Complementary therapy is usually used to treat people who are suffering from a medical condition. They may or may not also be receiving traditional medical treatment in a hospital at the same time. Complementary therapy usually focuses on treating the patient in a holistic way, that is treating the whole body and soul of the person rather than focusing on the specific area that is giving concern.
Often these therapies have the added benefit of being relaxing, and can help to reduce stress and improve wellbeing at the same time as treating any specific wellness issue. Aromatherapy can be part of this, as the oils used in the process can serve the dual purpose of treating the ailment with their chemical properties and making the person feel relaxed, too. For example, lavender oil is often used to help people sleep, because it contains high levels of esters, which are used as sedatives. What most people don’t know, however, is that they also can be used as a pain reliever due to their analgesic properties. There are also different qualities and strengths of lavender oil, and therapists will use different ones depending on your specific health complaint.
This is different to beauty therapies, which are not carried out in a clinical environment and are mainly used to help people look better or simply for relaxation, without any tailoring to make them specific to any health conditions.
Therapeutic massage is also often used in complementary therapies, and these involve specific techniques such as deep tissue massage or other types such as lymphatic drainage massage, to help with specific medical conditions.
These hands-on techniques vary from a gentle and relaxing massage to a deep and thorough massage, which treats specific muscle problems and tightness, and may be less relaxing and more invigorating.
