ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

​Alternative medicine is any practice that states to have the healing effects of medicine but that is not part of the science-based healthcare system, and is not clearly backed by scientific evidence. It consists of a wide range of health care practices, products and therapies. Its practices are diverse in their foundations and methodologies. Different cultures may have their own unique traditional or belief based practices developed recently or over thousands of years ago.

CONTROVERSY

​Despite it being tested numerous times, it has hardly ever shown any effectiveness greater than the placebo effect. It has been criticized a lot by doctors and science experts for being nonsense, fraudulent or unethical. Many doctors claim alternative medicine practices are junk science and may even be dangerous and state that there is no alternative medicine. They say that there is only one scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data.

TYPES:

Alternative medicine consists of a wide range of health care practices, products, and therapies. Its practices are diverse in their foundations and methodologies. Different cultures may have their own unique traditional or belief based practices developed recently or over thousands of years.

• BIOLOGICALLY  BASED APPROACHES:

Biologically based therapies use naturally occurring substances and include individual biologic therapies. EXAMPLE: shark cartilage to treat cancer.

•  Diet Therapy: diet therapy uses specialized dietary regimens to treat or prevent a specific disease.

• Herbal Medicine: herbal medicine uses plants and plant extracts to treat disease and promote wellness.

• Orthomolecular Medicine: orthomolecular medicine uses combinations of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids normally found in the body to treat specific conditions and to maintain health.

• MANIPULATIVE AND BODY BASED THERAPIES:

Manipulative and body-based therapies treat various conditions through bodily manipulation.

• 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 correcting this relationship 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 light-touch and deep-touch techniques, from stroking and kneading to applying pressure to specific points

• ENERGY THERAPIES:

Energy therapies focus on the energy fields that are thought to exist in and around the body . They use also external energy sources like electromagnetic fields to influence health and healing. 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.

• Magnets: magnet-based therapies use static magnetic fields, pulsed electrical fields, or alternating-current or direct-current fields. It is not clear whether magnet therapy is safe for people such as pregnant women, people who have implanted cardiac devices...

• Reiki: reiki is of Japanese origin. In it, practitioners channel energy through their hands and transfer it into the person’s body to promote healing.

• ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL SYSTEMS

They are complete systems of diagnosis and practice.

• Acupuncture: is one of the most widely accepted alternative medicine techniques in the Western world. Acupuncture focuses in stimulating specific points on the body, usually by inserting very fine needles into the skin and underlying tissues. Research has shown that acupuncture releases various chemical messengers in the brain that serve as natural painkillers.

• Ayurveda: ayurveda is the traditional medical system of India It is based on the theory that illness results from the imbalance of the body’s life force

• Homeopathy: Homeopathy is based on a substance that in large doses causes illness is believed to cure the same illness if given in minute doses. 

• Naturopathy: naturopathy believes in prevention and treatment of disease through a healthy lifestyle, treatment of the whole person, and use of the body’s natural healing abilities. This system also focuses on finding the cause of the disease rather than merely treating symptoms.

• MIND BODY INTERVENTIONS:

Mind-body medicine focuses on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior. They believe in an interrelationship between our minds and bodies: our minds can affect how healthy our bodies are.

• Hypnotherapy: hypnotherapy is a skilled verbal communication, used during hypnosis, which helps direct a client’s imagination in such a way as to bring about intended alterations in sensations, perceptions, feelings, thoughts and behaviour.

• Yoga: it is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice originated in India.

• Qigong: qigong is a holistic system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used, among other things, for health.