Alternative Medicine - Your Other Option

By Richard Ealom

Alternative medicine is an all-purpose expression that describes a number of forms of treatment, cures and relief that are derived from sources other than established medicine. The therapies, medical approaches and philosophies that are contained in the term alternative medicine are too many to be acceptably 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 type of therapy which is practiced with the assistance of special needles. These specially designed needles are slender and lengthy which make it easier to insert them into the human body. The filiform needles are inserted into specific areas on the human body which are chosen for pain relief or therapy.

This kind of alternative medicine therapy originated from China. The Chinese developed a system of meridians from which energy is supposed to flow. Tapping into these meridians with the employment of the acupuncture needles can be of assistance to relieve a number of conditions and ailments that he or she may be experiencing in addition to help to relax and even reduce weight.

There are tons of diverse studies about acupuncture since this is one of the more popular types of alternative medicine but the results are basically open to doubt. There are a number of health organizations that do accept the encouraging effects of acupuncture but conventional 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 popularity in large areas of the United states and as well as some areas of Asia. Chiropractic medicine is found to be successful in treating back pain and other problems related to the joints and bones. This alternative medicine therapy is acknowledge by many established medicine doctors as treatment for back pain but generally it is still thought of as therapy and not really medicine or cure. There is some controversy concerning the safety of the practice since there are some bogus chiropractors who have "accidents"

Naturopathy

Naturopathy is a kind of relief or treatment which includes several kinds of alternative medicine therapies and treatments. The idea of naturopathy is that the body can treat itself without the need of established medicine through many diverse forms of natural medicine. The utilization of established Chinese medicine, acupuncture, reflexology, botanical medicine, homeopathy, nutrition and even the practice of good sanitation are said to be included in naturopathy. Many people trust in this ideal and strive to heal or treat themselves through the employment of natural kinds of alternative medicine. - 29956

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