Has anyone had success trying ‘alternative/complementary’ therapies for health issues?

[Iloveautumncolours]

I know complementary therapies won’t ‘cure’ medical conditions but I am looking to try something which may help give me some relief from my own current issues which conventional medicine isn’t really helping with.
I have anxiety, depression and awful daily gut issues (functional dyspepsia and IBS, which is daily and controlling). I am 50 so in peri too which is probably exacerbating everything. I have tried everything the GP recommends but they tend to cause side effects which add to my issues.
I do try to look after my mind and body and watch my diet, drink only water, exercise, do all I am supposed to do to help my digestive problems and practice daily mindfulness and hypnotherapy but they are not having huge positive impacts (or maybe I would be so much worse if I didn’t do those things?!).
Has anyone tried anything like reflexology, massage therapy, acupuncture etc and had some relief from any health issues?
Any suggestions most welcome.

Try reflexology. I have had a few treatments over the years. It is very relaxing and is a pleasant feeling when the treatment is being done. Highly recommend it.

Besides massage none of them works in the ways they claim but they can be very relaxing, which can definitely have a knock on effect to anxiety and depression. And the people who offer these bogus treatments generally have more time to listen than a doctor, which sometimes is all a patient needs to feel better. If you're okay with giving money to them, it won't hurt to give it a go.

Massage or aromatherapy will definitely help with anxiety and may help with gut issues.

Yes I have.

I had chronic pain and migraines for three years. I had a highly medicalised route which didn't help.

Then I tried reiki, sound baths, relaxing yoga, reflexology etc and it's had a hugely positive impact.

Every week I do a lot of self care now and make time for relaxation.

I would never ever say don't have medical treatment in lieu of complementary therapy but I do believe if you are rested and relaxed your nervous system is calmer and you're more likely to be able to fight issues.

I use EFT tapping therapy. It helps with a lot of emotional and anxiety issues. Tapping Solution App. Or look on You Tube. Do some research and give it a try.

Look up the Curable app. It explains the science behind why stress causes problems like IBS and teaches you how to address the root of the problem.

Btw if you want to have a go at tapping as PP suggested, look up Brad Yates on YouTube, he does great affirmations along with tapping that really address the broken beliefs etc that can cause stress.

I had acupuncture (a lot) after a miscarriage to get back my monthly cycle which disappeared then during TTC and pregnancy
I know you are looking for different reasons and there are specialists in different areas so look for someone who talks about what you are trying to achieve but I have to say it worked for me (or at least made me feel it did for the sceptics)

also had some reflexology around same time which I found more relaxing than treating anything specific but was amazing what she knew about me from just “touching my feet”

do some research on your therapist some are more into it for medical than just a treatment which is what I tried to find

About 6 years ago I was consulting the doctor for the feeling of a lump in my throat and acid reflux type symptoms. I was prescribed all the usual PPI medications like Omeprazole etc, which didn’t help.
I read a book by JV Wright called “Why Stomach Acid is Good for You” and started taking HCL Betaine with pepsin supplements from the health shop and also DGL licorice. They sorted all my problems within about 3 months and I no longer need to take them. The science behind it all is explained in the book along with other options.
It worked great for me. The book is available on Amazon.

Just to say as well, I prefer to say complementary rather than alternative. As I'm definitely not anti - tablets etc. I wouldnt not take blood pressure tablets in favour of reiki! But they 100% have a place in my life to support my overall wellbeing

Yoga has huge, proven positive mental health effects, which might have a knock on effect on your IBS symptoms too. Try and find a friendly community class (not one which is aimed at gym bunnies) or YouTube is good too.

I swear by aromatherapy as a complementary. I take a fist full of tablets several times a day but use the aromatherapy to deal with side effects, moods and sleep issues, never had a massage in my life so use a diffuser, in the bath and skin care. Bit of education about the oils and £15-50 on oils and you're all set. Happy to point you in the right direction if interested.

@Nixnjj1 can you recommend any oils please? Struggle to find good quality/natural ones for my diffuser.

I love acupuncture and put a lot of store by it. It certainly helped my migraines and made me a lot calmer

@Heroicallyfound I shall look him up!

Brilliant! Thank you all for your suggestions. I’m going to try several and hope it’ll help my relax me and help with my anxiety.

Nixnjj1 that would be great, thank you.

You say you do hypnotherapy - how do you do that on your own? Hypnosis is medically approved for IBS and is excellent for anxiety.

Eyesopenwideawake last year I had 12 sessions with a hypnotherapist (face to face), she recorded the sessions and I now listen to those each day. I also have the Michael Mahoney IBS hypnotherapy download and the Nerva app.

I know this sounds ridiculous but have you tried eating for your hormones?
I don’t follow it completely but I do bear it in mind. My migraines have gone, peri stuff manageable ( with low dose hrt, was on high), gp now considering taking me off bp meds as it’s gone from 140/100 to 100/ 70 in a year. I’m 52. Weight is normal, was gaining when I was 50!
It’s about not allowing your cortisol to rise, so gentle excercise and subtle diet changes. It’s manageable

What's the origin of the anxiety?

At 52 and menopausal I had a myriad of health problems, UTI’s being the worst.
I had a full cons with a very highly qualified acupuncturist, she was so thorough.
After 6 sessions I was a 100% better and was off antibiotics for the first time in 4 years.
If you live anywhere near one of the UK acupuncture colleges you can get heavily subsidised sessions, these are by students but they are very well supervised.

Littlemissprosecco I haven’t come across that diet. I follow the low fodmap diet for my digestive issues and have to be very careful as my stomach is so sensitive to many foods. I’ll have a Google, thanks.
Eyesopenwideawake I have suffered from anxiety since a small child but with a combination of lots of stress over the last few years, my gut issues and peri it’s all become quite unbearable recently and seems unresponsive to the many things I have tried to help calm it all.
Sago1 that’s really interesting. I was thinking about trying acupuncture first. Sadly, I don’t think there are any acupuncture colleges in my area but I will double check.

Is it the same anxiety as when you were young? I ask because children usually feel anxious about different things to adults, however it can feel natural to accept long term anxiety as being normal when it doesn't have to be.

Having a treatment can be a positive experience just because you're doing something nice for yourself and being more aware of your body. It's kind of placebo but can help with anxiety and stress etc.

I believe in acupuncture and herbalism. Massage can be good if it is skilful - I know someone who also works in medical contexts with people with MS, cancer etc and there's nothing she doesn't know about bodies, she picks up on tiny things and tells me exercises and habits to help address tension in different places.

Herbalism can help provide you with elements that are missing from your diet. It's a long term thing but I believe in it, modern diets are based on a limited range of foods and herbs can help stimulate the gut for healing.

Try some things with an open mind and see where it takes you - if it helps, it helps. Beware of throwing money away but that's not a reason not to try anything.

You might also want to look up yoga teachers who do 121 sessions - you could see someone who tells you the best poses for stress, digestion etc. One session might tell you more than lots and lots of classes!