More and more alternative health treatments are available these days, however how successful are they in solving our health problems?

A few years ago my girlfriend was having some trouble with her health, she complained of constant aches in various areas of her body. She felt lethargic and generally low. It was affecting many aspects of her life including her career; she worked for a external doors company. She went to the doctor and tried conventional treatments and tablets. This unfortunately did not remedy the situation and she became more and more frustrated.

A friend recommended reflexology and despite many reservations and doubts my girlfriend agreed to give it a go. She returned from her appointment full of excitement and stated that she had never felt more relaxed. In a way it is a bit like the famous saying “horses for courses”; it helped her but that is not to say that it would help everyone.

With this positive outcome my girlfriend became more open to alternative therapy and then decided to attend an aromatherapy appointment. She really enjoyed it and is now looking into other treatments such as reiki and things like an indian head massage, she is becoming hooked.

As for my own experiences, I am somebody who had a speech impediment known as stuttering from the age of four. I attended numerous forms of speech and language therapy during the next decade and a bit. I was advised to speak very slowly and to take a deep breathe before I spoke. I had no confidence with these therapists as a lot of my friends spoke quicker than I did and not one of them took a deep breath before they spoke. They also had never had a stutter themselves and therefore I felt it was impossible for them to understand what I was going through.

After working very hard for nearly year I managed to stop stuttering. I did this by reading many books to do with positive thinking and mind over a matter; I also bought a brilliant self-help DVD from the How To Stuttering Centre in England. I suppose this could be classed as my own complementary therapy – it proved to be successful for me.

I am now doing very well working for a cost reduction company; it sure helps being able to talk fluently.

It has been scientifically proven that optimists tend to live longer than pessimists? It's because positive thinking encourages a healthy physiological environment for healing to occur. The five tenets of yoga can help enhancing positive thinking. Here’s how.

1. Exercise. When we exercise, our bodies release feel-good hormones called endorphins which make you feel fresh and happy.. thereby replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. But more importantly, yoga helps unblock energy pathways, thus allowing energy healing to work.

2. Breathing. Many of us are not aware of the fact that we are not practicing proper breathing techniques. Yoga emphasizes the usage of proper breathing techniques that increase oxygen intake which then enhances the circulation of both blood and energy in our bodies. Thus, toxins of our bodies and the mind, such as negative thoughts, are dispelled more efficiently, allowing for positive thoughts to replace them.

3. Relaxation. Yoga is a calming and rhythmic exercise, involving a lot of stretches and breathing. Through practicing the asanas and various yoga poses, tension is drained from our muscles – promoting relaxation of the body. This relief directly affects your happiness levels and general well-being, making it easier to think positively.

4. Diet. Yoga is very holistic and one of its key principles is a nutritious diet. It recommends a nutritious diet of fresh foods with lots of fruits and vegetable. What we eat has an effect on both our bodies and our minds and food with high oil and preservative content introduces an endless list of toxins to our bodies, thus disrupting our energy flow. The eating habits and diet recommended by yoga encourages not only happiness and optimism, but higher energy levels!

5. Meditation. Lastly, meditation is a crucial element in the practice of yoga and energy healing. Asanas and yoga breathing techniques help us to calm our minds for meditation, which allows us to introspect. It is through deep introspection  that the active release and dispelment of negative and hurtful emotions from our minds occur. Then, these negative emotions can be replaced with calmer and more positive thoughts.