Types of alternative medicine

What are the types of alternative medicine?

The various types of alternative medicine includes all kinds of methods, excluding regular medicine, contributing essentially to a good health.

Statistics are indicating that there are over a hundred different types of alternative medicine and the number is still growing, however the common and more popular examples are: chiropraction, reflexology, hypnotherapy, reiki, ayurveda, kinesiology, homoeopathy, osteopathy, cranial therapy, various types of acupuncture, colour-therapy, massage, sound therapy.

Nonetheless, alternative medicine can be classified into five major domains of practice: alternative medical systems, mind-body techniques, biologically based therapies, body-based therapies, and energy therapies.

Alternative Medical Systems

A number of alternative medical systems exist, including traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and unconventional Western practices of natural healing.

-Traditional Chinese Medicine:

This originated in China thousands of years ago, and is one of the types of alternative medicine that is based on the theory that illness results from the improper flow of the life force (qi) through the body. Qi is restored by balancing the opposing forces of yin and yang, which manifest in the body as heat and cold, external and internal, and deficiency and excess.

Now, acupuncture is one of the most widely accepted types of alternative medicine techniques in the Western world and is arguably the most common types traditional chinese medicine in spite of the fact that most licensed practitioners do not necessarily have a medical degree, although some medical doctors, often pain specialists, are trained and licensed to perform acupuncture.

Ayurveda:

Ayurveda is one of the types of alternative medicine or forms of healing systems from India, originating more than 4,000 years ago. It is based on the theory that illness results from the imbalance of the body's life force, or prana. Ayurveda uses herbs, massage, yoga, and internal cleansing to restore balance within the body and with nature.

Homeopathy:

Homeopathy is among the commonly used types of alternative medicine and was developed in Germany in the late 1700s, is derived from naturally occurring substances, such as plant extracts and minerals. These substances are used to stimulate the body's innate capacity to heal. The more dilute the homeopathic medicine, the stronger it is considered to be.

Naturopathy:

Naturopathy, which draws its practices from many cultures, began as a formal health care system in the United States in the early 1900s. It was founded on the notion of the healing power of nature and it differs as one of the types of alternative medicine in that naturopathy emphasizes prevention and treatment of disease through a healthy lifestyle, treatment of the whole person, and use of the body's natural healing abilities. Naturopathy tends to also focus on finding the cause of the disease rather than merely treating symptoms.

Naturopathy uses a combination of therapies, including nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy, physical medicine, exercise therapy, counseling, stress management, acupuncture, natural childbirth, and hydrotherapy.

Mind-Body Techniques

As the name suggests, Mind-body techniques are based on the theory that mental and emotional factors can influence physical health. This brings to mind the saying: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he....".

Due to the abundance of scientific evidence backing the benefits of mind-body techniques, many of the approaches are now considered mainstream. These methods such as relaxation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, meditation, imagery, biofeedback, and hypnosis, for example, are used in the treatment of coronary artery disease, headaches, difficulty sleeping (insomnia), and loss of urinary control (incontinence).

As one of the more popular types of alternative medicine, there are few known risks associated with the use of mind-body techniques.

Meditation:

Meditation focuses on stilling the mind and allowing for greater self-awareness. It usually involves sitting or resting quietly, often with the eyes closed. Sometimes, it involves the repetitive sounding of a phrase (a mantra) meant to help the person focus. Most meditation practices were developed within a religious or spiritual context and held as their ultimate goal some type of spiritual growth, personal transformation, or transcendental experience. As a health care intervention, however, meditation may be effective regardless of the person's cultural or religious background. Meditation has been shown to offer numerous health benefits, including relieving stress and pain.

Relaxation Techniques:

Relaxation techniques are practices specifically designed to relieve tension and strain. The specific technique may be aimed at lowering blood pressure, easing muscle tension, slowing metabolic processes, or altering brain wave activity.

Guided Imagery:

Guided imagery involves the use of mental images to promote relaxation and wellness or to facilitate healing of a particular ailment, such as cancer or psychologic trauma. The images can involve any of the senses and may be self-directed or guided by a practitioner, sometimes in a group setting. For example, a person with cancer might be told to imagine an army of white blood cells fighting against the cancer cells.

Hypnotherapy:

In hypnotherapy, a person is put into an advanced state of relaxation in which he is relatively unaware, but not entirely unconscious, of his surroundings. A hypnotized person becomes absorbed in the images presented by the hypnotherapist and tends not to be consciously aware of the experiences he is undergoing. Hypnosis can be used to treat some conditions, such as certain pain syndromes and conversion disorders, in which apparent physical illness is actually due to psychologic stress and conflict. It has been used with some success to help people stop smoking and lose weight. Some people are able to learn to hypnotize themselves.

