Healing Touch: Healing touch may be practiced by registered nurses,
among others, to accelerate wound healing, relieve pain, promote relaxation,
prevent illness and ease the dying process. The practitioner uses light touch or
works with his or her hands near the client’s body in an effort to restore
balance to the client’s energy system.
Hellerwork: A system of somatic education and structural bodywork
which is based on the inseparability of body, mind & spirit, making the
connection between movement, body alignment and personal awareness. During
sessions, the structural balance of the body is realized through the systematic
release of muscle and connective tissue to restore the body’s optimal natural
balance, posture and flexibility. Myofascial release, movement awareness and
dialogue are the essence of the sessions enabling one to move more fluidly, and
have increased stamina, strength and energy.
Herbalism: Uses natural plants or plant-based substances to treat a
range of illnesses and to enhance the functioning of the body’s systems.
Though herbalism is not a licensed professional modality in the U.S., herbs are
prescribed by a range of practitioners, from holistic M.D.s to acupuncturists to
naturopaths.
HIV Therapies: Practitioners offer a range of therapies that aim to
treat the human immuno-deficiency virus, AIDS, or its’ symptoms. Due to the
life-threatening nature of this disease, these therapies are often used as
complements to conventional approaches to HIV.
Holistic: An adjective meaning targeted to the whole person - mind,
body, and spirit. holistic medicine considers not only physical health but also
the emotional, spiritual, social, and mental well-being of the person.
Holistic Nutrition and Health: The belief that (for whatever reasons)
living systems are an entity unto themselves. An entity is holistic when it is
believed that the whole is greater than the sum. For example, a human being can
not be made by simply assembling the chemical molecules from which it is made.
Holistic nutrition would dictate that we would be healthier if we eat more raw
whole foods rather than processed and refined foods. The reason being that fresh
foods contain more je ne sais quoi than do foods contrived by man to
match what science says best fits the parts.
Homeopathy: A medical system that uses infinitesimal doses of natural
substances to stimulate a person’s immune and defense system. Homeopathic
remedies are named for the plant or animal ingredient they are made from.
Hydrosol: The water that is obtained along with essential oil after
plant materials are distilled. In distillation, plant materials are heated in
water to release plant oils. The steam and vapor are channeled through a tube to
a condensing coil, where they cool and return to liquid form. The essential oils
float on top of the water. The hydrosol contains water-soluble plant
constituents and trace amounts of essential oil. Hydrosols are sometimes used in
aromatherapy together with the essential oils and may be spritzed in the air and
on the face and body.
Hypnosis: Although the condition resembles normal sleep, scientists
have found that the brain wave patterns of hypnotized subjects are much closer
to the patterns of deep relaxation. Hypnosis is now generally viewed as a form
of attentive, receptive, highly focused concentration in which external events
are omitted or disregarded. Widely used by surgeons, dentists, and
psychotherapists to relieve anxiety or as an anesthetic. Used to relax a
patient, reduce resistance to therapy, facilitate memory, to address stopping
smoking, eating less, or fighting fears.
