You may or may not know that I am quite new to this blogging thing; sometimes it can be difficult to decide what to know what to write about. Generally I try to draw from events of the previous couple of weeks, treatments I have done, people I have met or places I have been...
Events over the past couple of weeks have been a little different to the norm though,
this past couple of weeks has been filled with sadness as a an old school friend sadly lost her 3 year battle with breast cancer, she was only 40 and left behind two beautiful and amazing daughters who have shown such strength of character throughout their mothers illness and in the recent weeks leading her death at the
beginning of this month.

In times of illness and more so terminal illness our lives are turned upside down and thrown in to such turmoil we rarely know which direction to turn. If we’re lucky we are surrounded by family and good friends who provide the support network we need.
Sometimes however, we need more that emotional support, the stress we suffer is stored in our body’s, thankfully there are a lot of Holistic Therapists out there who are trained to deal with people suffering with long term illness. “Holistic therapies?” you ask, not something we would normally think to look in the direction of, however holistic therapies can in fact be a great source of release for both the patient and their families. They can provide a release from the pain and discomfort the illnesses can bring with them and reduce the effects of stress held in the body and mind.
Treatments such as aromatherapy massage, indian head massage, reflexology, manual lymph drainage and reiki to name but a few all have their place and are designed to work with the body and mind. The time that we take to have these treatments gives us the opportunity to escape, to empty the mind and forget what is going on in our lives, it gives us time for reflection and for the body to release the stress we carry with us on a day to day basis.
It’s true what they say “Free the body and the mind will follow…”

So, having promoted the virtues and benefits of just a small number of the many treatments on offer out there it is equally important that you know that if you are suffering an illness and are under a Doctor or Consultant you MUST seek medical advice first. In some cases the treatment can cause adverse side effects, for instance if you have cancer or a lymphoma massage can actually spread the disease further through your body, however, reflexology is fine.
When you visit a therapist or clinic for the first time you will be asked to complete a client consultation form, please complete this with total honesty, it protects both you and the therapist.

I am guessing your next question is “where do I find out what therapies are available to me?” Well, the answer is there are many places, however I would be inclined to suggest the Federation of Holistic Therapies, their website is www.fht.org . Here you will find all sorts of information regarding different therapies, registered therapists in your area and be able to ask questions relevant to the treatment you are interested in.

So there you have it, holistic therapies in illness, a brief outline that will hopefully give you cause for thought and offer you that additional source of support in a time of need.

Take care and stay strong, and if you have any questions feel free to drop me a line via the website www.bewdleysportsmassage.co.uk