Often focused on healing from within or harnessing energy, alternative therapies provide a different approach to health than conventional medicine. In recent years, there has been a large uptake of alternative and complementary therapies, including reiki, acupuncture, cupping, energy healing, and more. Interested in trying a new therapy? Some are wildly fascinating.
01
Goat yoga
Taking the modern world by storm, yogis can practice their poses while interacting with baby goats. Goat yoga is simply regular yoga with a therapeutic animal component. Interacting with animals can help with increasing calm, lowering stress, and promoting relaxation. Therefore, combining it with yoga may bring a greater element of Zen to your time on the mat. As more people submerge into yoga, new trends bubble up, such as laughter yoga.
02
Numerology
More than basic math, you can use numbers to better understand yourself. Numerology is the idea that the universe is a system and numbers have specific meanings. With certain calculations, you can uncover all sorts of insights about your purpose, personality, life happenings, love, happiness, and health. Like astrology, numerology is thought to have been around for thousands of years, if not more.
03
Emotional freedom technique (EFT)
EFT or tapping involves applying pressure to certain energy hot spots of the body. It’s often used to treat pain, bring about calmness, and reduce anxiety and stress. Tapping on different parts of the body is thought to balance your energy and reduce both physical and emotional pain. If you’re curious about EFT, you can either enlist a practitioner or follow an online tapping sequence.
04
Ice baths or cryotherapy
Many athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and even weekend warriors swear by ice baths or cryotherapy, which expose the body to freezing or near-freezing temperatures. In fact, it’s thought that doing this for 10 to 15 minutes can help reduce muscle pain and soreness and decrease inflammation. If you’re not quite ready to try cryotherapy, you may get some of the benefits from ending your usual warm shower with a 30-second cold rinse.
05
Past life regression therapy
Using hypnosis, past life regression therapists attempt to help users recover memories from a former life, so a belief in reincarnation is needed. Practitioners believe that doing so may reveal origins of mental health issues that were caused by traumatic experiences in another lifetime. Once that is uncovered, treatment may begin to address those past events so that patients can live more freely and healthily.
06
Ionic foot baths
Also referred to as detox foot baths, ionic foot baths use water charged with ions, both positive and negative. Proponents claim that electrolytes then draw toxins from inside the body out, through the feet. The process of exchange between positive and negative happens in the water, and the result is said to be a pure and deep detoxification.
07
Cupping
Although trending since 2016 thanks in part to Michael Phelps, cupping therapy is an ancient practice. It involves placing special cups and heat to create suction on the skin, like a vacuum. This causes your skin to rise and redden as your blood vessels expand. People use cupping for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, immunity, skin issues, and overall well-being.
08
Crystal healing
The idea of using beautiful crystals to help heal the mind, body, and soul has existed for thousands of years. The premise is that different crystals have different healing powers or energy. For example, moonstone promotes inner strength, clear quartz is a master healer, turquoise soothes emotions, et cetera. To work, fans of crystal healing say that skepticism needs to be set aside and the power of the gem truly believed in.
09
Reiki
This gentle and peaceful touch therapy uses transfer of energy from the practitioner’s hands to the patient to promote a deep sense of relaxation. “Reiki” originates from Japanese words “rei,” meaning universal, and “ki,” meaning life energy. This flow of energy can help to remove blocks, similarly done with acupuncture. Many reiki fans use it to help with pain, reduce illness, and help heal.
10
Float therapy
Also referred to as sensory deprivation tanks, float therapy tanks focus on easing anxiety and muscle tension. The tank is for restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST), and therefore it is dark, soundproof, filled with salt water, and meant to remove sensory stimulation. The salt allows you to float easily. As you float weightless in the silence and darkness, the brain is supposed to enter a deep relaxed state and perhaps even experience heightened creativity.
