Polarity therapy, a holistic health practice founded by Dr. Randolph Stone, asserts that human wellness is based upon the universal energy principles of attraction, repulsion and neutrality. According to the Polarity model, optimal health benefits occur when energy is balanced and flowing smoothly and naturally throughout the human body, unblocked by stress, pain, sickness and other factors. Therefore, registered Polarity Practitioners help patients manage stress, build relationships, heal from disease and live nutritiously. A Polarity therapy session typically involves bodywork, a form of massage and touch, and verbal communication, but may also include yoga, massage and nutritional guidance.
Stress Management
A 2009 study of family caregivers of dementia patients found that those who received polarity therapy during respite care instead of engaging in other activities experienced significantly lower levels of stress, pain and depression. Polarity therapy uses bodywork, a form of healing touch, to identify areas of tension and stress in a patient's body. This somatic contact helps stimulate glandular secretion, blood flow and hormone production, promoting optimal organ function. Bodywork also releases tension, improving muscle response and connective tissue elasticity. Polarity practitioners also promote stress management by empowering clients with knowledge, teaching them about the body's energy fields and currents and how they work. This knowledge helps clients become aware of their personal energy processes so they can lessen the effect of external factors on their well-being.
Relationship Building
The basic principles of polarity therapy include personal responsibility, personal empowerment, commitment and effective communication -- all important aspects in a relationship. Polarity therapy improves relationship dynamics by teaching clients how to read and interpret their own energy, as well as the energy of their partner. The principles of energy attraction and repulsion, akin to the Eastern theory of yin and yang, also teach clients the importance of maintaining an energy balance and establishing harmony within a relationship.
Healing
Polarity therapy theories assert that the body is naturally self-healing and that bodywork involved in this holistic practice helps realign and stimulate the nervous system. This is important for those recovering from stress disorders, injury and illness. A 2011 study of female breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy found that those who received polarity therapy reported significantly less cancer-related fatigue versus those who received standard clinical care or standard massages. These findings are further supported by a 1999 study which reported a consistent and significant decrease in gamma radiation levels during polarity therapy sessions, indicating potential benefits for those with cancer and other illnesses.
Nutrition
Polarity therapy promotes positive nutrition by teaching patients about the energetic properties of foods and how they affect the body, such as how spicy peppers are considered "fire" foods while melons and squash are considered "water" foods. Maintaining an energy balance through diet is essential to health and polarity therapy emphasizes foods that are fresh and raw, as close to their natural state as possible. Polarity therapy teaches patients how to combine foods, herbs and fluids in order to sustain good health, purify the body and create an appropriate energy balance according to the client's current life situations and health conditions.
References
- "Integrative Cancer Therapies"; Polarity Therapy For Cancer-Related Fatigue In Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study; KM Mustian, et al.; March 2011
- The American Polarity Therapy Association; What Is Polarity Therapy?
- "Gerontologist”; A Randomized Trial Of A CAM Therapy For Stress Reduction In American Indian And Alaskan Native Family Caregivers; L. Korn et al.; June 2009
- "Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine"; Gamma Radiation Fluctuations in Alternative Healing Therapies; MS Benford et al.; July 2009
- "Polarity Therapy Online"; Creative Nutrition: A Polarity Therapy Approach; John Beaulieu, N.D., Ph.D.; 2006
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