These therapies have been always practiced intermittently though on a small scale but the resurrection of yoga by Ramdev Baba was a turning point. It created a frenzy that took the world by storm, literally, as today he has followers even in USA, UK and many other foreign countries apart from the celebrity clientele. Sri Sri Ravishankar’s Art of Living based on sudarshan kriya is another popular programme that is followed profusely in different parts of the globe and so is the noble path of Vipassana.

Most natural therapies help in relieving pains and may not necessarily cure serious illnesses. Each of these therapies require the supervision of experts else it may cause serious problems though they generally don’t cost much and in many cases are available free of cost. However, one needs to make a well-informed decision about choosing the right therapy.

Yoga is the most simple, economical and popular alternative healing therapy that brings discipline into the functioning of the human body by creating a synergy between the breathing pattern and other organs of the body through pranayama and meditation. There are various asanas that help differently like for cough and cold, one could do anulom-vilom kriya, for kidney stone one could do pavamuktasan or bhujangasan, and of course kapal bharati and surya namaskar for the overall flexibility of the body. Kundalini yoga is also believed to help align the chakras of the body. Yoga has become a mass movement and almost a way of life for many people around the world. It can be done anywhere and even inside one’s own home. Today there are TV channels dedicatedly airing yoga programmes to spread awareness and demonstrating the right way to practice yoga.

Pranic Healing is another alternative therapy that has caught the attention of many. The principle is simple. Every living being possesses the inborn ability to heal itself. Pranic Healing simply enhances this healing process by utilizing the energy of life called ‘Prana’ (life-force) in Sanskrit. More than seventeen Pranic Healing Foundations have been set up in 10 states across India along with active Pranic Healers Associations and Pranic Healing Centres in many other states. Vijay Bishnoi, who has experienced the benefits of Pranic Healing and is a practitioner himself now says, “I am a completely changed person today. My irritability has gone and so are all the bad habits of drinking and tobacco; the system has been cleansed very organically targeting the body energy.”

He adds, “Medicines just work on the physical body of an individual but alternative therapies work on the energy within that is not visible to the naked eye. But the results depend on the receptivity of the patient so he has to be positive about the whole concept. In some cases like kidney failure, Pranic Healing helps to regenerate the tissue instead of asking the person to go for dialysis. Of course, it also depends on the severity of the case. It is practised in more than 90 countries worldwide but needs awareness just like yoga. In fact at Apollo Hospital in Chennai, there is a separate wing dedicated to Pranic Healing where patients are taken through the process before an operation as it helps to reduce loss of blood, enhances recovery rate and also leads to less use of anaesthesia.”

Explaining the efficacy of Pranic Healing, Bishnoi says, “In some cases there have been miraculous recoveries from difficult diseases too. I was treating a 11-year-old girl who had brain tumour and was losing her eye sight. After the healing, her eyesight improved tremendously and so did her confidence. I gave healing to a liver cirrhosis patient who had only 10 days to live, but he is still alive today. I have healed another patient of sclerosis. I have patients even in New York whom I heal from India because we all are connected by earth energy. So you can heal a person in your imagination because in the subconscious mind, the person is still alive.”

Of course, this is not to say that modern medicine is completely replaceable, as in advanced cases or in emergency it is the most sought after method of restoring health.

Reiki, a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us to keep us alive. The ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an “attunement” given by a Reiki master. Reiki teacher, AV Rajan, shares, “What happens is that when the chakras in the body are blocked, the energy doesn’t pass through them. Through Reiki, the chakras that have depleted their energy are refueled. Reiki helps to treat problems of stress, depression, backache or frozen shoulder. But the healer needs to be careful and clean his energy so that negative energy doesn’t catch him as auras work like magnets.”

Certain gemstones are also considered to have beneficial qualities based on the healing energy vibrations that they contain. Informing on colour and gem therapy, Rajan says, “Different coloured stones have different effects on different chakras of the body. The seven colours of the rainbow are associated with the seven chakras (energy centers) of our body. For example, green colour stones work well with the heart chakra, turquoise is for the throat chakra, orange is for the navel and so on. The stone needs to be placed on the relevant chakra for a few minutes and then the chakra is re-scanned till the energy level is reconstituted.”

Aromatherapy is also making waves as an alternative healing therapy. It involves the use of essential oils made out of volatile plant substances and extracted out of different plant matter, like leaves, barks, roots, flowers and so on. Tarun Goyal, founder of Kundalini that supplies essential oils for aromatherapy says, “Aromatherapy is more instant than any other ayurvedic treatment as essential oils get quickly absorbed in the skin and blood. People have grown tired of conventional medicine and want to get into natural therapies.

Although aromatherapy is mainly used for beauty purposes today, it has a lot of potential as medicinal cure too, just that it needs the right promotion and awareness. The best part about aromatherapy is that it works on the fragrance that cures emotional imbalance. For instance, if you have a headache due to stress, you could try lavender oil which will immediately stimulate the olfactory nerve, the only nerve that directly connects to the brain. Geranium oil is used as an astringent, antiseptic and diuretic. Eucalyptus oil is helpful for cold and cough. But these oils need to be diluted with carrier oils, as they are concentrated. Aromatherapy is perhaps the only therapy that can alter your emotions.”

The fact that all these natural therapies have made a presence felt in different parts of the world is enough proof of their universal acceptability. Yoga has become a huge phenomenon everywhere and any kind of spiritual healing has seen tremendous nterest from the West. However these help most in cases when they are made a part of one’s life rather than done in isolation as therapy techniques. In most cases they need to be followed with attitudinal change too where healthy eating habits and living stress free is promoted continuously. They certainly help prevent many diseases.

Since these are now in vogue and people are willing to pay any price for them, many fakes jump on to the bandwagon in an attempt to make a quick buck. Hence one has to be careful.

But all said and done, people are now more open to adopting these alternative-healing therapies and why not – when they come without any side effects, if done with proper research and guidance. Going organic is the best prevention!