Okay, it’s that time of the year again when the entire universe conspires to get you sick. You have tried all chemical permutations and combinations, exercised regularly and even gulped down many of grandma’s home-made concoctions. Perhaps, it’s time to give some alternate healing methods a chance? No, we are not talking about Yoga, Tai Chi or Acupuncture. We are going to go deep, in to a world where people will use your urine, birthing memory or even your ear to treat your health problems. Here are our top ten weird alternative remedies.
10. Ho’oponopono
For those of you who have had many stormy arguments and heated discussions, Ho’oponopono will take time, a lot of time. This Hawaiian practice believes that the roots of an illness lie in disputes, anger or even guilt. The healing process targets these evils and calls for forgiveness and reconciliation. The magical words to be uttered here are “sorry” and “let’s make up” for the healing to begin.
9. Urine Therapy
Urine is considered a miraculous curative in many parts of the world. In some pockets of China, it is used as a baby’s face wash to protect the skin. In India, it even got a brand ambassador: the country’s Prime Minister, Morarji Desai attributed his good health to daily pint of urine.
8. Ear Candling
This process is also called thermal auricular therapy, probably to make it sound like a normal healing method. The attempt is absolutely futile because lighting up one end of a candle and placing the other end in to your ear is something very far from normal. Most of the leading health organizations strongly dissuade people from trying this therapy.
7. Rebirthing-Breathwork
Does your mom always remind you about the immense pain she suffered to bring you into this world? Here is something you can tell her, too. According to Leonard Orr, who developed this breathing technique, being born is a very traumatic experience for a baby. He felt that through some sort of connected breathing, you can relive your birth and heal the stressful event. This, he claimed, improved overall health of the patient.
6. Beer Spa
In some parts of this planet, you can have your bath and drink it, too. Don’t start hiccuping bubbles, it’s not soap suds we are talking about. This bath is full of beer. Many beer spas have recently sprung up in Czech Republic, Germany and Austria to rejuvenate people through their enticing beer-bath weekend offers.
5. Psychic Surgery
Scalpel, scissors, surgical staplers, anesthesia…We can go on but these words are enough to paint a picture of a helpless person strapped down in an operating room under the mercy of a complete stranger. The idea then of a surgery that does not require any body-poking objects whatsoever is really appealing. It has found many believers in countries like Brazil and Philippines. The process involves pressing and touching the diseased area of the body to heal it. Blood or tissue-like substances might be produced to make it look believable.
4. Virtual Dolphin Therapy
This is a tailor-made healing therapy in times of recession. You don’t need to spend fortunes on a therapist; an imaginary dolphin can do an equally good job. Welcome to the world of virtual dolphin therapy. Lie down on a couch but don’t close your eyes this time. All you need to do is watch dolphins frolicking in deep sea and hear the sounds of waves and ocean. The treatment claims to bring about a deep state of relaxation and rejuvenation.
3. Bee Sting Therapy
Yes, you read it right. The treatment involves stinging yourself away to a healed state. The practitioners of the system believe that bee venom has anti-inflammatory properties that can be used in illnesses like arthritis and keloids. Depending upon the condition, the patient might be subjected to any number of bee stings.
2. Past Life Regression
This is as weird as it can get. A person can blame his gluten allergy to something like death in wheat fields in his past life. Practitioners induce hypnosis in patients to help them recollect their past life memories. These “doctors” claim to heal the roots of existing health problems by helping to find out the unresolved issues in previous lives.
1. Snake Massage Therapy
This therapy makes a massage sound anything but relaxing. A heap of non-venomous snakes are piled on your body. Their slithering and crawling actions are supposed to give you that ultimate soothing sensation to your tired and aching body. Don’t worry if your facial muscles have stretched in horror because these spas offer you special small snakes to work on those areas as well.
by Deepa Mankani sponsored by Chiropractor Service
13 Comments
Although all these therapies have their own affects but i have seen the affects of “Bee Sting Therapy”. I have paralyzed people who start walking again after having “Bee Sting Therapy”. Thanks for posting.
These therapies are just snake oil. There is a reason that medical school takes so long. People want to believe that there are shorcuts, but it simply is not true.
