Chinese System of Food Cures: Anthology of dietary prescriptions set forth by Henry C. Lu, Ph.D. The appropriateness of specific foods for particular symptoms, conditions, and diseases is based on three classes of food attributes: flavor, energy, and movement.

The system associates flavors - pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty - with different internal organs. Energies - cold, hot, warm, cool, and neutral - determine the ultimate effect of ingesting specific foods. Movement refers to the tendency of different foods to move in different directions in the body: outward, inward, upward, or downward.

(See also: Chinese System of Food Cures, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

cupping (cupping method, cupping therapy; called the horn method in ancient China): Variable method akin to moxabustion.

The practitioner may use a cup made of glass, metal, or wood (notably bamboo) and burn alcohol, alcohol-soaked cotton wool, herbs, paper, or a taper therein. Before or after the burning is complete, the practitioner applies the cup upside-down to a relatively flat body surface and leaves it in this position for five to ten minutes. Results include erythema (reddening of the skin due to capillary expansion), edema (excessive fluid accumulation in tissue spaces), and ecchymoses (purple discoloration of the skin due to rupture of blood vessels).

The above description relates to fire cupping (the fire cupping method), which has several forms. Other forms of cupping include the acupuncture cupping method, the air pumping cupping method, and the water cupping method.

(See also: Cupping, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Combine Spirituality and Psychotherapy: Eclectic integrative system developed and practiced by author Bernard Green, Ph.D. It includes consciousness expansion, Eastern psychotherapy (see Eastern psychology), nutritional psychology, psychosynthesis, Simonton techniques (see Simonton method), and Sufi psychology (see Sufi healing).

(See also: Combine Spirituality and Psychotherapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

CranioSacral-Visceral Balancing (CranioSacral-Visceral Whole Body Balancing): Apparent spinoff of CranioSacral Therapy practiced by Barbara Chang of New York City. Its principles include the following. (a) One's body is a mirror of one's soul. (b) When one's Soul-Will aligns with one's Ego-Will, one's inborn artistic and intuitive genius displays its creativity. (c) People are extremely tender inside.

(See also: CranioSacral-Visceral Balancing, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

chakra healing (chakra balancing, chakra energy balancing, chakra therapy, chakra work): Subject of The ABCs of Chakra Therapy: A Workbook (Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1998). chakra healing is any means of energy clearing that focuses on or has been geared to chakras, including aromatherapy, hatha yoga, reflexology, and visualization (see creative visualization).

(See also: Chakra healing, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Chinese auricular therapy (Chinese auricular acupuncture, traditional Chinese auricular acu-points therapy, traditional Chinese auricular acupuncture, traditional Chinese auricular therapy): Group of TCM techniques whose channel theory differs from that of body acupuncture. Its apparent principle is that several areas and more than a hundred acupoints on the auricle (the outer portion of the ear) interactively relate to other areas or to diseases. The fetuslike contour of the auricle inspired the distribution of points thereon. Chinese auricular therapy, which differs from auriculotherapy, includes: auricular analgesia, auricular diagnosis, auricular magnetic therapy, auricular massage, auricular moxibustion, auricular point injection, the auricular point laser-stimulating method, bleeding manipulation, and the seed-pressure method.

(See also: Chinese auricular therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

confluent somatic therapy: Form of psychotherapy that involves subtle energy manipulation.

(See also: Confluent somatic therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

channeling (mediumship): transmission of information or energy from a nonphysical source through humans. These persons - called channels, channelers, or mediums - are sometimes in an apparent trance during the communication.

Sources include angels, discarnate former humans, extraterrestrials, and other levels of consciousness.

(See also: Channelling - Mediumship, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Christian Positive Thinking (CPT): Group of Neo-Christian philosophies that embraces Pealeism, Possibility Thinking, and Positive Confession.

(See also: Christian Positive Thinking, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

chakral pranic healing: Component of advanced pranic healing.

(See also: Chakral pranic healing, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

cell salt therapy (tissue salt therapy): Variation of the Schuessler biochemic system of medicine. It uses 45 cell salts.

