Alternative Medicine: An Alternative Approach to Illness

Cystic fibrosis, despite its status as an orphan disease, is a disease that affects a significant portion of the population. This disease, which attacks intestinal mucus and bronchial mucus, is due to the mutation of a gene, CFTR, which causes patients to experience severe respiratory and gastric disorders while sometimes attacking the liver, sinuses and kidneys.

Thanks to advances in Western medicine, the median age of survival in Quebec was over 53 in 2016. Despite all these advances, cystic fibrosis remains an incurable disease with which it is
You have to learn to compose, in a body that sometimes fails.

Today, many people look at treatments for illness and the suffering body in a holistic way. It is necessary to have an overview, through different approaches, mainly alternative medicines that seek to improve the quality of life of the patient and those around him.

Here we will present a set of techniques and advice that everyone is free to use without ever losing sight of the fact that these approaches represent valuable daily aids in complementarity with conventional treatments: in no case should they replace the medical treatments prescribed by the medical profession.

These approaches seek to help the body of the sick person in suffering and to support it in the entire psychological process of self-development. Indeed, most alternative medicines rely on spiritual and psychological development that nourishes the body and not the other way around. This is the whole point of the alternative medicines presented here: to nourish the soul to rebuild the body.

Yoga and Pranayamas: Revitalizing the Body

Yoga is an ancient art that can be practiced by anyone regardless of age, gender or health condition. This practice offers postures that stretch and tone the body while offering the possibility, for some, of leading to a state of alertness and serenity.

How does yoga lead to a meditative state? The various postures first of all allow an increase in abdominal and cerebral blood circulation while soothing the nervous system. The inflow of blood to these vital parts, combined with a great focus on breathing (pranayamas), allows better oxygenation of the brain and develops greater concentration. In addition, focusing on the position of each asana (the postures) allows us to develop greater listening to the body: through each posture, all the parts of our members are felt differently. Thus, the awareness of the different muscles of the body and the increase in oxygenation of the brain allow access to a state of meditation and awakening that brings mental clarity and generates a feeling of inner peace.

The term asanas is a Sanskrit word that means “the act of sitting” or the “way of sitting.” For yoga enthusiasts, this word has a more particular meaning of “ritual posture.” In everyday language, it could be translated as “posture” or “way of sitting 1”.

Three breathing exercises and asanas are particularly beneficial during intestinal and respiratory disorders. These exercises combine the benefits of conscious breathing with the circulatory benefits of yoga, the two being closely linked and allowing access to meditation.

FIRST EXERCISE: Malasana and Bhastrika

Malasana (Mala posture, the Indian rosary) 2 Stand with your feet hip-length apart, turn your feet out, lower your buttocks by squatting completely. You can put your hands together in front of your chest by pushing them together or put them on the floor in front of you. This position allows for better digestion because it perfectly aligns the entire digestive system. It is particularly recommended to do it in the morning to get the digestive system up and running.
Bhastrika pranayama 3 (scream breathing) This breathing technique oxygenates the brain and warms the body. Take a deep breath with both nostrils and then exhale quickly through them. Exhaling should be faster than breathing in. Repeat 5 to 10 times during the asana.

SECOND EXERCISE: Tuck pose and Viloma Pranayama

Tuck pose 4 Put yourself on your back, bend your legs and bring your knees closer to your chest, put your arms around your knees. Raise your head and put your nose between your knees. This pose targets the digestive organs because it stimulates the apana (the breath of exhalation) which stimulates the digestive system.
Viloma Pranayama (breathing in steps) 5 Instead of inhaling all at once you will inhale in stages: breathe in 2 seconds, hold the air for 2 seconds then continue to inhale until your lungs are full. For exhalation, the same goes for: exhale the air for 2 seconds then hold back for 2 seconds. Repeat until your lungs are empty. This breathing technique allows you to learn how to control your breath and how to extend your exhalation.

THIRD EXERCISE: Suptamatsyendrasana and AnulomaViloma

Supta matsyendrasana (the extended twist) 6 Once lying on your back, while keeping your back on the ground (both shoulders should touch the ground), pass one leg to the other side. The arm on the side where you put your leg will put pressure on your leg. This position improves digestion, spine flexibility and relieves back pain. Twists are excellent for fluidifying intestinal transit.
Anuloma Viloma (alternating breathing) Inhale through your left nostril by closing your right nostril with your thumb, then exhale through your right nostril by closing your left nostril with your middle finger. Then repeat the exercise, starting to inhale with the right nostril. Repeat 10 times. This technique establishes a regular breathing rhythm and helps to overcome stress.

