If you are experiencing ongoing pain that affects your ability to move around with ease, or your ability to perform everyday tasks without experiencing discomfort, your doctor may refer you to be treated by a physical therapist. Often, a person’s range of motion is limited due to an injury (such as from a motor vehicle accident), disability (possibly do to arthritis or the aging process) or a physically debilitating illness (e.g., fibromyalgia, symptoms from a stroke or Parkinson’s).
A physical therapist is a licensed health professional who works with patients who are experiencing problems relating to physical movement and normal bodily function. Limitations to movement can be caused by any number of reasons including age, existing health conditions, traumatic injury resulting from an accident or injuries incurred while playing sports.
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is a patient-centered therapy that aims to improve the health and well-being of an individual be able to conduct his or her “occupation.” In other words, this therapy is designed to assist the person needing help to get through his or her day-to-day activities. While many medical patients recovering from trauma or surgery are referred to occupational therapy providers by medical doctors, the main goal of occupational therapy is to help people achieve his or recovery or physical exertion goals to assist them in getting the most out of their lives.
Natural cures refers to a type of therapy involving the use of foods or products containing naturally-sourced ingredients that people buy, harvest or create for themselves. Generally, the purpose of using natural cures is to heal or mitigate symptoms of a wide range of health conditions. Please note that the term ‘natural cures’ can be misleading, inasmuch as many natural products are not able to cure health conditions.
With that said, many people resort to natural cures and natural remedies as a self-help alternative to recognized medical practices. Natural cures typically include a gentle or gradual form of treatment for a variety of ailments and illnesses. Natural cures, usually containing plant-based ingredients, are found in various cultures from around the world. Many natural cures have been passed down from generation to generation by laypeople, and many cultures have a history that describes natural medicine men and women - from the so-called witches of Western Europe who used herbal remedies to treat illnesses and injuries, to the Australian Aborigines who still practice natural medicine to this day.
What is massage therapy?
Massage therapy is the term used to describe any of the hands-on treatments where a trained therapist manipulates the muscles and soft tissues of the body, in order to ease pain, relieve muscle tension and improve the overall health and well-being of an individual.
While massage therapy focuses on the body as a whole, the main systems of the body being targeted for relief are the musculoskeletal, circulatory, nervous and lymphatic systems. Massage therapy is also a relaxing form of therapy that is beneficial for people who are suffering from stress, anxiety or depression, or for those who simply want to take time out to relax.
Massage therapy is practiced in a number of settings including private massage practices, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, businesses, offices and sports venues.
What do marital counselors do?
Marital counselors are professional, licensed therapists that help people who experience difficulties within their intimate relationships. Marriage counseling, sometimes known as couples therapy or counseling, can help couples to resolve conflict, understand the other person better and improve the relationship in general. Marital counselors provide couples with the tools to communicate in more productive and positive ways, and show them how to negotiate their problems in a way that is healthy for the relationship.
Although the term may suggest that marital counselors only help people that are in legally recognized relationships, marital counselors work with people in all kinds of relationships - whether heterosexual or same-sex relationships or whether the couple is legally married, co-habiting or in a relationship where neither partner lives with the other. Sometimes marital counselors work with only one partner in the relationship if the other partner is unwilling, or unable, to attend the therapy sessions.
What is art therapy?
Art therapy is an expressive form of therapy that is used by trained professionals to treat a wide range of emotional and psychological conditions. In art therapy, people are encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings through the medium of art, in order to improve physical and emotional well-being. Both children and adults can receive benefits from this form or therapeutic release.
Benefits Gained from Using a Massage Therapist
Most would agree that getting a massage is a luxury, though now, it can be considered an added benefit in a clinical setting.
Not just for Pampering yourself
Of course, people enjoy pampering themselves with a massage every now and again but looking at the added benefits in getting a massage can be life changing for some. Whether you need a massage therapist for health issues, such as a debilitating disease, tension headaches, arthritis, or even carpal tunnel syndrome, getting a massage that targets those specific areas, benefit your daily life and well-being. Massage therapy has been proven to relieve pain, reduce blood pressure, and even reduce anxiety and/or depression. Some theories suggest that massage therapy activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which may stimulate the release of endorphins and serotonin. Massages can prevent fibrosis or scar tissue, increase the flow of lymph and even improve sleep!
According to a 2007 American Massage Therapy Association survey, almost a quarter of all adult Americans had at least one massage in the previous year. More and more people are recognizing the health benefits of getting a massage. They choose from many massage styles to get relief from pain or to heal old or present injuries, to help with certain health conditions or disease, and to promote overall health and well-being.
Physical therapy, sometimes called physiotherapy and often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession primarily concerned with the remediation of physical impairments and disabilities. To accomplish the needed therapy the promotion of mobility, functional ability and movement potential are addressed. First there is a through examination, evaluation and diagnosis. Then the prescribed physical therapy is applied.
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment. The goal of AAT is to improve a patient’s social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. Advocates state that animals can be useful for educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. A therapist who brings along a pet may be viewed as being less threatening, increasing the rapport between patient and therapist. Animals used in therapy include domesticated pets, farm animals and marine mammals (such as dolphins).
Starting in the 1950s Carl Rogers brought Person-centered psychotherapy into mainstream focus.
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Most forms of psychotherapy use spoken conversation. Some also use various other forms of communication such as the written word, artwork, drama, narrative story or music. Psychotherapy with children and their parents often involves play, dramatization (i.e. role-play), and drawing, with a co-constructed narrative from these non-verbal and displaced modes of interacting.[10] Psychotherapy occurs within a structured encounter between a trained therapist and client(s). Purposeful, theoretically based psychotherapy began in the 19th century with psychoanalysis; since then, scores of other approaches have been developed and continue to be created.
A prevention or preventive measure is a way to avoid an injury, sickness, or disease in the first place, and generally it will not help someone who is already ill (though there are exceptions). For instance, many babies in developed countries are given a polio vaccination soon after they are born, which prevents them from contracting polio. But the vaccination does not work on patients who already have polio. A treatment or cure is applied after a medical problem has already started.
In addition to (or in place of) the intended therapeutic effect of a treatment, a therapist may cause undesired (adverse) effects as well. When an adverse effect is weaker than the therapeutic effect, one commonly speaks of a "side effect".