Alternative Health Guru, Dr. Andrew Weil says "therapeutic journaling" or "expressive writing" can be used to ease your stress level, stress, pain or chronic disease.

And its not mumbo-jumbo. According to Dr. Weil, a study from North Dakota State University published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that writing about the stress reduced physical symptoms among people with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis.

In 2002,  researchers form the University of Iowa found that a group of students assigned to write about their emotions and their attempts to understand traumatic event exhibited improved relationships, greater personal strength, spiritual development and an increased appreciation for life.

The researchers say expressing emotions and working to understand traumatic events were essential to easing stress. Students who were told to write only their "deepest feelings" about a stressful or traumatic event and the control group who only recorded the details of traumatic news events did not get any benefits from their journaling.

They also noted that people who dealt only with their feelings became progressively more negative with their writing and experienced health problems such as a mild cold that became severe.

Dr. Weil recommends spending 15 to 20 minutes a day organizing thoughts in a diary or journal adding that it is best to get some guidance before starting a therapeutic journaling therapy.  "Writing as a Way of Healing" by Louise DeSalvo and a couple of online sites such as the Center for Journal Therapy and the Dialogue House Associates would be good starting points.

Here are some general guidelines for therapeutic journaling:

• Select a notebook and a pen that feels comfortable to you.
  
• Avoid using loose-leaf paper because the urge to crumple your pages and start over may be too great. Perfectionism may hamper your self-discovery.
• Using specific ink colors for different purposes (writing about anger in bright red ink can be very appealing) may help.

There are many approaches to therapeutic journaling, but the most common are writing about the past, writing for decision-making and free writing.

But what we really want to know is if it will also work for us since writing is the source of our stress.

Ear stapling, the modern version of ear acupuncture, manipulates points on the ear said to improve general health and control addictions and cravings. While ear acupuncture has already been used with success in helping people kick off nicotine and heroin addiction, the updated traditional medical practice may also be useful in helping people lose weight.

A 2003 study in Medical Acupuncture, involving 20 obese women between 22-42, showed ear acupuncture was effective. Half of the women received weekly 15-minute sessions of acupuncture at relevant points in the ear. At the end of the eight-week study, the women who received ear acupuncture treatments lost an average of 10.3 pounds. The the group of women who didn't get the treatment only lost an average of three pounds. All of the women who received the acupuncture treatments said they experienced a decrease in appetite. In the untreated group, only one woman reported a curbed appetite.

But it's not a magical cure. You don't get ear acupuncture treatment and continue supersizing everything. For this treatment to work, the study said it must be combined with a 2,000 calorie a day diet and 15 minutes a day of walking.

Ear stapling is a 10-minute procedure that uses long-term stimulation of ear acupuncture points by placing a staple in them. It has been dismissed by some as a fad but if you decide to try ear stapling make sure you go to highly qualified professionals only. Scrimping could lead to ear infection and constant pain.