Treatment-Based Therapies
The list of treatment-based therapies is long. I'm only going to cover the ones that are inexpensive, accessible for most people, and produce the greatest amount of benefit. Send me any suggestions of therapies that have helped you along your path!
Note: I gain nothing financially or socially for recommending any of the below therapies.
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Flower Essences
Flowers, like herbs, are powerful tools of nature that we can use to benefit our health.
Edward Bach was a modern pioneer of a modality using the essences of flowers to enhance the quality of one's life. The Bach Rescue Remedy is one of the most renown and effective treatments for anxiety on the market.
I highly recommend using this flower essence formula for those suffering anxiety. I've used this since 2015 during my Paleo days. The price has increased to over $20 for 20 mL but it's still worth it for its effectiveness. You can also find this formula at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other health food stores if you don't want to purchase online.
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Dr. Morse highly recommends these types of formulas for clients. He has used Kathrin Woodlyn Bateman's flower essence products from Running Fox Farms in his clinical practice to balance the emotional trauma people experienced in emergency rooms, the Oklahoma City Bombing and in mental health clinics. I've not been able to locate that particular formula on iHerb or online, but definitely try it out if you can find it (please send me a link so I can try it as well).
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Rescue Remedy Website: https://www.nelsons.com/en-us/rescue/
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dropper-Natural-Homeopathic-Sugar-Free-Non-Habit/dp/B00N54OGY4/
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Chromotherapy (Color Therapy) and Arts & Crafts
Certain colors can elicit certain moods, thoughts or emotions from us. Red can be very aggressive while yellow is more warm and uplifting. Use colors to add subtle enhances to your mood and emotions.
Society has trapped us in concrete jungles surrounded by stark contrasts of white and gray. All of our cars and houses are beginning to look more uniform gray, and sadly many of us don't get enough exposure to the outdoors. Fill your bedroom with plants and flowers. Paint your bedroom walls yellow, mint green, sky blue or any other uplifting color. There's a reason why hospitals are straying away form the traditional stark and often bleak floor plans and are transitioning to more luxury hotel aesthetics.
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When in doubt, you can always fill your bedroom with posters, portraits, photos, plushies, toys, or action figures. The more joy and fun you can surround yourself with, the better.
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There's something to be said about filling out a coloring book, sketching, doodling, crocheting, painting, and just generally getting lost in expressing yourself. Even if you lack artistic skills like me, you can still benefit from the experience of losing yourself in whatever stick-figure drawing you create.
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Use Legos, Gundam modeling kits, puzzles, and a whole host of other projects to clear your mind and focus your attention on building and creating. This is the polar opposite of the destruction and greed that is accomplished on social media.
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Posture Alignment Therapy
Most people have severe posture issues, whether it's forward head posture, anterior pelvic tilt, an elevated or rotated hip, an elevated or rotated shoulder, a side lean, knocked knees, flattened arches in their feet, or a flattened back. Some are keenly aware of their limitations (and experience pain), while others blindly go about their lives living with compensations but don't feel pain. Sometimes the muscular compensations end up in injury, other times it just makes things like walking, running or swimming uncomfortable and a chore. The overpriced $200+ shoes we wear make us walk like ducks and cause the muscles in our feet and ankles to compensate. Our sedentary lifestyles further lock in muscular patterns of forward head posture. Most people don't even experience movements like reaching above their heads for weeks on end. You can only imagine how the body compensates with such a lack of activity.
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The Egoscue Method is the best postural alignment therapy program on the market today. The method is effective is removing muscular compensations that the body has adopted over time that throw off your natural movements and ultimately cause pain. The Method breaks down all postural problems into 3 different conditions:
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Condition 1 postures are characterized by muscular tightness.
Condition 2 postures are characterized by rotation or elevation from one side to the other.
Condition 3 postures are characterized by muscular weakness.
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Athletes mostly fall within Condition 1 scenarios (everted duck feet, rounded shoulders) while older seniors may fall within condition 3 (think of the "C" spine many older people have when walking or standing).
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Most people fall within a combination of Condition 2 and either Condition 1 or 3, meaning most people have rotation and elevation in their hips/shoulders on either side while having severe tightness or weakness compounding itself.
