THE KOREAN MARTIAL THERAPY

The Korean Martial Therapy, also well known by its acronym KMT, had been recognized for its effectiveness in keeping warriors in their topmost forms after as well as before battles. The Korean Martial Therapy, therefore, became widely used and closely associated with the numerous Korean martial arts since the 17th century.

A newly developed Korean martial art, combining several old Korean martial arts and the Japanese Aikido discipline, was introduced in Korea in the latter part of the 19th century as Hapkido. Today, Hapkido is one of the most popular martial arts in Korea as well as elsewhere around the world and has become closely linked to the Korean Martial Therapy.

The Korean Martial Therapy made its way into the United State via Jae Kwon Yun, a master in Korean martial arts specializing in Hapkido for many years, who opened a school of Korean Martial Therapy where he integrated the combative aspect of Hapkido with the therapeutic aspect of the Korean Martial Therapy. This, in his opinion, formed a perfectly balanced modality.

Now that we have covered some of its background history, let us look at the Korean Martial Therapy itself and its technique of deep tissue massage as it is performed in either a sitting position or reclining flat on a massage table. The fundamental principle of the Korean Martial Therapy is to utilize a variety of sinuous movements performed by the client to promote the therapeutic effects on the body and the spirit. Traditionally, the Korean Martial Therapy was facilitated by a trained therapist or a practitioner who guided the clients body into the correct movements and positions. However, the Korean Martial Therapy can be just as easily accomplished as a self-directed therapy without losing any of its curative values.

Another crucially important principle of the Korean Martial Therapy is the notion that the same movements that can lead to pain, damage and destruction on the battle field can also be used to provide healing in a peaceful arena. In other words, the Korean Martial Therapy works on the premise that anything that can hurt can also do the opposite; it can cure. And in fact, many of the pressure points along the gi meridians used in Korean Martial Therapy for promoting positive energy for restoring health are likewise used in Hapkido as points for promoting negative energy and agony.

Initially having been created for the battlefield to relieve combatants of their pain and suffering, the Korean Martial Therapy primarily strives for instant curative results. And that is in direct opposition to other alternative healing techniques which aspire for long term effects of weeks or months or even years into the future. The Korean Martial Therapy is made up of a varied combination of techniques and the most frequently used among them are the conventional massaging strokes, ballistic stretching, applying deliberate pressure to specific points along the body, the yin yang therapy and the Korean energy work. Since the Korean Martial Therapy makes the most of the body movements used in martial arts, it relieves the therapist from doing much of the work and it has, therefore, been favored by many practitioners.

Perhaps the Korean Martial Therapy has not had must use on the modern-day battle fields as it had in the past, but it certainly is great for treating the more contemporary conditions such as repetitive motion syndromes, stress and muscle strain as well as depression, anxiety, migraine headaches, and sport injuries.

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THE INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE

Its origins stem from an Indian remedial and grooming practice which had been and continues to be part of the Indian daily ritual for over 4,000 years. The ancient Indians believed that when energy channels become blocked and the flow of positive energy is obstructed, negative energy builds up and increasingly leads to a wide array of ailments and dysfunctions such as stress, depression, poor sleeping habits, localized and remote pains and aches, hampered and sluggish blood circulation, overall poor health, as well as loss of hair or baldness. The main focus and intent of the Indian Head massage, therefore, is to open up the blockages and to allow the positive energy to flow freely through the entire body and in the process to get rid of the amassed negative energy.

Indians in times of yore, young and old and mostly women but not exclusively, sat in large groups and massaged each others heads. They began by applying a variety of nut and grain oils (coconut, almond, olive or sesame) which were to nourish the hair and scalp while, at the same time, the massage promoted improved circulation. Todays modern Indians get their head massage treatments regularly in beauty salons and barber shops.

