Integrative Medicine

 

Just as there are many causes for disease, there are also many treatment options. Our Integrative Medical Team has diverse experience in many different fields of integrative medicine including traditional medicine and Western medicine. We are able to look at every client's needs from many perspectives in order to provide the most efficient and effective care. When you participate in our retreats in Costa Rica you can benefit from affordable cutting edge Western medical diagnostic tests, treatments and equipment while simultaneously experiencing the most natural and healing environment and treatment modalities available. We offer Western medical treatment options including PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injections, radio frequency, vitamin IV therapy, physical therapy, dental care, chiropractic care, ozone therapy, medically supervised cleansing, diagnostic testing and blood work including heavy metal toxicity levels, alergy testing, vitamin and mineral levels, and overall organ function testing. 

 

Oriental Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

 

There are many modalities in Oriental Medicine, (OM) including acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, moxibustion, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, massage, cupping, and Gua Sha. Just as there are many modalities, there are many theories that OM uses to show us how to live in harmony with the universe and explains the progression of disease and treatment principles. One of the theories we will learn about in depth is the Five Element Theory. This theory takes the natural forces of fire, earth, metal, water and wood and applies them to the body. For example the earth element represents the fertile soil where our crops should be grown, it also encompasses the organs of digestion and their ability to absorb vitamins and minerals properly to help grow a strong body and mind. The fire element is connected to the heart, cardiovascular system and feelings of joy and passion in one's life. Oriental Medicine helps us to see all the different things in our world are really just parts of the same whole.

 

Herbal Medicine is also a primary branch of OM. We at Vida treat many of our patients with herbal medicine. Our retreats have an additional focus on herbal medicine and we use a combination of powerful soaks and internal formulas to help reboot and rejuvenate your system. Online consultations for Oriental Medicine and Herbology are available upon request. Feel free to contact us for further information or to set up an appointment.

 

Due to the sheer weight of evidence as to the effectiveness of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine it has become widely accepted around the world as a valid treatment option. There are many paths to wellness and we invite you to join us on ours to learn some tools to live your best life.

 

Acupuncture is just one of the many facets of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Oriental Medicine (OM).  It is a process by which points are stimulated along energy channels (also called meridians) that run along the surface of the body.  These points are where energy from the body wells to the surface and is more accessible by stimulation from either pressure or the insertion of a thin needle.  Stimulating these points can have a direct effect on the area where they are located or they can treat other regions and organs in the body. The entire body is a cohesive unit that functions or dysfunctions based on its inner connectedness.  Acupuncture was created to help maintain balance so the body is able to function optimally to prevent disease.  When a person is out of balance and disease arises, acupuncture can be very effective at getting things back on track and healing the body. 

 

Acupuncture was developed during a time of relative peace among the humans of that era so the medicine evolved to take a more balanced approach that advocated living in harmony with one's self and nature to prevent disease instead of treating symptoms as they arose.  However, as humans evolved and villages grew, people became more disconnected with nature and themselves and from that many diseases began to arise.  Thankfully acupuncture and Oriental Medicine were able to evolve as well and provide treatments and solutions to these very modern problems. Today, our current society has continued to evolve in a similar fashion. For the first time in history more people are living in densely populated cities than in the rural countryside. 

 

This shift has caused an even greater disconnect between humans and the earth we inhabit.  Also, with the major increase in technology in the past few decades, there has been even more disconnect from our fellow human beings and our own bodies.  We no longer have an inherent understanding of our bodies and how to be healthy, instead we rely on diagnostic equipment to tell us how we are feeling.  Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine provide effective treatment for the diseases that plague modern humans as well as teach us how to live in harmony with nature and ourselves.

 

The World Health Organization recognizes that acupuncture can treat such ailments as (click on a box for further details):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colonics

 

The connection between gut health and overall immunity is of the upmost importance to maintaining true health and vitality.  One of the best ways to maintain gut health and heal damaged intestines is through gently cleansing and detoxifiying the colon.  We provide the space for a private and relaxing colema experience with a gentle but effective open system.

 

Spa Treatments

 

Our highly trained staff specializes in a full spa menu, including body skin care, cleansing facials, maincures, pedicures and body scrubs, enveloping herbal wraps, extractions, radio frequency, IV vitamin therapy, plasma rich platelet injections and micro dermabrasion. We make our own skin care products fresh from nature for each individual client. Book a treatment with us and we will tailor make a skin care program especially for you.

 

Massage

 

Massage is one of the oldest, simplest forms of therapy.  It is a system of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body.  Massage does much more than create a pleasant sensation on the skin, it also works on the soft tissues, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments to improve muscle tone and function.  Although it largely affects those muscles just under the skin, depending on the type selected by you and your practitioner the benefits may also reach the deeper layers of muscle and the organs themselves.  Massage also stimulates blood circulation and assists the lymphatic system (which runs parallel to the circulatory system), thus improving the elimination of waste throughout the body.

 

There are many different types of massage.  Our staff has thousands of hours of training and experience in many different modalities or styles of massage.  Each massage is a completely custom experience that will be tailored to meet the needs of the individual client.

 

Our styles of massage include:

 

• Deep tissue

• Swedish

• Lymphatic Drainage

• Myofascial release

• Neuro Muscular Therapy

• Thai

• Zen touch

• Reiki

• Hara 

• Marma

• Acupressure

• Essential Oil therapy

• Cranial Sacral

• Sports Therapy

• Tui Na