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Sight, Sound and Touch
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Using Alternative Therapies to Cope With Autoimmune Disease
by Lisa Román
Anger, worry, fear, isolation, anxiety, chronic fatigue and depression. These are some of the side effects of autoimmune disease. Whether it's lupus, thyroid disease, multiple sclerosis, or any of the many other autoimmune conditions, if you've been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, you are likely to have experienced some or all of these symptoms -- even before you were diagnosed. Regardless of the disease, or the treatment for it, dealing with these side effects is a must in order to restore your health and quality of life.
It may seem impossible not to worry, or feel anxious, or have difficulty coping with the side effects of treatment and lifestyle changes that can come about due to autoimmune disease. Although there is no prescription that can be given for fear or feelings of isolation, there are many alternative therapies that can help patients deal with the "non-physical" symptoms that doctors may not address.
The body has the ability to heal itself, if given the chance. Often patients will find that it is a combination of working with their doctor and incorporating other methods of healing that helps them feel whole again. This article will discuss a few alternative therapies that may be easily integrated into an existing course of medical treatment and with other alternative methods.
Music Therapy
Since ancient times, music has been seen as an elixir for the soul. Today, music therapy is used therapeutically to assist in the healing process, reduce stress, counteract depression and apprehension, as well as induce relaxation or sleep. Nazeeha Howard, Washington, DC area music therapist and founder of Howard's Music Therapy, describes herself as an integrative therapist. She works with patients and their physicians to come up with a strategy to address each person's individual needs.
"I don't work just in a vacuum," says Howard. "I suggest that people receive the whole circle of healing techniques and modalities that have been put here to help us to heal...I like to inform people, and then they can make an educated decision for what they want in their lives for healing."
Information and education are important, but experience is key. No description can evoke the feelings experienced during one of Howard's Angelic Harp Sessions, one of her most highly popular therapies. During these sessions, Howard creates a serene environment with the use of lights, water fountains, aromatherapy and relaxation techniques. She then plays the harp while her client holds the instrument against their body, feeling the healing vibrations of the instrument. She describes her treatment as threefold: releasing, relaxing, and rejuvenating. During a harp session, three different harps of progressively higher vibration are used, while the client enters a meditative state. Howard then plays each harp for approximately 15 minutes, while the client continues to meditate, first shedding stress and negativity, then entering a truly relaxed state, and finally rejuvenating. It is this last state - rejuvenation - that promotes the healing process.
In her practice, Howard has seen clients' blood pressure significantly decrease, asthmatic breathing restored to normal, and pain reduced or eliminated entirely after a music therapy session. Her experiences mirror the findings of studies conducted at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and St. Luke's Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as others.
Reiki
The practice of Reiki is a form of "hands-on" healing. The word "reiki" is Japanese in origin and means "universal life energy." During a Reiki session, the practitioner transmits that "life energy" to the client through various hand movements to generate the healing energy.
Reiki practitioners may practice at three levels. A Reiki I practitioner is qualified to do hands-on treatments. Level II practitioners are able to send the Reiki energy to anyone anywhere, and those who achieve level III are called Reiki Masters. In addition to all that has been learned at the previous levels, a Reiki Master may teach other practitioners.
All of this may sound a bit esoteric to the uninitiated. At least that's how it seemed when Margo Williams, a Washington, D.C.-based psychotherapist and Reiki Master, experienced her first encounter with Reiki energy. "I wasn't closed, but I wasn't a total believer in the actual practice of Reiki until I actually experienced it myself. I was holding on and trying to see and be aware of everything. Maybe 5 minutes into the treatment sounds were coming out of me....I was there, but I wasn't there. I had been swept away into the energy and it was absolutely marvelous."
That was 15 years ago. Williams has been a Reiki practitioner for 10 years now, and has found that Reiki offers unique benefits. "I like Reiki because your hands are not required to touch [the client] in order to transmit this energy or to transmit the treatment."