The Indian Head massage was introduced into the Western world in the early years of the 1970s by Narendra Mehta, a native of Bombay, India and an osteopath and a massage therapist. As countless techniques for the Indian Head massage were passed down through the generations, Mr. Mehta developed his own particular technique by integrating the head, neck, and shoulder and massage into a single robust therapy which promotes and elevates the body to heightened states of physical, mental and spiritual health and wellness. Mr. Mehta branded his comprehensive massage treatment as Champissage. Champi means head massage in Indian and it is also, by the way, the origin of the English word shampoo. With the help of Mr. Mehtas promotional campaign, Champissage rapidly gained popularity in Europe and elsewhere around the world, and he summarizes his own belief which, in fact, echoes the belief of his ancestors by making the following statement out of his current home base in London: Unfortunately, in the West, many people worry about their hair’s health only when they start to lose it. Healthy hair should be promoted from childhood with the help of regular massage.

The body has seven chakras which are centers that regulate the flow of energy all through the body. Champissage works on the top three energy centers or chakras which are found on the crown of the head, the forehead and the throat as it aims to bring the entire body into corrected alignment and proper balance. The resulting effects are strong, silky and shiny hair, relief from stress, restful sleep patterns, increased energy and sharpened mental clarity.

The Indian Head Massage or the Champissage is performed in a quiet place where the client can sit comfortably on a chair and the massage therapist can either stand or sit directly behind him or her. The sequence of the treatment is as follows:

* The shoulders. Gently squeezing the trapezoid muscles at the base of the neck and moving outward toward the shoulders. This is repeated three times while slightly increasing the pressure.

* The neck. The neck is massaged with small circular motions, beginning at the collarbone and ending at the hairline. This is repeated three times.

The sides of the neck are then stroked with a rolling motion beginning under the jawbone and ending at the shoulders. This is repeated three times.

Avoiding the vertebrae, the back of the neck is pressed with a gliding and rotating motion from the collar bone up to the hairline and it is repeated five times.

* The head. The head is moved slowly and gently forward and backward three times.

The entire area of the scalp is massaged with rolling gentle pressure four or five times and then the scalp is rubbed briskly without causing pain for a full minute.

* The hair. Fingers are run through the hair from the forehead back three times.

* The temples. The temples are worked with small circular massaging and pressing movements three times.

* The end. Slowly stroking the entire head area from the forehead to the back for a minute and progressively making the strokes lighter and lighter.

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Anxiety Attack Treatments

Anxiety attacks are frightening but the good thing is, episodes are generally harmless. In most cases, attacks rarely last for more than 30 minutes, with peak of intensity within the first 10 minutes. What make such attacks dangerous is if it becomes chronic and if it already affects the well-being of a person and already disrupts his normal way of life.

Several treatments are proven very effective in stopping anxiety attacks. Let us look at some of the more popular ones:

Breathing technique is one of the most effective ways in controlling anxiety attacks. Proper breathing helps slow down heartbeat and helps calm the tensed muscles as a result of the attack. Breathing also diverts the mind’s attention from the “trigger” and calms the self, thus, stopping the attack even faster. Proper breathing techniques are easy to learn and master.

Self-hypnosis is a great tool to alter your thought process as well as your body’s reaction to those fearful thoughts. During an anxiety attack, lay down on your back or in any comfortable position and try to process your thoughts. Identify the origin of such fearful thoughts. Know if it is real. If you concentrate enough in finding the origins of your thoughts, you will soon realize that they are really not a valid reason for excessive fear. It may sound simple, and it is. Psychiatrists now recommend self-hypnosis as a treatment for anxiety attacks and other anxiety disorders. (Hypnosis and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be used together by your therapist to stop symptoms of anxiety attacks.)

Meditation has long been credited to relieve stress and anxiety as it promotes the release of negative energy from the body, relaxes tensed muscles, and calms the mind, which in turn, effectively reduces irrational fear and apprehension. Meditation may not be for all because of the time required to master the technique, however, with proper guidance of an expert or a little bit of patience and dedication, you can reap its benefits.

