Holistic Health Careers
Many people are interested in holistic health careers with a focus on overall wellness and healing. Holistic healing typically refers to finding the root cause of ailments before overall diagnosis of the issues. There are many career paths in this industry, and they have become increasingly more popular partly because of aging baby boomers looking for alternative health treatments. Most holistic careers require extensive training and education, as well as completion of certification programs.
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Massage
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Many massage therapy careers involve the study of pressure points, reflexology, acupressure, healing touch and different massage techniques, such as reiki and shiatsu. These jobs are typically found in hotels, physical therapy centers, sports centers, rehabilitation clinics, spas and alternative healing centers. Most massage therapists must take classes in anatomy and physiology, as well as complete a minimum amount of required hands-on training.
Chinese Medicine
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Chinese medicine encompasses a wide variety of treatments, including acupuncture, herbal therapy and aromatherapy. The typical philosophy behind this type of medicine is that the body, mind and spirit are connected, and the human body has connecting energy fields that can cause illness when unbalanced. Practitioners of this type of holistic health career also must study specific herb properties and the principles of yin and yang. These jobs can be found in Southeast Asian medicine clinics and private practices.
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Chiropractic
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Chiropractors usually diagnosis and treat spinal, nervous, muscular and skeletal problems with a variety of treatments, including massage, physical therapy and realignment techniques. Many people go to chiropractors to find alternatives to surgery or prescription pain medications. This holistic health career is in high demand and needed in several areas, including pediatrics, orthopedics and sports injuries. The majority of practitioners have private, solo practices.
Energy Healing
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Energy healers usually work with the patient's life force and energy fields to rebalance and invigorate poor health conditions. They typically study aromatherapy, bioenergetics, biofeedback, and sound healing methods. The philosophy behind this holistic health method is that there is a universal energy that may be tapped into to heal the physical body. There is usually extensive knowledge of the chakras and meridians needed to embark on this career path.
Nutrition
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With the global focus on organic foods and ayurvedic health, holistic careers in nutrition are becoming more mainstream. The principles behind ayurveda are that each person has different body compositions, or doshas, and requires different daily diets. Practitioners of this type typically diagnosis the patient's dosha type and then create meal plans incorporating necessary foods, and eliminating harmful foods. Other types of nutrition careers focus on the patient's overall health issues to create meal plans incorporating fruits, vegetables, herbs and whole grains that specifically target problem areas.
Personal Training
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Personal training is another type of holistic health career, and usually work to improve a client's personal health, nutrition and exercise regimen. Classes in nutrition, anatomy and physiology, as well as specific workouts, such as yoga or Pilates, are often necessary to be a certified personal trainer. Jobs at health clubs, rehabilitation clinics, gyms and sports centers are often available for personal trainers.
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References
- Photo Credit Massage to the palm of the hand as part of a Thai body massage. image by Deborah Benbrook from Fotolia.com
