Alternative Career – 5 Complementary Therapies You Can Learn Online

Are you looking for a change of career but don’t have the time to attend a college or university campus? Do you enjoy working from home? Are you interested in a rewarding career that helps and heals people in your community? Perhaps you should consider completing an online course in complementary therapy. Here are some avenues for you to explore.

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Massage

Massage is one of the oldest forms of physiotherapy. It is believed to have been practiced by ancient cultures to treat injury, stress and accelerate the healing process.

Manual manipulation such as stroking and kneading is used to apply pressure to the body in a rhythmic motion to relieve tension in the muscles and promote blood flow to an injured area. Increased blood flow speeds up the healing process.

Over the centuries, cultures have developed their own uniques forms of massage, such as Indian head massage, Swedish massage, hot stone massage, shiatsu, and deep tissue massage. If you would like to know more about becoming a qualified massage therapist, check out some accredited agencies offering a hot stone massage course or certificate in shiatsu that can be completed online at a time convenient to you.

Reiki

Reiki practitioners are described as having healing hands as they place their hands over a patient’s body to harness the energy and speed up the healing process.

Developed by a Japanese Buddhist called Mikao Usui over one hundred years ago, Reiki works on the theory that a vital life force flows through all living things, and a disruption to this force can cause illness. A Reiki practitioner will manipulate and guide the patient’s energy to reset and restore the damaged flow.

This fascinating therapy is very relaxing and can help people reduce their anxiety, depression, and pain. When a person relaxes properly, their levels of fatigue drop, and the healing process accelerates.

Like massage, Reiki is a great profession to start because you don’t need much equipment, and you can run the business from your home.

Aromatherapy 

When a person inhales a scent, memories, moods, and feelings are stimulated. Aromatherapy uses essential oils from plants to improve patients’ physical and emotional health – symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression can be eased.

Essential oils can be added to bathwater to ease muscles and induce relaxation or placed in an oil diffuser so that the wonderful aromas fill the air.

Some oils can be applied directly to the skin on areas such as the neck, temples, feet, and behind the ears. 

If you study aromatherapy, you will learn that not all oils can be applied to the skin, some need to be diluted, and every essential oil has unique properties that have specific effects on the body. For example, lavender oil will make a person feel relaxed and sleepy, whereas lemon is a great mood booster.

Reflexology

Reflexology founders and therapists believe that specific points on the hands and feet are linked to organs, glands, bones, and muscles in the body. When the corresponding point is stimulated, the nerves send a message to heal and reset that specific body part. For example, massaging and manipulation of the cushioned part of the big toe can stimulate the pituitary gland and cause it to realign the hormones it releases.

It is believed that reflexology can improve brain and nerve function, boost circulation, metabolism, and energy, eliminate toxins from the body and reduce pain such as headaches and menstrual discomfort.

Naturopathy 

A naturopath believes that having a healthy diet, taking regular exercise in the sunshine, drinking water, and avoiding stress is the best way to stay fit and free from illness and disease.

If you study to become a naturopath, you will learn how to advise people on how to maintain a healthy diet free from processed products. A diet full of sugar, salt, nitrates, and saturated fats leads to a build-up of body toxins, resulting in illness. 

Aside from recommending a healthy lifestyle, naturopaths analyze and treat a person’s health using other methods such as water therapy using hot and cold compresses to control blood flow, massage, acupressure, homoeopathy, iridology, and kinesiology. Analyzing a patient’s family medical history, hair, stools, urine, and blood can also give insight into the state of a patient’s health.

If any of these therapies appeal to you, do further research and find suitable online courses provided by a company that has been accredited by an appropriate governing body. Ensure that completion of the course will result in you gaining legitimate qualifications that enable you to start a business.