Michael Stilp is a licensed acupuncturist serving York, PA at Firefly Hollow Wellness Center. He enjoys providing holistic approaches to health and healing to his local community as well as classical ballet training and nutrition services.
Alternative medicine refers to practices which have not been verified through scientific research as effective, and may either supplement or replace conventional medical therapies.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice involving inserting thin needles at specific points on the body. Acupuncture works by unblocking the flow of vital energy called qi and helping restore spiritual, emotional and physical equilibrium while treating symptoms like pain, nausea and depression. Acupuncture may help alleviate suffering by increasing natural painkillers such as endorphins. Acupuncture can treat conditions such as shingles, headaches and facial pain as well as helping people quit smoking altogether; but please remember it shouldn’t replace traditional medical advice.
Pyramid Healthcare in York, PA also provides alternative therapies such as art expression therapy and creative writing to aid self-reflection and healing in a supportive environment. They form part of their Trauma Recovery and Empowerment (TREM) program which promotes building self-esteem, resilience and personal empowerment as part of recovery.
At Pyramid Healthcare in York, PA our therapists use advanced techniques that minimize or even eliminate pain during treatment. Depending on your health history and condition, acupuncture usually doesn’t cause much discomfort, although you may feel some sensation from inserting needles. Acupuncture is usually painless but some patients may experience mild sensation when inserting the needles; our experienced team at Pyramid Healthcare uses no-pain solutions so as to provide treatments with minimum or no discomfort for our clients.
Many health insurance providers now include acupuncture as part of your wellness benefits package. If you’re uncertain whether your provider does, contact them and learn more. Before scheduling an acupuncture session, talk with your physician before setting up an appointment and inform the acupuncturist if any illnesses might be affected by blood contact such as Hepatitis B/C or HIV/AIDS are present.
Acupuncture has been shown to reduce stress and back pain, and assist with conditions like fibromyalgia, asthma and migraines. It may also provide benefits in combination with massage therapy or physical therapy treatments; some studies indicate it may even reduce nausea and vomiting from surgery or chemotherapy treatments; additionally it has many gastrointestinal health benefits, including helping with IBS symptoms and constipation.
Massage
Massage can be an effective alternative therapy for relieving pain. By manipulating soft tissues to relax muscles, tendons and ligaments and stimulating nerves to block pain signals reaching the brain, massage can reduce anxiety and relieve stress. A therapist will take into account each person’s medical history when selecting an effective massage technique; some people may experience some discomfort during a massage but severity varies between individuals.
Massage may trigger anxiety attacks for those suffering from conditions like PTSD or agoraphobia, with massage therapists setting off the “fight-or-flight response”, leading to fearful thoughts and reactions when there’s no real threat present. To avoid this happening again, make sure that you speak to your therapist prior to beginning any session. The best way to ensure a positive experience for all parties involved is speaking to each therapist beforehand about possible triggers that might occur during treatment.
Cortney Katz, Licensed Massage Therapist. Cortney graduated from both Center for Body Harmonics and Baltimore School of Massage York PA where she learned that healing begins within. With this belief in mind, her passion lies in providing clients with more natural remedies for healing their bodies. At her core is pride for the impact her work makes – whether that means relieving pain, helping athletes improve strength and agility or informing clients on how best to navigate their wellness journeys. She offers Swedish and deep tissue massage as well as stretching, reflexology and cranial sacral massage – utilizing her extensive expertise for optimal wellbeing in every session. Her holistic approach is founded upon compassion and empathy. She holds that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda medicine has been around for millennia. Originating in India, this holistic health approach relies on balance and harmony principles as its cornerstones; the name ayurveda itself derives from two Sanskrit words meaning life and knowledge respectively.
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system for harmonizing body, mind and spirit through healthy diets, herbal treatments and self-care practices to achieve balance in our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves. Ayurveda emphasizes maintaining an ongoing relationship with nature and the universe while supporting wellbeing for optimal wellbeing.
While Ayurved therapies aren’t typically covered by most health insurance plans, they can still be effective treatments when combined with Western medicine to address various conditions. Before making changes to your regiment or adding new practices to your regime, always speak to a healthcare provider first – this will reduce risks and ensure that any ayurved treatments you undertake are safe for your needs.
Ayurved medicine’s goal is to prevent disease by keeping our bodies healthy through regular exercise, nutritious diets and sound sleep habits. Ayurved medicine also emphasizes maintaining positive attitudes and emotional stability by engaging in meditation or other stress reduction techniques like transcendental meditation to cultivate an overall more peaceful state of being.
Ayurvedic practitioners utilize multiple techniques to assess a patient’s condition, such as observation, palpation and questioning. Ayurved medicine takes into account factors like skin color and texture as well as mouth condition, hair growth and nail shape to establish overall wellbeing in its assessments of health status. Ayurved practitioners also examine urine odor in order to detect possible toxins present.
Detoxification is one of the key elements of Ayurveda therapy and involves using herbs and massage techniques for detox. This process has proven highly successful at treating various diseases while helping restore balance to doshas.
Doshas are energy systems that control bodily functions like movement and breathing. They’re responsible for creating nutrients and energy within our bodies; when out of balance they can cause symptoms such as anxiety and fatigue.
Reiki
Reiki is a noninvasive alternative therapy that has been associated with pain relief, improved mood and sleep improvement in some studies. Reiki may also be used to assist cancer and AIDS patients. Before trying Reiki therapy for yourself it is wise to first discuss it with your physician – they will want to understand more about what it involves as well as any interference it might pose with treatment plans.
Reiki practitioners use gentle touch to heal energy. Based on the belief that there exists an universal life force which promotes health and well-being, this technique doesn’t belong to any particular religious tradition – although some believe that its spiritual effects could be powerful. “Reiki” comes from two Japanese words Rei (universal) and Ki (life force energy).
One study demonstrated how women about to undergo breast biopsy reported less pain after receiving reiki therapy, as it helped them relax and let go of anxiety. Other research indicates reiki can decrease pain medication intake; however, these studies only included limited participants; further research is warranted.
Some hospitals provide Reiki as part of their complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) programs, like Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Their website lists Reiki alongside other therapies they offer; however, without disclosing that Reiki may involve spiritual practices that involve belief in an invisible universal life force that may clash with some patient beliefs.
As with all CAM therapies, reiki research tends to be of low-quality with inconsistent results and should never replace standard care; thus it’s wise to consult a physician prior to undertaking reiki or any other complementary alternative therapies (CAMs).
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) guidelines offer physicians guidance for defining complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, monitoring research conducted on them, identifying their benefits and risks, as well as informing patients of any lack of scientific evidence on reiki therapies. It’s crucial that physicians be aware of this lack of evidence on reiki treatments in order to inform patients accordingly; doing so helps support patient autonomy – “substantial degree of understanding without restriction or hindrance” (Beauchamp & Childress 2009, 101).
