Holistic healing treatment is based on the idea that the body mind and spiritfunction as a harmonious union and adverse effects on one also affect onthe others, requiring treatment of the whole body to restore and balance it. All holistic techniques begin with the same basic philosophy: to correct animbalance within people, when they develop addictions. Addicts become trapped, unaware, and unable to deal with their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

They may drink, take drugs, or eat in excess to disassociate from their deficiency. The goal of many holistic therapies is to restore the body to its aturally healthy state by connecting mind, body and spirit. Holistic therapies take away some of the underlying causes of abuse by helping people become conscious of and take responsibility for the way they think, feel, and act.

The best treatments offered are psychotherapy or group therapy, especially when it is open to the holistic view of treating the entire person, not just the addiction, and other holistic therapies that include acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga and substance abuse counseling; referrals to detoxification and treatment facilities.

Holistic therapies are most helpful when they are used in conjunction with other treatments, refers Barrie R. Cassileth, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University,who has written extensively on alternative therapies and cancer treatments. Frank Gawin, M.D., scientific director of a laboratory examining addictions at the University of California Los Angeles is currently involved in the largest alternative therapy, a six-city-study–to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture on cocaine addiction. Dr. Gawin believes that holistic therapies should continue to be practiced while studies are underway, so long as people receive psychotherapy and are fully informed that these treatments have not yet been proven effective.

Therapeutic Massage

It is hard to believe that addiction can be cured with massage, but the power of this hands-touch therapy is being tested on people dealing with anorexia, bulimia, smoking, and other addictions, with impressive results.The mind-body connection is important in holistic treatments, and massage is one of them. People with addictions can become trapped in a cycle of avoiding their problems and disassociating from their bodies. The experience where someone touches, respects, and cares for a person’s body, can break that cycle, helping addicts reconnect physically and center themselves emotionally and be more able to talk about and come to terms with an addiction.

In addition, massage releases tension and improves energy, it is powerful chemical impact on the body. The loosening of tight muscles sends the body a signal to cut down production of stress hormones, such as cortisol. Massage helps to maintain hormone balance, evening out mood fluctuations, calming the body and mind; and moves lymphs through the body, assisting in its natural cleansing process.

Yoga and meditation

Hata yoga, set postures, where people hold positions for varying lengths of time, stretching and contracting their muscles and breathing deeply, simulates the relaxing effects of the parasympathetic nervous system and removes tension from all the major muscle groups. Certain Yoga postures actually massage internal organs, helping dispel toxins that may have built up in the liver and kidneys from substance abuse.

Those who practiced yoga for 90 minutes once a week and received individual therapy once a week reduced their drug use, criminal activity, and cravings as much as those who went to group therapy once a week and had individual counseling.

Recovery programs are starting to recognize that the mind-body-spirit approach of yoga is a great add-on therapy to conventional treatments for drug, alcohol,and food abuse as well as addictive behaviors like gambling and shopping. “Addict people are profoundly out of control internally. They have imprudent panic reactions and tempers, and yoga treats the biology and the psychology of an addict, regain control over their body and their mind,” explains New York City addiction psychotherapist Mary Margaret Frederick, Ph.D.

Acupuncture

While some but not all studies of acupuncture for the treatment of alcohol abuse have shown beneficial, many addiction programs that currently offer acupuncture report that people appear to accept acupuncture and, in many cases, want to continue with their detoxification program for longer periods of time when acupuncture is provided as a treatment option.

Acupuncturists treat people with alcoholism based addictions on an individualized assessment of the excesses and deficiencies of qi, or vital energy located in various meridians, or energy channels. In the case of alcoholism, a qi deficiency is usually detected in the liver meridian, while the gallbladder meridian tends to contain an excess of qi.

Body and Mind

Cognitive-behavioral therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist alone or in combination with a 12-step program is a very effective treatment advance for alcohol addiction. This type of therapy, which is oriented toward restructuring addicts beliefs and thought processes about drinking, can help them cope with stress and control behavior.

Homeopathic

There have been few studies examining the effectiveness of specific homeopathic remedies. Professional homeopaths, however, may recommend a treatment for alcoholism based on their knowledge and clinical experience. Before prescribing a remedy, homeopaths take into account a person’s constitutional type, or prakruti, the same principles of Ayurvedic Medicine from India that tell each person has a dominant personality and body type characterized by one or a combinationof three doshas –pitta, vata, and kapha–Each imparts strengths and vulnerabilities evident in behavior, physical and intellectual makeup,and health tendencies.

An experienced homeopath assesses all of these factors when determining the most appropriate remedy for a particular individual. Some examples of remedies that an experienced homeopath might consider for symptoms related to alcohol abuse or withdrawal, are the following:

• Arsenicum album for anxiety and compulsiveness, with nausea, vomiting,and diarrhea
• Nux vomica for irritability and compulsiveness with constipation, nausea, and vomiting
• Lachesis for cravings for alcohol, headaches, and difficulty swallowing
• Staphysagria for irritated individuals, who tend to suppress their emotions and may have been abused physically, sexually, or psychologically in the past