Bodywork (alternative medicine)

Manipulative and body-based methods - edit
NCCAM classifications
  1. Alternative Medical Systems
  2. Mind-Body Intervention
  3. Biologically Based Therapy
  4. Biologically Based Massage Heights
  5. Manipulative Methods
  6. Energy Therapy
See also

Bodywork is a term used in alternative medicine to describe any therapeutic or personal development technique that involves working with the human body in a form involving manipulative therapy, breath work, or energy medicine. In addition bodywork techniques aim to assess or improve posture, promote awareness of the "mind-body connection", or to manipulate a putative "energy field" surrounding the human body and affecting health.

Contents

Forms

Some of the best known forms of consciousness non-touch bodywork methods include: Reiki, Yoga, Pranayama, as well as other non-touch methods: Breathwork respiration techniques, Therapeutic touch, Bates method for sight training, Qigong, and T'ai chi.

The better known forms of manipulative bodywork include Alexander technique, Applied Kinesiology, Bioenergetics, Bowen technique, Chiropractic, Feldenkrais method, Polarity therapy, Postural Integration (PI), Reflexology, Rolfing, Shiatsu, Structural Integration, Somatic Experiencing, Trager Approach.

Massage

One form of bodywork is deep tissue massage therapy, and the terms massage and bodywork are often used interchangeably. While bodywork includes all forms of massage techniques, it also includes many other types of touch therapies.

Popularity of bodywork in the U.S.A.

According to a 2002 survey of adults in the United States by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS):[1]

Notes

  1. ^ Barnes, Patricia M.; Eve Powell-Griner, Kim McFann, and Richard L. Nahin (2004-05-27). "Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults: United States, 2002". Advance Data from vital and health statistics 343. http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats/2002/report.pdf. Retrieved 2010-05-21. Lay summary. 

See also

External links