Complementary healthcare.. what is it?
Despite the growing use of non-conventional therapy, there is still a fair amount of confusion about the different terminology, especially between alternative therapy, complementary therapy and holistic therapies.
Alternative therapy are those therapies which are used in place of conventional medical care.
Complementary therapy on the other hand, is regarded as working in conjunction with conventional medical care.
Holistic, within this context, just means treating the whole person: recognising that the mind (and spirit) can have an effect on bodily health. Holistic therapists generally will take longer with a client than a GP can normally allow and they will investigate lifestyle, relationships, diet, occupation etc., so as to take the various facets of the client into account when treating them.
Although many complementary therapies can be proven to be beneficial, most of them cannot be scientifically explained. This kept complementary therapies in the dark ages for a long time: if you can’t explain it, it must be “hocus pocus” and just works because “the client simply believes it works”. Hospitals in Australia however started to use some of these therapies many years ago because it proved to be working and was a good addition to conventional therapy.
The last ten years has seen a remarkable rise in interest in complementary therapy; so much so that it is now the second largest growth “industry” in Europe, after IT. 10-20% of the UK population visit a complementary therapy practitioner each year and use products with a twist: shampoos are now herbal; bath oils are now aroma-therapeutic.
Certainly many GPs now offer therapies as part of a patient's treatment plan and some GP practices have a counsellor or an osteopath, for example, as part of their practice team. There are also homeopathic hospitals funded by the NHS and 40% of current GPs have had some training in homeopathy. Many of the private insurance companies such as BUPA support certain complementary therapies.
Prince Charles is actively supporting the "Foundation For Integrated Health". Their website can be found here.
In general, people who take care of their health will also look to holistic complementary therapy as a means of taking responsibility for their own health. Others are using complementary therapy not because they are ill but to increase their general health and sense of wellbeing and as an antidote to a stressful lifestyle.
Whatever the reason, we at Light-ship Therapies will make sure you will be looked after in a holistic way. We strongly advice all our clients to inform their GP about the treatments they intend to receive from us so that we can compliment each others’ work.