"I wish I'd researched the alternatives first, Dawson!" moaned my peppy red-haired friend Bill, holding his head despairingly in his hands. "But we just plunged right into surgery and radiation when Janice was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She became feeble. Her immune system is weak. The treatment almost killed her. It's been almost two years since she's been able to eat solid food."

It broke my friend's heart to see his wife's health take a dive headfirst. I could hear it in his voice, and see it in his body language. Just talking about it, brought him to tears.

I sat listening to Bill in silence. I remembered gently suggesting to him two years ago when Janice was first diagnosed that they look at every available treatment option. I warned him the surgery at the very least would constrict his wife's throat and destroy her sense of taste. I told him that they should research alternative therapies before committing to surgery. If only Bill knew the power of alternative medicine and therapies, he would never have blindly rushed his wife into the operating room.

The Power of Alternative Medicine and Therapy
According to a new survey, seventy-five percent of Americans now believe that alternative medicine is more effective for certain conditions than conventional medicine. This belief is based on more than faith. Millions have experienced the power of integrative medicine to treat conditions for which conventional treatments can do little, such as depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, back pain, fibromyalgia, and migraine headaches. And athletes, educators and business executives are discovering that it improves their performance level.

It turns out that your head contains a pharmacopeia of thousands of drugs. Your beliefs, your emotions, your thoughts, your prayers, your visualizations, and your spiritual practice all play a huge role in maintaining your health and wellness. When you think healthy thoughts and cultivate healthy feelings, your body chemistry changes to support health.

In my book, Soul Medicine (coauthored with neurosurgeon Norm Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.), I list the treatments that trigger positive physical and psychological changes. They are comparatively cheap, and sometimes free. They are often easy and quick, and usually painless. Here are my top 3 alternative medicine treatments to keep you physically and mentally healthy:

1. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
   This alternative medicine technique is based on natural gestures that human beings have used for stress relief practically since the beginning of time. EFT is a three-minute routine for touching fourteen specific points in a sequential pattern. This will immediately calm even your most disturbed emotions.

2. Energy Medicine (EM)
   A system for working with your body's electromagnetic circuits. This alternative medicine and therapy technique will balance your health and wellness. Like moving a magnet through iron filings and seeing the filings alter their shape, even a subtle shift in the electromagnetic field of your body is sufficient to produce significant changes in your cells.

3. Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT)
   This technique helps you identify pressure points on the head that aid in stress relief. While pressing these points gently, think about your stressful situation. For most people, the body will quickly relax and the stressful thoughts will resolve themselves.

By using these technique and others listed in my book Soul Medicine, you won't have to sign away control of your future. You won't get trapped in an endless maze of invasive procedures, as my unfortunate friend and his wife did when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Bill waited till Janice was at death's door before he searched for better answers. Luckily, he wasn't too late. You may not be so lucky.

So if you're facing a health crisis, check out the alternatives. Even if you're healthy, find out how you can feel even better, and increase your level of vitality. The practices of soul medicine can lead you to a more vital and happier life.

Copyright © 2007 Dawson Church, Ph.D.
With his articles, and books like Soul Medicine, Alternative Therapy and Soul Medicine Expert, Dawson Church has helped thousands of people just like you break through to their next level of wellness. To learn how you can strengthen your connection to healthier and happier life, take this free quiz to see how connected your body is to your inner spiritual resources at: Soul Connection Inventory Survey

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