Alternative Health

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Alternative medicine is a broad term for any method of healing that stands outside the framework of conventional, mainstream medicine. Alternative medicine embraces a variety of therapeutic or preventive health care practices, such as homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, and herbal medicine, that do not follow generally accepted medical methods and may not always have a scientific explanation for their effectiveness. The approach often helps to balance mind, body, and soul. 

Introduction

Read our overview about alternative medicine.

What is Alternative medicine?

Alternative Medical Systems

  • Ayurveda - One of the world's oldest medical systems. It originated in India and has evolved there over thousands of years. The aim of Ayurveda is to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit. This is believed to help prevent illness and promote wellness.
  • Homeopathy - Form of health care that developed in Germany and has been practiced in the United States since the early 19th century. A key premise is that every person has energy called a vital force or self-healing response. When this energy is disrupted or imbalanced, health problems develop.
  • Naturopathy - System of healing, originating from Europe, that views disease as a manifestation of alterations in the processes by which the body naturally heals itself. It emphasizes health restoration as well as disease treatment. The term "naturopathy" literally translates as "nature disease."
  • Osteopathy - A system of medicine based on the theory that disturbances in the musculoskeletal system affect other bodily parts, causing many disorders that can be corrected by various manipulative techniques in conjunction with conventional medical, surgical, pharmacological, and other therapeutic procedures.
  • Shamanism - The animistic religion of certain people in which mediation between the visible and spirit worlds is effected by shamans.
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine - System of healing that dates back to 200 B.C. In Chinese Medicine, the body is considered a delicate balance of two opposing and undividable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. A primary belief in Chinese Medicine claims that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state" and that disease is the result of an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi (or vital energy) and of blood along pathways known as meridians. Practitioners typically use herbs, acupuncture, and massage to help unblock qi in order to return the body to a state of harmony and wellness.

The Therapies

Physical Therapy

Manipulative and body-based practices focus primarily on the structures and systems of the body, including the bones and joints, the soft tissues, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Some practices were derived from traditional systems of medicine, such as those from China, India, or Egypt, while others were developed within the last 150 years (e.g., chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation). Although many providers have formal training in the anatomy and physiology of humans, there is considerable variation in the training and the approaches of these providers both across and within modalities. For example, osteopathic and chiropractic practitioners, who use primarily manipulations that involve rapid movements, may have a very different treatment approach than massage therapists, whose techniques involve slower applications of force, or than craniosacral therapists. Despite this heterogeneity, manipulative and body-based practices share some common characteristics, such as the principles that the human body is self-regulating and has the ability to heal itself and that the parts of the human body are interdependent. Practitioners in all these therapies also tend to tailor their treatments to the specific needs of each patient.

Bodywork

  • Aromatherapy - The rubbing and kneading of the skin with plant oils that give off strong, pleasant aromas to promote relaxation, a sense of well-being, and healing.
  • Bowen Technique - Gentle massage of muscles and tendons over acupuncture and reflex points.
  • Chiropractic - Adjustments of the joints of the spine, as well as other joints and muscles.
  • Massage - Assortment of techniques involving manipulation of the soft tissues of the body through pressure and movement.
  • Myotherapy - Method for relieving pain based on the application of pressure at trigger points throughout the body. Trigger points are defined as hypersensitive locations in the muscles that cause pain in response to undue stress. They may be caused by occupational or other injuries as well as by disease, physical stress, and emotional stress.
  • Osteopathy - Manipulation of the joints combined with physical therapy and instruction in proper posture.
  • Polarity Therapy - Based on a theory that energy flows through the body along five pathways and that this flow can be affected by the therapeutic placement of the practitioner's hands at specific points to correct disorders or imbalances.
  • Reflexology - Method of foot (and sometimes hand) massage in which pressure is applied to "reflex" zones mapped out on the feet (or hands).
  • Rolfing - Deep tissue massage (also called structural integration).
  • Rosen Technique

Balance & Movement

  • Alexander Technique - Patient education/guidance in ways to improve posture and movement, and to use muscles efficiently.
  • Feldenkrais - Group classes and hands-on lessons designed to improve the coordination of the whole person in comfortable, effective, and intelligent movement.
  • Hellerwork - A form of structural integration that uses multiple techniques including deep-tissue bodywork, movement education and verbal interaction to improve posture.
  • Tai Chi - Mind-body practice that originated in China as a martial art. A person doing tai chi moves his body slowly and gently, while breathing deeply and meditating (tai chi is sometimes called "moving meditation"). Many practitioners believe that tai chi helps the flow throughout the body of a proposed vital energy called qi (pronounced "chee," it means "air" or "power").
  • Trager Approach - Slight rocking and shaking of the patient's trunk and limbs in a rhythmic fashion.
  • Yoga - Ancient system of relaxation, exercise and healing with origins in Indian philosophy. Yoga has been described as "the union of mind, body, and spirit," which addresses physical, mental, intellectual, emotional and spiritual dimensions toward an overall harmonious state of being.