(See also: Cell salt therapy - tissue salt therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Chinese medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM): Ancient holistic system whose basics include herbology, nutrition, and the concepts of acupuncture meridians, the Five Elements (Five Phases), and yin and yang.

Traditional Chinese Medicine theory posits both Organs (the Triple Burner, for example) and Substances (such as Shen, or Spirit) for which scientific evidence is absent. Variations and hybrids of Chinese medicine include Korean medicine, Tibetan medicine, and Vietnamese traditional medicine.

Chinese medicine probably originated about 2,000 years ago, but it became dogmatic and stagnated for centuries; overall its development has been slow. It probably stems from shamanism. The basis of Chinese medicine is Taoism, a religion according to which spirits (shen) inhabit the human body and take care of its functions. The foundational text of Chinese medicine - known as the Classic of Internal Medicine, the Huangdi Neijing, the Inner Classic, the Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor, the Neiching, the Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor's Classic, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon - was completed by the first century C.E.

(See also: Chinese medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Chi Lel (Chi-Lel Qigong): Variation of Qigong and Qigong therapy pioneered by Pang Ming, M.D., practiced at the Wahzhan Zhineng Chigong Clinic and Training Center (a medicineless hospital in Qinhuagdao, China), and promoted by Luke Chan, author of 101 Lessons of Tao (Benefactor Press, 1995) and Secrets of the Tai Chi Circle: Journey to Enlightenment.

Chi Lel has four components:

(1)           generation of a strong belief (shan shin) - e.g., by listening to testimonials - that chi (life energy) can heal all ailments;

(2)           Chu Chong;

(3)           Chi Healing; and

(4)           Lan Gong (practice), which includes methods from Zhineng Chigong.

(See also: Chi Lel, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

creative visualization: Subject of the bestseller of the same name, written by Shakti Gawain in 1978.

In creative visualization, one clearly imagines whatever one wants to manifest (see manifesting); then one gives the idea, image, or feeling positive energy, by focusing on it regularly, until it becomes reality. Creative visualization's theory posits a spiritual source: a supply of infinite energy, love, and wisdom discoverable in the inner beings of humans.

Expressions for methods identical or similar to creative visualization include: active imagination, creative imaging, directed day-dream, directed waking dream, dynamic imaging, guided fantasy, guided imagery, guided visualization, imagery, imaginal medicine, imaging, initiated symbol projection, inner guide meditation, led meditation, magickal visualization, mental imagery, pathworking, Positive Imaging, positive thinking, positive visualization, visualization, visualization therapy, waking dream therapy, and willed imagination.

For example, willed imagination, also called creative visualization, is the magickal art of imagining the result one desires of one's magick (the word for Wiccan magic) in order to achieve that result.

(See also: Creative visualization, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

C.A.R.E. (Chakra Armor Release of Emotions): System advanced by author Raphael Rettner, D.C. its principle is that emotions are involved in four energy pathways: acupuncture meridians, chakras, polarity elements, and armor (a muscle spasm due to an unexpressed emotion).

(See also: Chakra Armor Release of Emotions, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Chinese physiognomy: Diagnostic method of Chinese medicine whose principle is that areas of the face correspond to internal organs.

(See also: Chinese physiognomy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

CranioSacral Therapy (CST, cranial balancing, cranial osteopathy, cranial sacral manipulation, cranial technique, cranial work, craniopathy, craniosacral balancing, Craniosacral Osteopathy, Cranio-Sacral work): Method whose goal is to remove impediments to a patient's energy. It involves manually aligning skull bones. Dr. William Garner Sutherland, a student of the founder of osteopathy, developed cranial osteopathy in the early 1900s.

According to its theory, movements of the skull bones cause movements of the sacrum and vice versa. John E. Upledger, D.O., developed CranioSacral Therapy, a derivative of Sutherland's work.

(See also: CranioSacral Therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Clearing: Phase of homeovitics that activates all vital pathways.

(See also: Clearing, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

creator force geometric healing methods: a means of attuning the heart chakra to 'creator force' energy. Such attuning enhances all forms of energy healing (see vibrational medicine).

(See also: Creator force geometric healing methods, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)