One of the foundational beliefs of alternative therapies is that people have the natural resources, in many cases, to heal themselves. By removing the obstacles to healing and stimulating the body's natural ability to regulate itself, complementary therapies bring an important addition to the conventional line of thinking. Dr. Andrew Weil has brought these concepts forward into the mainstream by developing the Program for Integrative Medicine, which features a post-graduate curriculum for medical physicians that merges the use of alternative therapies such as herbal medicine and homeopathy with conventional medicine. An integrative doctor might prescribe guided imagery, an alternative therapy, to help prepare a patient to undergo chemotherapy, a conventional one. In the future, more and more patients will be encouraged to make lifestyle changes not only through nutrition and exercise, but also through a sort of mental and spiritual preventative-care program.
Certification is very important in the field of massage.
It means that the therapist has attended classes in an accredited school especially for massage practitioners. In California, massage certification requires classroom instruction, including many hours of massage theory and technique, anatomy and physiology, and numerous additional required courses. Getting a referral through an established organization is a good idea. And don't be afraid to ask about the qualifications of your massage therapist. Chronic stress, triggered by the persistent low level tension of everyday living, wears down your immune system and lowers your threshold of tolerance for the inconveniences of life.