Hawaii Island is known to some as the “healing island,” a name that suits the area that’s home to a plethora of alternative healing methods available to island visitors and residents.
From acupuncture to the Native Hawaiian practice of hooponopono healing, the Big Island hosts numerous alternative health care facilities that can be found all over the island.
Here are several options for those looking to take a more natural path for their healing journey.
Hooponopono
According to alohaspiritaunty.com, a website for kanaka maoli Native Hawaiian Aunty and Kumu Mahealani Kuamoo-Henry, Kumu Elele o Na Kupuna, of the Big Island, this is the traditional practice of “making right, more right.”
According to the website, it was generally recognized as a form of weekly counseling used within Hawaiian family structures, and facilitated by a kupuna-elder family member. These family gatherings helped to promote and maintain positive, aloha-loving, and spiritual values within the family, as well as affecting wellness within the social structure of the villages.
The Hawaiian practice creates a balance of the mind and body, helps to promote inner and outer peace and eliminates negative emotions that form within the mind and body. To learn more about hooponopono practices on the Big Island, visit alohaspiritaunty.com and search for any upcoming workshops online.
Massage and Acupuncture
There are numerous massage and acupuncture clinics in Kona and around the island that offer alternative solutions to mental and physical ailments. Ty Humphries, a massage therapist at Aloha Healing Massage and Acupuncture, said massage is good for relaxation, stress relief, prevention of medicine and “it just makes you feel good.”
“It’s a very good preventive type of medicine. If you have a bad day and something is really bugging you, if you get a massage it usually helps to alleviate the mental problem and helps you get you through the hard period,” he said.
He recommends getting a massage a couple times a month, if you can afford it. Otherwise, try to get a massage as a reward from time to time. For more information on Aloha Healing Massage and Acupuncture, visit alohahealingmassage.com or call 937-1288.
Acupuncture, on the other hand, can be used to help relieve pain for more serious injuries. Daisy Delangen with Kona Acupuncture Studio said the practice can provide benefits that are equal to or beyond what any regular doctor or chiropractor can provide. Acupuncture is a form of therapy that promotes your body’s natural self healing process by stimulating specific points. This is done by various methods such as needle insertion, moxibustion, acupressure, cupping, or gua sha.
According to her website at konaacupuncture.com, imbalances are corrected through the stimulation of points and removing blockages in the channels. Acupuncture can enhance your immune system, detoxify your body, improve cardiovascular function and boost adrenal activity. It is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine which originated in China more than 5,000 years ago. For an appointment, call 747-9266.
Cleansing and fasting
According to Lokahi Garden Sanctuary, a holistic healing and wellness retreat center on the Big Island that offers customized cleansing and rejuvenation programs designed to fit the needs of each individual, fasting and cleansing are great ways to rebuild the body. Natalie Young, who is married to Dr. Richard Liebmann and helps him to manage the clinic, said a person might need a cleanse if he or she has some kind of toxic build-up within the body.
“Some people think it’s a good idea to do a short cleanse every year in the spring, like spring cleaning,” she said.
It’s also wise to do a cleanse in order to put your liver at ease, she said, which is the part of the body that has to deal with toxins.
For more information about the cleansing program, call 889-0001 or visit lokahigardensanctuary.com
Yoga
The common practice of yoga can help you and your body by becoming more flexible and ease your mind of stress. From restorative yoga to vinyasa, all yoga helps the student focus on breathing while stretching the body to the limit. Here’s a list of yoga facilities in Kona: Yoga Hale, yogahale.com, 326-9642; Bikram Yoga Kona, bikramkona.com, 443-9990; Buddhi Om Yoga Studio, 345-2552; Pacific Island Fitness, acificislandfitness.com, 334-1977; Kona Pilates LLC, konapilates.com, 345-2562; Konalani Yoga Ashram, konalaniyoga.org, 331-1147; Subtle Body Hawaii, subtlebodyhawaii.com; Bamboo Healing Arts Hawaii, bamboohah.com, 457-8201.
Naturopathic Medicine
According to inspire-wellness.net, a website for Dr. Daniel Caputo in Kona, naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care that addresses the root causes of illness, and promotes health and healing using natural therapies. It takes more of an integrated approach to disease and treatment, which can include botanical medicine, physical medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathic medicine and lifestyle counseling. According to the website there are six tenets of haturopathy:
1. Do no harm by using methods and medicines that minimize the risk of harmful side effects.
2. Treat the causes of disease by identifying and removing the underlying causes of illness, rather than suppressing symptoms.
3. The doctor should act as a teacher by sharing knowledge with patients and encouraging individual responsibility for health.
4. To heal the whole person through individualized treatment by understanding the unique physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental and social factors that contribute to illness, and customizing treatment protocols to the patient.
5. To emphasize prevention by partnering with the patient to assess risk factors and recommend appropriate naturopathic interventions to maintain health and prevent illness.
6. To support the healing power of the body by recognizing and removing obstacles to the body’s inherent self-healing process.
For more information, visit his website or call 895-3097.
Other options for alternative methods to improving your health include going to see a chiropractor, colon hydrotherapy, using holistic medicine, going on a retreat or getting diet advice from a nutritionist.