Mindfulness technique and sophrology: nourishing the soul

The so-called mindfulness meditation technique, whose origins are said to be thousands of years old, has often been used to improve the lives of patients. This meditation technique, adapted by Jon Kabatt Zinn, provides tools for learning to manage body-induced pain. As defined by Catherine Verhaeghe 7, a specialist in human genetics whose doctoral thesis focuses on the inflammatory molecular mechanisms associated with cystic fibrosis, this technique is “the action of focusing one's attention on the present moment, with intention and without value judgments.” This approach allows for both psychological and biological improvements:
improving the quality of life, sleep, stimulating the immune system and lowering blood pressure, reducing stress levels, ruminations and anxiety levels.

It is therefore a meditative daily practice to leave what could be described as an autopilot mode in order to act mindfully. More concretely, it takes the form of repeated and deliberate exercises that develop our ability to focus on ourselves. Above all, it changes our “mental speed”, which often allows us to enter an advanced meditative state. It takes the form of daily sessions of 30 to 60 minutes during which we actively participate in a guided meditation.

HERE IS A SIMPLE EXERCISE 8.

Breathe calmly, without forcing yourself to inhale or exhale. Observe carefully the path of the air inside you, literally feel it pass through you. You should already be surprised to see that you can.

Once the air flows through you, feel the lifting of your chest, the friction of the clothes on it, the way your whole torso is slightly moved. Don't hold the air, let it escape and do the same visualization work.

As you focus, you may be able to feel your heart beating. Observe them too, see how the rhythm of your breathing affects them. Observe each sensation with the mind and with the body. It's never about judging what you observe. Just look at everything as it is, that's all. You can practice this way with anything you want. Each time, be fully awake and open to the sensations that arise. See them one by one and then see how they are entangled and then how a bigger pattern comes out of this entanglement. Never lose sight of the first object of your attention, to come back to it when you lose track and discover new things every time.

By trying not to judge, you will be able to discern what is your own judgment and what is the nature of things. You will thus be much more aware of this work as a judge that your mind is constantly exercising.

Sophrology

Sophrology is another form of meditation. This technique brings the patient into a “de-cluttered” state of consciousness in which they can focus on a specific need. In the case of cystic fibrosis and other chronic diseases, it is accompanied by visualization and body representation exercises in which the patient learns to control the intensity of the pain.

Here is a sophrology exercise, the “Inner Smile”.

Sit back in your favorite chair or lie down if you want. Take a few deep breaths: inhale through your nose, exhale for a long time through your mouth. Calm your breath, it will also calm your mind. Breathe in and out again.

Let a pleasant memory come back to your memory. It can be a close memory from yesterday, or it could be a memory from your childhood. It is a memory full of joy and good emotions. Relive it quietly, by combining your five senses: give it pleasant colors, scents or smells, sounds or melodies, textures and tactile sensations, maybe even tastes and flavors.

Observe the people who were in your memory. Observe their faces, their joy, their good humor. Feel the connection that unites you to them and let the pleasure of knowing them take over you. Breathe in and out deeply: enjoy this memory.

As you bask in all the emotions in your memory, observe all the positive reactions in your body and mind. Fully experience pleasant sensations, feelings of well-being, joy, happiness. Take a deep breath.

Pay attention to the heart region. Breathe in and out for a long time. Feel how your heart is steeped in positive emotions. There you can create a smile, the inner smile of the heart. Your heart opens with that smile that pervades your whole being... And maybe you will want to smile for good too!

Unfortunately, these techniques and tips don't work miracles. However, they are very useful on a daily basis so as not to feel helpless in the face of the disease. They allow a different approach to treating the sick body and provide great support to the patient. Combining them not only makes it possible to alleviate some of the hardest symptoms to treat, but also to structure daily life by offering people living with problems related to cystic fibrosis an alternative. Well-being has a thousand ways!

Yamile Caceres

Technical Writer
Meditation

Fribourg, Switzerland

Sources

1 https://sanskrit.inria.fr/Heritage.pdf

2 http://fr.wikihow.com/pratiquer-le-pranayama

3 http://www.yogajournal.com/slideshow/kundalini-yoga-practice-better-digestion/#1

4 http://www.yogadima.ch/rubriques/le_yoga/pranayama.php