Plant, Food, and Other Internal Therapies

  • Antioxidants - Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radical damage may lead to cancer. Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals and may prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause. Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, and other substances.
  • Chelation - Investigational therapy using a man-made amino acid, called EDTA. It is added to the blood through a vein. Many people are considering using chelation therapy because of the belief that it may treat heart disease.
Popular Supplements:
  • Bach Flower Essences - Therapeutic system that uses specially prepared plant infusions to balance physical and emotional disturbances.
  • Herbs - Herbal supplements are a type of dietary supplement that contains herbs, either singly or in mixtures. An herb (also called a botanical) is a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor, and/or therapeutic properties. See our Complete Herbal
Popular Herbs:
  • Juicing - Involves the extraction of juices contained in fruit and vegetable tissue. Many see this as a natural nutritional source that provides many health benefits.
  • Probiotics - Probiotics are live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Friendly bacteria are vital to proper development of the immune system, to protection against microorganisms that could cause disease, and to the digestion and absorption of food and nutrients.

Oriental Therapies

  • Acupuncture - A method of healing developed in China at least 2,000 years ago. The acupuncture technique that has been most studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.
  • Acupressure - The application of pressure or localized massage to specific sites on the body to control symptoms such as pain or nausea.
  • Shiatsu - Japanese form of acupressure. Its literal translation is finger (shi) pressure (atsu). Shiatsu emphasizes finger pressure not only at acupoints but also along the body's meridians. (In traditional Chinese medicine, the meridians are channels in the body believed to conduct chi, or elemental forces.) Shiatsu can also incorporate palm pressure, stretching, massage and other manual techniques.

Environmental Therapies

  • Feng Shui - Rules in Chinese philosophy that govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to patterns of yin and yang and the flow of energy (qi); these effects -- both good and bad -- are taken into consideration when designing buildings, arranging furniture, and so forth.
  • Psychological Therapy - Mind-body medicine uses a variety of techniques designed to enhance the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms. Some techniques have become mainstream (for example, patient support groups and cognitive-behavioral therapy). Other mind-body techniques are: meditation, prayer, mental healing, and therapies that use creative outlets such as art, music, or dance.
  • Meditation - Learning to focus and suspend the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. This practice is believed to result in a state of greater physical relaxation, mental calmness, and psychological balance.
  • Prayer - Prayer may be defined as the act of asking for something while aiming to connect with God or another object of worship.
  • Visualization - Involves the controlled use of mental images for therapeutic purposes. It has been proposed that the use of imagery in visualization may correct unhealthy attitudes or views. People who practice this mind-body technique call on memory and imagination. In some regards, visualization is similar to hypnosis or hypnotherapy.

Energy Therapy

Practitioners of energy medicine believe that illness results from disturbances of these subtle energies (the biofield). For example, more than 2,000 years ago, Asian practitioners postulated that the flow and balance of life energies are necessary for maintaining health and described tools to restore them. Herbal medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, moxibustion, and cupping, for example, are all believed to act by correcting imbalances in the internal biofield, such as by restoring the flow of qi through meridians to reinstate health. Some therapists are believed to emit or transmit the vital energy (external qi) to a recipient to restore health.

Healing

  • Chakras - Energy centers in the body.
  • Crystal and Gem Therapy - Crystal therapy, also called crystal healing or gem therapy, uses crystals, each selected for specific characteristics or wavelength, to treat a wide range of mental and physical conditions. This approach is based on the belief that the body has an energy field that can be influenced by the placement of crystals on specific body points.
  • Light Therapy - Light therapy is the use of natural or artificial light to treat various ailments, but unproven uses of light extend to lasers, colors, and monochromatic lights. High-intensity light therapy has been documented to be useful for seasonal affective disorder, with less evidence for its usefulness in the treatment of more general forms of depression and sleep disorders. Hormonal changes have been detected after treatment.
  • Reiki - Reiki is a therapy that the practitioner delivers through the hands, with intent to raise the amount of ki in and around the client, heal pathways for ki, and reduce negative energies.
  • Therapeutic Touch - Modern adaptation of several religious and secular healing traditions. Practitioners hold their hands a short distance from a patient, without making physical contact. This technique is believed to help detect a patient's energy field and allows the practitioner to correct any imbalances.

Miscellaneous: Here's a collection of several unorthodox therapies.

  • Colloidal Silver Therapy - Colloidal silver products consist of tiny silver particles suspended in liquid. They are usually marketed as dietary supplements. Not considered safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Colloidal silver can cause serious side effects: one is argyria, a bluish-gray discoloration of the face and body. Argyria is not treatable or reversible.
  • Colonic Therapy - Colonic irrigation, also called colonic hydrotherapy, is a variant of enema treatment, which involves flushing the bowel with water in different quantities, temperatures and pressures. Colonic irrigation is proposed to improve mental outlook, modulate the immune system and eliminate toxic substances.
  • Ear Candling - Also called ear coning or thermal-auricular therapy, is a folk medicine practice intended to assist the natural clearing of earwax (cerumen) and "toxins" from a person's ear by means of a hollow candle placed in the ear. It involves lighting one end of the hollow candle, and placing the other end in the ear canal. Some proponents maintain the supposedly resulting vacuum can clean out the ear, but mainstream medical science and manufacturers of ear candles discount this theory due to lack of evidence supporting it.

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The information contained in this Web Site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your doctor or other health care professional. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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