and Constitutional acupuncture.
9. Constitutional Acupuncture – This method utilizes the tongue and pulse diagnosis to assess and then design a treatment plan to treat from a deeper, more holistic framework than the Acute Acupuncture approach. Many very serious and even life-threatening health problems can be totally cured using this method.
10. Bio-chemical Nutritional Analysis – This method of analysis utilizes the Health Equations Program to assess the functional status of your electrolytes and minerals. We start from a Chem Panel and CBC and then do a comprehensive analysis utilizing the basic data from your blood tests.
11. Body-Type Nutritional Analysis – There are many types of Body-Type Analysis. Just a few of the possibilities are Yin/Yang and Five Element Analysis, Endocrine Organ Analysis and Metabolic Typing, among others.
12. Five Element Nutritional Analysis – This is based on the Five Element Analysis discussed above.
13. Yin/Yang Nutritional Analysis – This is based on assessing your balance of Yin and Yang and working with the diet to change the imbalance in Yin and Yang. If your Yin and Yang is in proper balance, it’s very hard for you to become ill. Balanced Yin and Yang is the foundation and cornerstone of balance and Optimal Health.
14. Vitamin/Mineral Supplementation – In our culture, most people need vitamin and mineral Supplementation because very few of us eat properly. In addition, most of us operate on such a high level of stress that we need more of certain vitamins and minerals than in times past. The soil our food is grown on is also almost totally depleted of organic minerals and because of this we need to supplement our diets. Even most organic food is not as complete as in times past.
15. Neurotransmitter Testing & You take a test kit home and obtain samples of your urine and saliva. These samples will tell the lab which of your neurotransmitters are either high or low. The types of problems that will respond very well to this type of testing include anxiety, insomnia, ADD, ADHD, depression, fear, worry, nervous disorders, headaches, chronic pain, PMS, Irritable Bowel, Panic Attacks, Bulimia, OCD, and substance abuse. The test results will be returned to you with a very specific list of which amino acid supplements to take to increase the neurotransmitters you are low in and to decrease the ones you are too high in.
16. Stool Tests and other Saliva Testing for Hormones & There are an assortment of other tests, which include stool, hair testing, blood testing, and others. These may also be useful in helping to determine where you are out of balance and which treatments will work best to put you into balance.
You Decide:
Educating yourself, knowing which modalities (types of treatments) you want and are most interested in, defining your treatment goals, and knowing what you are willing to do to get there, is all an invaluable portion of becoming healthier and overcoming the obstacles to loosing weight, exercising, eating right and joining in partnership with your health care team. You decide which treatment options are right for you after a discussion with Dr. Martin.