Complementary Therapy
Complementary care is often a very important component of an individual’s treatment plan. Speak with your doctors, support group leaders, and other people with dystonia to help discover options that might work for you. Explore the following possibilities:- Relaxation techniques
- Body-mind techniques such as yoga, meditation, the Feldenkrais Method
- Gentle and controlled physical exercise including Pilates and soft martial arts
- Biofeedback
- Acupuncture for pain relief
Traditional western practices such as medications and surgery have long been effective at diagnosing problems and assigning treatments, but may not fully address how patients live on a daily basis. These medical fields are slowly incorporating a wider range of knowledge to include treatments outside of the traditional scope to better assist patients and to treat the "whole person"—body, mind, and spirit. Complementary therapy may play an active role in your treatment of dystonia, and it is intended to be used in conjunction with traditional therapies. To avoid any interactions and potential problems, it is important to have open communication among all physicians and practitioners who are working with you.
It is very important that any practitioners of complementary therapies who you consult are familiar with dystonia or willing to learn about it prior to treating you. The DMRF can provide materials to help you educate your healthcare professionals.
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