Friday 23 October 2009

Alternative Medicine - The Other Selection

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 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 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 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 kind of alternative medicine involves the treatment of disorders and other conditions through the application of pressure on the musculoskeletal system. In basic terms, the body, through realignment of the bones and pressure on the muscles is meant to regain its balance and be relieved or cured from some conditions and disorders. This alternative medicine kind of therapy uses the manipulation of the patients joints, spine and other soft tissues to encompass the general application of manual therapy. The manipulation and manual therapy is mostly done by the chiropractor but he can also assign a sequence of movements and related therapies which the patient can do 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 type of relief or treatment which includes several forms of alternative medicine therapies and treatments. The notion of naturopathy is that the body can mend itself without the need of established medicine through the assorted kinds of natural medicine. The use of established Chinese medicine, acupuncture, reflexology, botanical medicine, homeopathy, nutrition and even the practice of good hygiene are said to be included in naturopathy. lots of people believe in this ideal and try to heal or treat themselves through the employment of natural types of alternative medicine.

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