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Watch this video to get some more understanding on Postural Conditions:
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I went through a full year of 16 sessions at one of their clinics. Let me say that it is absolutely a time commitment doing one's prescribed menu every single day. You're not not going to feel like doing your menu every day, and you will have a mental battle at midnight when you haven't done your menu yet and you have to go to work at 8 am. Fixing your posture takes commitment, and the different exercises are not easy. In fact, many of them are exhausting as they work muscles you haven't worked in years. I don't recommend going through a full year of Egoscue sessions if you have lots of commitments and very little time in your schedule.
You can still work on your posture and feel better simple be implementing different Egoscue exercises into your daily routine.
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My 3 favorite Egoscue Therapists with a YouTube channel are the following:
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Justin Archer (shown below): https://www.youtube.com/c/JustinArcherThePostureGuy
Maryanne Berry: https://www.youtube.com/c/RealignTherapy
Posture Ellie: https://www.youtube.com/c/PostureEllie
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Justin Archer does the best introductory videos to explain more of the logic and dynamics of posture alignment therapy. Check out this list to get a more well rounded understanding:
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You can do the Egoscue exercises at home and you don't need to pay for anything if you just follow the YouTube videos. Seeing an actual Egoscue therapist would be ideal as they can assign you custom exercise menus that match what your particular body needs and they can coach you on your form which is extremely important to get the most from the exercises. With that said, the $2750 price tag for 16 sessions is a lot of money to ask for when most people don't have severe postural issues. Many would benefit from just following some YouTube videos with a little trial and error on their exercise selection.
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Here's my top 11 Egoscue Exercises I recommend most able-bodied people try out.
1) Static Back - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI-aufiIN3A
2) Gravity Drop - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhBVJX273mQ&t=8s
3) Static Wall - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6esYufXngIo
4) Cats & Dogs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RxaW74wlQs
5) Standing Arm Circles - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZo6ABS1U0M
6) Elbow Curls - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9zAf87T-es
7) Standing Overhead Extension - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKDApSsW7Og
8) Static Extention - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZGtZYcRb-g
9) Supine Groin Stretch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hINNL9oUnrM
10) Supine Foot Circles & Point Flexes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seF2LgYnZB8
11) Frog - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pvu5qceunk
Regarding equipment, you'll need a couple of yoga blocks, a yoga mat, a yoga strap, a step stool, and a chair or bed measuring 24 inches tall that you could rest your lower legs on (in the Static Back position). You can use your cell phone for a timer.
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You could buy posture equipment on Amazon or from companies like Crooked Human: https://www.crookedhuman.com/egoscue.html
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You can also use the Egoscue Method website to buy equipment:
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The equipment would run you $300+ with tax and shipping for the one large block, two small blocks, and slant board. You would still need to buy a step stool and yoga strap from a place like Target or Walmart that could run you around $30 total. It's all worth it to give you dedicated equipment that you can instantly use rather than have to set up a chair or couch by propping up blankets or towels to get the right measurements. The chair or mattress is always good in a pinch or if you're in a hotel room traveling.
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Go through the content of the 3 Egoscue therapists and the watch the YouTube videos listed to learn as much about functional movement as possible. You will feel better and move more freely with less limitation.
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Sunlight Therapy
Go out into the sun for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. If you can work remotely and on a laptop, try to do an hour or two of work out in the sun on your balcony or in your back yard.
If you work in an office all day, you need to spend your lunch hour outside. Use every bit of that hour in the sun and in nature. If you bring Tupperware containers of fruit with you to work, or stuff gallon sized Ziplock bags with organic apples and pears like I did a few years ago, you wouldn't have to worry about wasting time prepping or heating food in the kitchen's microwave. That's time you could have spent in the sun.
You can focus that lunch hour strictly enjoying some hydrating and energizing fruit while basking in the sun. You could use that hour to rest to soothing music/asmr or go out and walk around the building/grounds after you eat (if your company allows/encourages that). Whatever you do, enjoy the sunlight!
Note: Please do not use sunglasses unless absolutely needed for safety! You need full spectrum light for your eyes or you will regret it as you get older. Just look at most seniors with the sunglasses that cover their entire face!
