Friday, October 23, 2009

Alternative Medicine - Your Other Option

By Richard Ealom

Alternative medicine is a broad phrase that describes a number of kinds of treatment, cures and relief that are derived from sources other than conventional medicine. The therapies, medical approaches and philosophies that are encompassed in the phrase alternative medicine are too numerous to be adequately discussed here.

There are a number of kinds of alternative medicine which are more extensively used and well recognized than others. Below are more common types of alternative medicine that have been accepted by many individuals and are commonly practiced.

Acupuncture

This type of alternative medicine is a sort of therapy which is practiced with the use of particular type of needles. These specially made needles are slender and lengthy which make it easier to introduce them into the human body. The filiform needles are inserted into certain points in the human body which are selected for pain relief or therapy.

This type of alternative medicine therapy originated in China. The Chinese developed a system of meridians from which energy is said to flow. Tapping into these meridians with the use of the acupuncture needles will assist to relieve various conditions and ailments that a person may be experiencing as well as help to relax and even lower weight.

There are so many different studies about acupuncture since this is one of the more accepted types of alternative medicine but the results are mostly open to doubt. There are a few health organizations that do acknowledge the helpful effects of acupuncture but established medicine does not.

Many established medical practitioners claim that while acupuncture may not be useful there is nothing to lose if the patient would really love to experiment with it. The employment of clean and sterile needles in addition to the application of the said practice by responsible and well taught specialist is a must for this type of alternative medicine. Whether it has a placebo effect of real effect on people may depend largely on how amenable the person may be to it.

Chiropractic

This type of alternative medicine involves the treatment of disorders and other conditions by the use of pressure on the musculoskeletal system. In basic terms, the body, through realignment of the bones and pressure on the muscles is intended to recover its balance and be relieved or cured from various conditions and disorders. This alternative medicine type of therapy uses the manipulation of the persons joints, spine and other soft tissues to encompass the broad application of manual therapy. The manipulation and manual therapy is mostly performed by the chiropractor but he can also assign a sequence of drills and related therapies which the patient can execute on his own at home.

This alternative medicine therapy was founded in the late 1800s. This practice enjoys much recognition in large areas of North America and as well as some parts of Asia. Chiropractic medicine is found to be valuable in treating back pain and other conditions related to the joints and bones. This alternative medicine therapy is accepted by many traditional medicine doctors as treatment for back pain but usually it is still considered as therapy and not truly medicine or cure. There is some disagreement about the safety of the practice since there are some phony chiropractors who have "accidents"

Naturopathy

Naturopathy is a form of relief or treatment which includes numerous forms of alternative medicine therapies and treatments. The concept of naturopathy is that the body can heal itself lacking the need of conventional medicine through the various types of natural medicine. The use of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, reflexology, botanical medicine, homeopathy, nutrition and even the practice of good sanitation are said to be included in naturopathy. Many individuals have faith in in this ideal and attempt to heal or treat themselves through the utilization of natural forms of alternative medicine.

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