Magnetic Therapy: Magnetic field therapy or bio-magnetic therapy involves the use of magnets, magnetic devices or magnetic fields to treat a variety of physical and emotional conditions, including circulatory problems, certain forms of arthritis, chronic pain, sleep disorders, and stress.
Manipulation: Application of manual force for healing. Term describes the techniques used in osteopathy, chiropractic, massage, and other bodywork therapies. Manipulation may involve various forms of massage, muscle pressure, and joint realignment or adjustment.
Mantra: In Hinduism and Buddhism, mystic word used in ritual and meditation. It is believed to have power to bring into being the reality it represents. Use of such mantras usually requires initiation by a guru, or spiritual teacher.
Massage Therapy: This is a general term for a range of therapeutic approaches which has roots both in both Eastern and Western cultures. Massage Therapy involves the practice of kneading or otherwise manipulating a person’s muscles and soft tissue to promote a variety of increased well being.
Medicine, Holistic: Holistic medicine is a broadly descriptive term for a healing philosophy that views a patient as a whole person, not as just a disease or a collection of symptoms. In the course of treatment, holistic medical practitioners may address emotional and spiritual dimensions as well as the nutritional, environmental and lifestyle factors that may contribute to an illness. Many holistic practitioners combine conventional forms of treatment with natural or alternative treatments.
Meditation: Discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. Employed since ancient times in various forms by all religions, the practice gained greater notice in the postwar U.S. as interest in Zen Buddhism rose. Meditation is now used by many nonreligious adherents as a method of stress reduction; known to lower levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress. Enhances recuperation and improves the body’s resistance to disease.
Melatonin: A hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain and released mainly at night in the absence of light on the retina. Melatonin regulates the onset and timing of sleep and seasonal changes in the body such as winter weight gain. Levels of melatonin decline with age. Melatonin is being investigated as a sleep promoter and to prevent or reduce jet lag. Synthetic melatonin and melatonin derived from bovine pineal glands are available as over-the-counter dietary supplements. Melatonin occurs naturally in some foods but only in fairly small amounts. Reported side effects include reduced fertility, inhibition of male sexual drive, hypothermia, and damage to the retina. Some physicians and scientists advise against taking melatonin as a long-term supplement.
Midwifery: Midwives provide education and support during pregnancy, assist the mother during labor and delivery and provide follow-up care. Practitioners of childbirth support include childbirth educators, childbirth assistants and women labor coaches who also provide post-partum home care.
Myofacial Release: Trauma, posture, or inflammation can create a binding down of fascia resulting in excessive pressure on nerves, muscles, blood vessels, osseous structures and/or organs. This hands-on technique seeks to free the body from the grip of tight fascia, or connective tissue, thus restoring normal alignment and function and reducing pain. Therapists apply mild, sustained hand-pressure in order to gently stretch and soften fascia. Treatment is used to treat neck and back pain, headaches, recurring sports injuries, and scoliosis, and other conditions.