For clients with particular illnesses, Williams says, "touching is not something they can tolerate." Under these circumstances, a Reiki session would be preferable "instead of a massage or another kind of alternative healing, like reflexology. Those require touch, and some people don't want to be touched for whatever reason. They will still be open to receiving Reiki treatments."
Not only is it not necessary that the practitioner touch the client, the client doesn't even have to be present! Since Reiki energy is transmitted through hand symbols, the energy can be generated anywhere and sent anywhere at any time.
In her practice, Williams has worked with a number of patients who suffer from autoimmune disease, especially Graves' disease.
"Given that one of the challenges for thyroid imbalance is stress, people come to me [as a therapist] with the notion that they're under stress. Then later they will discover, in conjunction with their medical doctor, that it's a thyroid condition. Since the thyroid is the balancing gland for the entire body and Reiki is a balancing energy, it assists the person in the process of bringing their entire system into balance."
Reiki can also provide benefits for someone suffering with symptoms who has not yet been diagnosed with a particular illness. "This is one of the beauties of Reiki," says Williams. "Reiki will go to the area of the body that it is most needed and that area will show in various ways that the healing is taking place."
Regardless of the ailment or the Reiki practitioner's skill, Williams believes that the receiver has a part in generating the energy. "This is a joint venture. This is not just one person giving this energy or allowing this energy to go through… It's a treatment where the receiver has to, at some degree, be open. If you have some level of openness, the energy will take care of it [healing the ailment]."
Iridology
It has long been said that the eyes are the window to the soul. The practice of iridology uses the eye as a window or roadmap for the entire body. Iridologists study the patterns on the iris (the pigmented area surrounding the pupil) of the eye. These patterns are a blueprint of sorts, with certain patterns correlating to specific physical strengths and weaknesses.
According to Mary Rupard, iridologist, herbalist, and owner of Herbal Connection, in Culpepper, Virginia, iridology can be a great tool for detecting weaknesses or pinpointing early symptoms of a condition. "We can actually see it [disease] before the person starts having the problem…It may not bother you now, but 10 or 15 years down the road...you're going to have a problem."
This can be especially significant with autoimmune disease, since it is known that inherited genes can be a factor in developing these chronic illnesses. Also, since many patients with autoimmune disease find that their doctors have difficulty diagnosing their illness because of the wide range of symptoms, iridology may give some general idea of where the real problem lies.
Rupard warns, however, against expecting an iridologist to provide you with a diagnosis. "People [should] not go to an iridologist and expect miracles or expect an iridologist to tell them what disease they have…people ask us to do that all the time." The true purpose of iridology is to pinpoint the areas of weakness in the body and assess how specific nutrition and lifestyle changes may promote mental, emotional and physical health.
How can iridology help you if you have already been diagnosed with an illness? Rupard, like many other iridologists, is also an herbalist. She uses her 15 years of experience to assist clients in dealing with various maladies by suggesting herbs that replenish areas where the body is deficient as a way of restoring health. She has had a great deal of success with clients suffering with diabetes and arthritis, as well as high blood pressure, cancer, and colon disorders. Rupard stresses the importance of working with your doctor to treat your disease, and making sure that any herbs you take may be taken safely with medication prescribed by your physician.
The most important thing to remember, Rupard says, is that each situation must be handled individually. Your wellness will depend upon your willingness to change your approach to life. "The age of the person [will] make a difference. Their lifestyle would be another thing. It's a change of lifestyle and it definitely depends upon the person and the illness."
These are only a few of the many alternative therapies currently available to assist those coping with autoimmune disease. The key is finding the combination of therapies that will work for you. As Howard explains it, "If you look at it as a large pie, everybody [each practitioner] has a section of that pie, but it's about putting it all together to make the person whole again."
For More Information
Music Therapy / Nazeeha Howard
Nazeeha Howard's web site, www.hmusictherapy.com
(202) 797-5162
Reiki / Margo Williams
EDUCARE Systems, Inc., an innovative healing and training center
(202) 429-6511
Iridology / Mary Rupard
Iridology assessments/ Herbal Connections
(540) 825-1204
Lisa Román is a writer and editor in the Washington, DC area.
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