While there are various holistic therapies for the treatment of depression, stress and anxiety, wellness experts are constantly looking at unique ways to approach lifestyle ailments.

Feeling tired and sleepy despite drinking several cups of coffee? Go to a closed room, stretch your shoulder and scream out loud. Repeat this a few times and you will feel energetic and fresh. This is known as power posture therapy and has become popular over the years.

While there are various holistic therapies for the treatment of depression, stress and anxiety, wellness experts are constantly looking at unique ways to approach lifestyle ailments. Power posture is one such cure. However, there are different ways to use this technique. It can be done with or without shouting or by forceful action of hands, legs and other body parts. But each action should be accompanied with positive thoughts. 

“For cases such as anxiety, mood disorders, lack of confidence and mismanagement of time, we have been using power posture. We see almost six-seven such patients between age group of 40-60 every month. Most of these patients are at top positions professionally. After practicing power posture therapy they see drastic changes in their personality,” says Dr Jitendra Nagpal, head of psychiatry at Moolchand Hospital, Delhi.

On the benefits of the therapy, Dr KK Aggarwal, senior internal medicine specialist, says, “Power posture improves the ability to handle stress and control the emotions. Practicing different types of power posture regularly brings positive changes in daily life. It’s a confidence booster practice as well.” Dr Aggarwal, who is the president of Heart Care Foundation of India, has been conducting training workshops on this therapy.

“More and more people are using and practising this therapy. Most of my patients are noticing a change in their performance at work,” he adds. 

Another unusual therapy that is recommended by doctors is crying. There is scientific evidence, which indicates even shedding a few drops of tear releases toxins and helps lessen stress levels. “If patients start crying, we don’t discourage them as we know it is a natural healer for certain kinds of emotional problems,” says Dr Shrikant Sharma, senior internal medicine consultant at Moolchand Hospital, Delhi. He further adds that crying increases the production of endorphins, a natural pain killer and happy hormones in the body.

Besides physical detoxification, emotional tears work magically in the body. “Generally, there are three types of tears that work differently for the body. Normal tears which lubricate eyes; crying tears wash out negative thoughts and give relaxation to the brain; and laughter tears which provide the effect of satisfaction. Tears contain a number of hormones, including stress hormones and chemicals. While crying, they come out from the body and lower the stress level,” adds Dr Aggarwal. 

“For five percent of cases in our OPD (outpatient department), we follow crying therapy along with the medication.  These are the people, between the age group of 22 and 40, who are suffering from acute anxiety, depression, suppression of emotions, lack of emotional ventilation, pain in the body and psychosomatic disorder. Crying brings fruitful results. We have a group of trained social workers, psychologists to provide this therapy,” adds Dr Nagpal. 

In cases of mild depression, sadness, shock syndrome, anxiety doctors refer to the cuddle therapy. Hugging, touching loved ones increases the level of oxytocin, which is also called the love hormone and reduces stress level and depression. Interestingly, this hormone is good for intestinal problems as well. Cuddling loved ones also helps lower blood pressure. “The relationship between a mother and an infant is the best example of cuddling. A mother’s touch gives the child a sense of security and helps reduce social anxiety,” explains Dr Sharma. 

Because of increasing social pressures and the constant competition at work, anxiety and fear of failure are some of the most crippling ailments that affect many today. To help battle these conditions, past life regression therapy has become a popular choice. Dr Anjali Chabra, a leading psychiatrist in Mumbai, elaborates: “It helps patients to know the answer for the unnecessary fears being faced by them in their daily routine and everyday life. It is also helpful in getting rid of anxiety problems or irrational behaviour. It’s a hypnotic therapy that aims to heal the roots of existing health problems through recalling previous life experiences.”

Similarly, sound bowl therapy is another emerging cure, which uses special kinds of bowls to invoke the seven chakras in the human body through different sound effects. Each bowl produces special sound frequencies for different organs of the body and heals them. In Unani medicine, leech therapy is used to treat ulcers, dissolve blood clots and reduce pain, especially in the knee area and other swellings. New therapies are being explored every day, and individuals, who are not keen on consuming traditional medicine, can explore these alternative methods. 

 Weird but effective

• Power posture therapy enables an individual to boost energy, confidence and performance at work.
• Crying therapy is recommended by doctors to increase the level of endorphins in the body, which helps eliminate stress and depression.
• Sound bowl therapy used bowls that produces sounds at different frequencies, which helps heal different organs of the human body.
• Cuddling therapy, similar to its name, refers to cuddling and touching loved ones to invoke a sense of security and reduce social anxiety.

Reproduced from: http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/health/2019/mar/10/alchemy-of-quirky-alternatives-1947705.html, Published 10th March 2019