Idun's Orchard

Holistic Therapies

Holistic therapy is a generic term for any treatment / therapy session that is intended to treat the individual as a whole - mind, body and spirit. Most complementary or alternative therapies can be classed as holistic.

When an alternative medicine or therapy is used alone or instead of conventional medicine, it is called "alternative". Alternative medicine or therapy is outside the realm of conventional modern medicine.

When treatment or therapy is done alongside or in addition to conventional medicine, it is referred to as "Complementary Medicine" as the two practices complement each other.

Conventional  medicine is particularly successful for acute conditions and surgical repair or removal where a particular body part or organ receives specific attention. Drugs may be used as part of the treatment of both acute and chronic conditions although patients may sometimes suffer side effects which vary in intensity. In chronic as well as acute conditions the drugs alleviate the symptoms the patient is experiencing.

Complementary therapies work with conventional  medicine to ensure that the client/patient receives the best possible treatment to bring them to vibrant health - physically and mentally.

 Holistic Therapies have been around for thousands of years. The Chinese have known about the energy flowing through the meridians for over 4,000 years and developed acu-puncture to tap into and unblock the energy flows. Chinese Medicine uses acu-puncture and herbal remedies while from the Indian sub-continent we have Ayurveda - 'the Science of Life' - a system that has been around for 5,000 years.

Ayurveda (The main principles for Indian Head Massage) deals with the principles for maintaining good health and has developed a wide range of therapeutic measures to combat illness. These principles of positive health and therapeutic measures relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual welfare of human beings. The North American Indians practised herbal medicine as did many of the 'wise' women in Europe .

 Email: idunsorchard@live.co.uk

 Who is Idun?

Idun is to be found in Norse mythology.  She was the goddess of spring and rebirth.  She and her husband Bragi, the god of music and poetry, lived in Asgard, the home of the gods.  Idun was the keeper of an orchard in which grew the golden apples of immortality.  When the gods were feeling old and in need of re-energising they went to Idun to feast on the golden apples to return their youth.  She is amongst other things the patron of youth, fertility and longevity in life.

The Prose Edda, a book of Norse legends written in the 1220s, contains a story about Idun and the magic apples.  One day Loki, the trickster god, was captured by a giant named Thiassi.  The giant refused to free Loki until he agreed to bring Idun and the apples to Thiassi's home.  Loki gave his word and sped off to Asgard.

He invited Idun to bring her apples and walk into the forest, where he knew of some even more precious apples.  Eager to compare her special fruit with that mentioned by Loki, Idun joined the trickster.  As soon as they reached the forest, Thiassi, in the form of an eagle, dove from the sky and seized the goddess and her apples.

Without Idun's apples, the gods in Asgard began to age.  They became bent and feeble and demanded that Loki rescue Idun from Thiassi.  Loki flew to the giant's home disguised as a falcon.  He changed Idun into a nut and hid her in his claws.  As he fled back to Asgard, Thiassi became an eagle again and followed him. However, as soon as Loki and Idun were inside Asgard, the gods lit a fire on teh walls of Asgard.  Thiassi's wings caught fire as he crossed the flames, and he dropped to the ground, where the gods killed him.

The following pictures were found in various places on the internet, they may be subject to copyright.

Idun and her apples, as imagined by J. Penrose, 1890	Falcon-Loki by Tudor Humphries
Idun by Arthur Rackham	Loki and Idun - John Bauer