The UFC fighter Lyota Machida practices urine therapy everyday according to a video I saw of him.
The process of Ho'oponopono isn't really weird at all if you think about it. I'm a Hawaiian studies major and for as long as I can remember I have used Ho'oponopono to solve so many social problems.
I lived in a dorm in HS and living with 50 girls can be challenging. If there was a problem we would use Ho'oponopono to make it right. "Ho'oponopono" literally means "to make right." There is a process to ho'oponopono. First, there needs to be a problem (obviously) in the past, the problem might be a neighbor stealing ones crops, there also needs to be a non-biased party involved. Everyone who is involved in the problem needs to be present in the process, this would include family members, friends, and even just passer-bys. Everyone gets a chance to tell their side of the story, basically the problem is talked out and a solution is worked out. The solution can be anything from making up and forgiving one another, to even being cut off from ones family. Once a solution is reached, it can't be reversed, no matter how hard the consequences are (I've never heard of death being a consequence) the parties need to follow through with it.
It's actually really important to the Hawaiian culture. After a ho'oponopono you really do feel much better.
Ear candling works. I have used it for years with not adverse affects. I think more than one study needs to be carried out before anyone says "This doesn't work". Maybe, just maybe, doctors like making money and they want you to come see them instead of "fixing" yourself. And ear candle costs around $2, a visit to your doctor for and ear infection, plus drugs can cost hundreds. There are way to many people that cannot afford to see a doctor. Am I saying that ear candles always work? No, of course not but they should not be discredited because one doctor doesn't believe they work.
Just my $.02
read above and stop lying ^w^
I've tried the ear candling, it works,there is nothing of strange…the burning of the flame create an air flow and the dirty on the ear come out, without mechanical damage. it doesn't do miracles,but it works.
Experts say differently.
What the expert says: I got off lucky, says Dr. David Leopold, director of integrative medical education at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in San Diego, Calif.
“(At Scripps) we do integrative medicine. We’re always dealing with the ‘alternative’ world. … If it works and it’s safe we want if for our patients. But pretty definitely this is one you shouldn’t try,” he said. “At the very best it’s not going to work. At the worst it’s going to be dangerous. .. It’s not effective and people should stay away.”
As for the powder trail that was in my candle? Leopold says it was likely residue from the smoke or candle wax. Studies have tested the contents of candles after the procedure and found that it’s definitely not anything from the ear itself. “In several studies they found the wax from the candle was deposited back into the ear,” he says.
Even if the smoke did create some kind of a vacuum powerful enough to pull wax from the ear, you wouldn’t want it to, says Leopold.
“Wax is extremely protective for the ear. It’s anti-bacterial, anti-fungal. The ear has its own cleaning mechanism. It’s a little conveyer belt that shunts everything to the outside,” he said. “The body is an amazing detoxifier. If you just let it do what it’s going to do, it’ll do a great job.”
Read the full article here: http://doesitwork.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/1…
I really enjoy the process of ear coning or ear candling. It is very relaxing and soothing. I really just wish people could understand the true facts about it. Most of the info people get is all common miss conception and untrue facts. I have done a fair amount of research and found a couple of great places that provide excellent information.
http://www.earcandleblog.com
I've read about ear candling in Chuck Palahniuk's novel Choke, except in the novel, the protagonist doesn't use a wax candle, but a makeshift candle made of just paper. Apparently you're supposed to light it and make the flame go as close as possible without harming the person, and then take it out to get the earwax out.
Sounded pretty cool.
8. Ear Candling: it’s a procedure to make your ears *pop* when they are clogged, you know? when you fly at high altitude or when u travel by car to high altitude mountains? (sorrry, english is not my native language), it’s not a relaxing terapy or a earwax-cleaning method. You just arrived from a plane travel or u just dived on the sea for far too deep and/or too long and your ears are clogged? munch a gum or burp ^w^ what? didn’t work? Ear Candling, my dear friend, its time to shine ^o^
PD: yes, u make a candle of paper and light it on your ear
I might actually like to try some of these.
Wow. Can't go wrong with the beer spa!