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Hot and Cold Showers
When I was very acidic and on the paleo diet back in 2015-2016, I was taking freezing cold showers every single day (even in the winter) just to cool down. It was therapeutic but not curative as the acidic environment in my body was due to my lymph system. Acids produce heat and dehydrate you. The only way to remove the acids is to detox it out of the body, whether through your kidneys, skin or from your mouth or rectum. The cold water did help me relax and enhance my breathing, but it wasn't going to heal my kidneys. Cold is alkaline and can help you detoxify. That's why everyone "catches" a cold in the winter. The cold weather will detox you of your mucus and congestion. Many get sniffles and runny noses in the cold. Use that as a tool to draw and pull some mucus out of you.
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I wish everyone had the opportunity to visit somewhere cold and immerse themselves in freezing cold water. Cold water immersion is fantastic, but it's not something everyone has access to. That's why cold and warm showers are great as most people have access to showers that have both cold and warm water.
The trick with the cold water is to balance with the use of intervals of warm water. The warm water will help move the lymph fluid and relax you as well. Use the warm water first as jumping into cold water first in the fall and winter seasons is a little difficult and demotivating. Use warm water for a minute, then switch to the coldest water you can get for another minute, then switch back to warm water and repeat a good 5-7 times. In the span of 10-15 minutes, you've not only had a relaxing and soothing shower, you've also helped in the detox experience. Plus, doing this method makes sure you don't waste so much water by taking a 30-60 minute shower. You're treating your shower more as a therapy and tool rather than just a means to just clean yourself.
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Always end your hot and cold shower intervals with cold water. Cold is alkaline and you want to leave the shower as alkaline as possible.
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Steam Therapy
Your skin is your 3rd Kidney, so to speak, and is your largest eliminative organ. Sweating is one of the body's way of removing cellular wastes and acids out of the body.
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Many people have lost the ability to sweat because of the low thyroid function. No matter how hot the temperature gets, or how much they exert themselves exercising, they can't sweat apart from their arm pits, hands and feet (if they're wearing shoes).
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When you're not sweating, you can guarantee that your skin is being backed up with lymph. Dry, itchy and flaky skin is the result of a stagnant lymph system in the skin, apart from all of the many skin disorders out there.
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For those with adequate thyroid function, many don't exert themselves enough throughout the day or live in air conditioned environments where they don't subject the body to hot temperatures. You're doing yourself a disservice from not sweating enough.
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Steam rooms offer a great means of relaxation and a means to sweat all of the toxins from the body.
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Always try to take a cold shower after using a steam room as cold is alkaline and we want to keep the body as alkaline as possible.
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If you need a make-shift sauna and can't afford/don't have access to a steam room, turn on the hot water in the shower and let the steam fill the bathroom. You can even implement hot and cold intervals in the shower to not only sweat but get your lymph moving as well. Finish off any hot water with cold water as cold is alkaline and part of the alkaline chemistry equation.
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Massage Therapy (Create Your Own Foam Roller)
Don't go and shell out $100+ per session to see a massage therapist or even spend $60 for an overpriced foam roller.
Instead, go to Home Depot and purchase a thick PVC pipe that is 6 inches in width and ask an employee to cut it to your desired length (typically around 3-4 feet would be ideal). Apply duck tape to the edges of the pipe so that you don't cut yourself. Use this pipe as a makeshift foam roller that is indestructible and will not deflate on you after a month of use like typical ones from sporting goods stores.
A warning is that this version of a foam roller is the most intense you can use, but I find it perfect for most people as the more cushioned versions just don't give you a deep enough massage. You can always add foam or cloth from an arts & crafts store for some cushioning/comfort.
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Refer to these YouTube videos with instructions on how to use a foam roller. You can target all of your lower legs for a great massage session.
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Here are some videos to give you examples on how to use a foam roller:
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If you wanted to purchase a foam roller online that had padding, I would go for the Trigger Point brand. A little overpriced, but the middle portion is made up of a pvc pipe for a deeper massage experience.
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Here's a link to the TP foam roller on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/TriggerPoint-Roller-Instructional-Original-13-inch/dp/B0040EGNIU/
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I would also visit Walmart or Target and pick up a lacrosse ball and a golf ball. Use these to directly target specific tissues like the arches of your feet. Stand on one, pull your toes back and breath while rolling the ball under your foot.
