Alternative medicine is a very broad term that can refer to a number of treatments. The main factor is that alternative medicine is not usually practiced in conventional medicine. Nevertheless despite being called 'alternative' many of these alternative treatments are now being utilised in conventional medicine. For example acupuncture has become widely used and most GPs are trained to consider it. Finding the right alternative medicine for your ailment is an exciting time. Often it feels great to find a new therapy that doesn't involve conventional medicine.
Some of the largest branches of alternative medicine are homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic medicine and herbal medicine. Although each of these offer a very different service to the next they are all similar in that they seek different methods to heal that conventional medicine. In the past many of these techniques were treated dismissively but nowadays these types alternative medicine have gained a great deal more credence. A greater amount of scientific research has been undertaken and many of these now receive greater respect.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy was first practiced in the late 18th century in Germany. A physician named Samual Hahnemann wrote a book titled the Organon of healing which laid out a number of recipes for a number of remedies that were designed to help disease. Early critics described this form of medicine as a 'placebo therapy at best and quackery at worse'. It has gained greater respect in modern times. Homeopathic remedies use ingredients that when diluted cause symptoms similar to those that they seek to alleviate. Homeopaths mix their medicines carefully in an attempt to develop the special properties of the remedy.
Naturopathy
Naturopathic medicine covers a vast range of different therapies with a general concern toward a holistic approach to healing. It incorporates practices such as acupuncture, counselling, aromatherapy and hydrotherapy. Naturopathy practitioners tend to try and avoid invasive surgery and synthetic drugs. They prefer to utilise natural alternatives to initiate healing. Nevertheless trained homeopathy practitioners do use diagnostic tests such as blood tests to help them decide upon a course of treatment.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic medicine deals mainly with your musculoskeletal system. The technical term for one of the techniques that a chiropractor uses is vertibal subluxation. This basically means manipulation of the spine and this is what chiropractors are famous for. They can generally diagnose problems with your posture and address them with a number of manoeuvres that involve physically moving your body into shape. This type of procedure was invented in 1895 in the US and it is now practiced all over the world.
Herbal medicine
There is evidence that suggests herbal medicine dates back over 60,000 years. Neanderthal people are said to have consumed medicinal plants. This practice is at the core of herbal medicine. Herbalism has refined this concept to create medicines that utilise medicinal plants. Many of the medicinal plants that herbal medicine utilise are part of our general diet for example garlic, vanilla, ginger and oregano are all used to help alleviate symptoms of illness.
Adhd And Alternative Medicine
According to a random survey conducted in 1997, 42% of Americans
sought out and used one or more types of medical interventions that
were not taught in medical schools and were not generally available in
U.S. hospitals. This represented an eight percentage point increase over
the 1990 results of the same survey. While the vast majority (96%) of
these people were also seeking conventional treatment for their health
problems, less than 40% of these people told their conventional doc-
tors what they were doing. Clearly, something's going on with alterna-
tive medicine.
More than half of these Americans paid for the entire cost of treatment themselves, contributing to the estimated $27 billion spent on alternative medicine treatments in 1997—almost equal to U.S. consumers' out-of-pocket expenses for conventional physician's services in the same time period. In total, Americans made 629 million visits to alternative healers in 1997, nearly 243 million more visits than to all U.S. primary care physicians.
While no comparable survey results have been published since then,
all indications are that Americans have continued to embrace alternative therapies, most likely at an accelerating rate. Clearly, alternative medicine is a big business.
The mainstream medical community can no longer ignore alternative therapies. The public interest is extensive and growing. You have only to look at the proliferation of popular health books, health food stores, and clinics offering healing therapies to realize that this interest cannot be dismissed. In other words, Americans want something more than biomedicine, and they are willing to pay for it.
Some people have the same goal for both conventional and alternative medicine, such as the use of both pain medications and acupuncture to control chronic pain.
Others may have a different expectation for each approach: For example, seeing a conventional practitioner for antibiotics to eradicate an infection, and then using an alternative practitioner to improve natural immunity through a healthy lifestyle.
Someone receiving chemotherapy may use meditation and visualization to control the side effects of the chemotherapeutic agents. People who combine conventional and alternative therapies are making therapeutic choices on their own and assuming responsibility for their own health.
Because alternative therapists are rushing to meet the demand, it is increasingly difficult for consumers to figure out how and where to get the best health care. It may be difficult to find reliable information to help separate the healers from those who pretend to have medical knowledge. You should beware of healers who display these
characteristics:
--Say they have all the answers.
--Maintain that their therapy is the only effective therapy.
--Promise overnight success.
--Refuse to include other practitioners as part of the healing team.
--Seem more interested in money than in your well-being.
Some alternative specialties are more regulated and licensed than others, but none come with guarantees—any more than conventional medicine comes with guarantees. Many people locate alternative therapists through friends, family, an exercise instructor, health food stores, or referral lines at local hospitals. Most people don't speak with their conventional medicine providers about their use of alternative therapies, out of fear of embarrassment, ridicule, or discouragement. These fears are unreasonable.
If your physician is judgmental and not pleased to see you taking an
active interest in your health, then you may want to consider finding another physician. On the other hand, there's no doubt that your doctor knows more about medicine than you do (unless you're a doctor too!). By having an open and frank discussion, you can find therapies that help address your concerns while steering clear of those that are dangerous or hoaxes.
Both Shaun Parker & Johny Rider are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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