Herbs (such as chamomile, passion flower, lavender, and ginkgo biloba) are very effective long-term treatment for anxiety attacks. Since they are all-natural, they posses no side effects. They may not be as aggressive as prescription drugs but they work just as effective.

Prescription medicines are a major help in stopping the symptoms of anxiety and episodes of anxiety attacks. Antidepressants are the most common anxiety treatment. They must be taken continuously, which may take as long as six weeks before noticing the effects. Beta-blockers are a type of drugs that prevent symptoms from recurring. SSRIs or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors boost the level of serotonin in the brain which regulates and normalizes emotions.

Therapies are a very important anxiety treatment. These target the psychological aspect of anxiety. CBT or the cognitive-behavioral therapy is used to alter the way of thinking converting negative thoughts into positive ones. Techniques used in CBT include role-playing and relaxation technique. Exposure therapy exposes the person to the physical sensations of panic in a safe and controlled environment. Through repeated exposure, patients gain greater self control and more confidence in facing fearful situation.

Prescription medicines and therapies, when combined and used at treatment, are very effective. Medical studies show that the response rate of patients is much higher if both methods are used compared to those that are treated using either method.

Bedtime Stories: Hypnosis for Children

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about hypnosis, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about hypnosis.

How profuse times hold we herd some rustling coming from the childrens bedroom only to find – out that our kids are having sleeping problems or are wetting the bed. Fortunately for us, these issues can be addressed by using hypnosis for children.

There are more and more children who are feeling the effects of insomnia. Esteem a 1997 survey, it showed results that there are 11 percent of children with ages 5 to 12 who cannot sleep well at night, 7 percent would wake up at the middle of the night, 17 percent would retain difficulties waking growing the next day and another 17 percent would feel extremely exhausted.

Insomnia among children is attributed mostly to night year fears and anxious dreams. These may be an effect of several factors like environmental aspects, consumption of alcohol or caffeine, or sometimes inadequate parental supervision. Children who sleep late of course tends to wake up late.

Hypnosis for children is used to help children relax or calm down before bedtime. In contrast of what is widely known, you do not have to be asleep to be affected by hypnosis. You should be uncultured but into abysmal state of regard. The subconscious would be more receptive to suggestion during this period. There are programs where the hypnotherapists would give your suggestions which would eliminate stress and other negative energy preventing you to get a restful street.

After entering a deep relaxed state, it is important to address the reason behind restlessness at night. Resolving insomnia with hypnosis also involves you to look significance your habits and pocket money your nightly ritual which would help you to quickly buck asleep soundly.

Licensed are also visualization in which the mind can be trained to flush out all thoughts and feeling that brings anxiety and stress preventing you to be at peace and at ease when on your own bed. There are also hypnosis insomnia which encourage patients to listen to CD or watch DVD.

About bedwetting, one out of three children wet the bed at age six. While there are about 2 to 10 percent of teenagers who still wet the bed from time to time. Unresolved, bedwetting care even lead to more severe problems as they grow older.

Hypnosis can also be used to resolve bedwetting problems. There are several CDs where children could listen to stories especially befitting their situations. Some parents discover that aside from removing bed wetting problems, children also started to have:

– Appreciate themselves more
– Elicit unique abilities
– Deal with sadness in a healthier manner
– Handle criticisms very well
– Carry off a feeling of well since and in restraint

Most of the type the hypnosis method for children used is in gentler forms, most of the hypnotherapists use the blow away technique. They blow away emotions and fears which prohibit them from sleeping or wetting the bed.

Of course there is something much larger than hypnosis for children, prevention is still the top action that you can do. Instead to giving them lectures and getting angry because of wetting the bed, focus more on the success they have done previously for staying dry drive. Remind them to go or relive themselves impact the bathroom before going to bed and also limiting the secretion intake two hours before going to bed.
Now that wasn’t hard at all, was it? And you’ve earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert’s word on hypnosis.