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Will this be better than seeing a massage therapist? No. But if you can use a foam roller or lacrosse ball when it's convenient for you, you will absolutely benefit and feel better afterward.
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Enjoy the benefits of a massage without the high costs and awkwardness of seeing a massage therapist!
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ASMR
Yes, I know the memes and the jokes surrounding ASMR, but the effectiveness cannot be overstated. Don't knock it until you try it. In this day and age of massive stress, we need as much relaxation techniques and content as we can get that's free and accessible.
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Do not watch the ASMR videos involving eating, tapping, clicking, fluttering or sudden noises. This is key: You want a video with a person speaking throughout most of the video, and not one that is mostly background noises. You want the person to be speaking in a kind, inviting, and stable manner with no quick changes in the speed or pitch of their voice. You do not want sudden jumps in volume or anything that can turn your alertness back on. Avoid surprises, camera changes or anything that can be remotely considered a threat or attention grabber. You want to get lost in the safety and trust of the individual in a static environment. You want to simulate the feeling of a mother reading a bedtime story to her child and doing so in a way that puts the child softly to sleep.
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Some of the best female YouTubers that produce ASMR content:
Whispers Red ASMR: https://www.youtube.com/c/WhispersRedASMR
Gentle Whispering ASMR: https://www.youtube.com/c/GentleWhisperingASMR
Moonlight Cottage ASMR: https://www.youtube.com/@MoonlightCottageASMR
Jeannie B ASMR: https://www.youtube.com/@JeannieBASMR
Gibi ASMR: https://www.youtube.com/@GibiASMR
Blue Whisper: https://www.youtube.com/@BluewhisperForest
Some of the best male YouTubers that produce ASMR content:
Fred's Voice: https://www.youtube.com/@FredsVoice
Whispering Gentleman ASMR: https://www.youtube.com/@WhisperingGentlemanASMR
Lloyd's ASMR: https://www.youtube.com/@LLOYDSASMR
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You will find their content both professional and effective in helping you to relax. Go into it letting go of any tension you may be holding in your body and let your body feel "heavy." Close your eyes and clear your thoughts. Just let go and be in the moment. You may fall asleep faster than you realize!
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Music Therapy
Music is absolutely powerful in changing one's state of mind, mood, and energy. The famous musician Frank Zappa even stated, "The ways in which sound affects the human organism are myriad and subtle." You can use music to try focus on homework, when working out at the gym, or use it as a means to disengage and put your mind at ease. Music can then be used as a tool to put yourself into whatever state you desire. Similar to ASMR, we can use music as a means of therapy and to relax the mind and body. In a world that does everything it can to prevent tranquility, put some amount of control back into your hands by controlling the very sounds you listen to every day.
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Here is my list of hand-picked relaxing/calming music to put you in a receptive and serene mood to help you let go and lighten up. I'm not guaranteeing you'll love every song in this list, but it's all free to listen to on YouTube. Please enjoy the fruits of my music-appreciation journey since my youth. This list is ever-expanding and I'd absolutely be open to suggestions for other songs with or without vocals. Enjoy!
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Wandering Flame: https://youtu.be/_sLHf38gY_4?si=Sy07NK5RnCEKNp_k (Click here for a Lo-Fi Version)
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Mirror's Edge Puzzle Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyBxBFvE_54
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Aquatic Ambiance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5rAjOjTGtc
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Stickerbrush Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQx91RR3Y8o
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Dearly Beloved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amwn4l3315M
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Zelda's Lullaby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9FeFkMyBIY
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Sleepy Head (Instrumental): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiHEWozeAb8
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Time Chamber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayj7gIRNtoc
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Phendrana Drifts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbbUv1hz6mE
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Intro (OoT): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP39ZRq__fA
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Dire Dire Docks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ey81GRMCAg
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Xion's Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5moTuo-4MKU
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Corridors of Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXo3DrXHY8w
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Song of Healing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXnWfx6bIVE
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Skyrim Atmospheres: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPZtRmx1Dyk
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High Charity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNGe454x4jw
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Going for a Walk: https://youtu.be/HI7KG4yJu3E
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Yes, if you can probably guess, I played way too many video games in my youth. I have no regrets, especially when those experiences gave me exposure to these songs and the accompanying social interaction.
Let let know if any of the above links are taken down and I can find a replacement video.
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