Biofeedback:

Biofeedback involves the use of electronic devices to measure and report information about a person's biologic functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. The person can then understand why these functions change and can learn how to regulate them. Biofeedback typically is used to treat pain (see Pain: Nondrug Pain Treatments), stress, difficulty sleeping (insomnia), headache, and muscle injuries.

Biologically Based Therapies

Biologically based therapies are among the types of alternative medicine that involve the use of chemicals, although typically these chemicals are derived from natural sources.

Herbal Medicine:

Herbal medicine, the oldest known form of health care, uses plants to treat disease and promote health. Either a single herb or a mixture of different herbs can be used. Unlike conventional drugs, in which the active substance is extracted from the herb, herbal medicine usually makes use of the herb in its whole form.

Orthomolecular Medicine:

Orthomolecular medicine focuses on the use of proper nutrition to maintain and restore health. It uses combinations of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids normally found in the body to treat specific conditions. Sometimes referred to as megavitamin therapy, orthomolecular therapy emphasizes supplementing the diet with large quantities of vitamins.

Body-Based Therapies

Body-based therapies are common to the types of alternative medicine that include techniques which treat various conditions through bodily manipulation.

Chiropractic:

In chiropractic, the relationship between the structure of the spine and the function of the nervous system is seen as key to maintaining or restoring health. The main method for achieving this balance is spinal manipulation.

Massage Therapy:

Massage therapy is the manipulation of body tissues to promote wellness and reduce pain and stress. It involves a variety of techniques, from stroking and kneading (as used in Swedish massage) to applying pressure to specific points (as used in Shiatsu, acupressure, and neuromuscular massage). These techniques are claimed to help the musculoskeletal, nervous, and circulatory systems of the body.

However, though it may among the common types of alternative medicine often used, Massage therapy should not be used in people who have infectious or contagious skin diseases, open wounds, burns, high fever, tumors, or a low platelet count.

Rolfing:

Rolfing, also called structural integration, is based on the theory that good health depends on proper body alignment. It is a form of deep tissue massage that is typically performed over a series of sessions. Proper alignment of bone and muscle is achieved by manipulating and stretching fascia (fibrous tissue that surrounds certain body organs, such as muscles).

Reflexology:

In reflexology, manual pressure is applied to specific areas of the foot that are believed to correspond to different organs or systems of the body. Stimulation of these areas is believed to eliminate the blockage of energy responsible for pain or disease in the corresponding body part.

Postural Reeducation:

Postural reeducation uses movement and touch to help people relearn healthy posture. The therapies involved seek to release habitual, harmful ways of holding the body by focusing on awareness through movement.

Energy Therapies

Energy therapies are akin to the types of alternative medicine which focus on the energy fields thought to exist in and around the body (biofields). They also encompass the use of external energy sources (electromagnetic fields) to influence health and healing. All energy therapies are based on a core belief in the existence of a universal life force or subtle energy that resides in and around the body.

Practitioners of energy therapies typically place their hands on or near the body and use their energy to affect the energy field of the person.

Bioelectromagnetic-based Therapies:

Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies use pulsed fields, magnetic fields, or alternating- or direct-current fields. Magnets, in particular, have become a popular treatment for various musculoskeletal conditions. Magnets have been marketed in clothing, jewelry, and mattresses to relieve pain, although there has been very little scientific investigation of their effectiveness.

Reiki:

Reiki is a technique of Japanese origin in which the practitioner channels energy through his hands and into the person's body to promote healing.

Therapeutic Touch:

Often referred to as "laying on of hands" even though actual touch is not needed, this therapy uses the therapist's healing energy to identify and repair imbalances in a person's biofield.

Now that all of these types of alternative medicine have been addressed, most people often ask well: is alternative medicine effective?

From all the indications of the popularity of the methods of alternative healing above, suffice it to say that yes indeed they are. As a matter of fact for more information into just how alternative medicine is effective, you can visit this link here for my article on the subject.

Is alternative medicine effective? By Foras Aje


In advance, take a look at this excerpt: An article on the web indicates that in 1997 Americans made 627 million visits to practitioners of the various types of alternative medicine and spent $27 billion of their own money to pay for alternative therapies. In contrast, Americans made only 386 million visits to their family doctor. So if the question remains: is alternative medicine effective? Suffice it to say our conclusion will be a big yes.

All in all, here's to health and wellness.


Aje

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