What Are Some Examples Of Alternative Medicine?

A concept that defines medical procedures that are used instead of conventional (mainstream) therapies is alternative medicine. It is often referred to by others as "integrative," or "complementary medicine.

In the United States, more than half of adults claim that they use some form of alternative medicine. But what kinds of treatments are known as alternatives, exactly? When doctors research and move more of them into the mainstream, the meaning alters.

List of Alternative Medicine

• Acupressure - In nature, acupressure is similar to acupuncture, but no needles are involved. To apply pressure to particular points along the "meridians" of the body, practitioners use their hands, elbows, or feet. Acupressure is thought to release blockages so that energy can circulate freely again, restoring well-being. More research is required, but promising results have been found in a handful of studies.

•  Reflexology - Reflexology includes the application of pressure on the feet, hands or ears in many places. The idea is that they match various bodies and structures. These organs and the general health of an individual are thought to be impaired by stresses.

• Acupuncture - While reading about this traditional Chinese medicine practice can automatically bring to mind sharp needles, the word actually describes stimulating specific points in the body. The best-known variety consists of piercing the skin with thin needles that a doctor monitors, although it is also possible to use electrical stimulation. For a while, we have known that acupuncture can have beneficial effects on PMS, Trusted Source insomnia, Trusted Source, and several forms of chronic pain, such as pain in the neck and osteoarthritis.

• Aromatherapy - To facilitate healing, Aromatherapy uses essential oils, highly concentrated extracts from the roots, leaves, seeds, or blossoms of plants. You may use a diffuser to inhale the oils, or dilute You may use a diffuser to inhale the oils, or dilute Others are used to treat infections or inflammation, while others are used to facilitate calmness and relaxation.

• Ayurvedic medicine - This modality, also known as Ayurveda, originated in India and has been around for thousands of years. In order to stabilize the body, mind and spirit to facilitate optimal health, practitioners use a range of methods, including herbs, massage, and specialized diets.

• Balneotherapy - Often confused with hydrotherapy, entails the use of water for medicinal purposes, and it dates back to 1700 BCE. To this day, it's a common treatment course in several European countries, think thermal baths in Hungary.

• Biofeedback - In order to enhance conditions such as high blood pressure, headaches, and chronic pain, biofeedback techniques allow individuals to regulate bodily processes that typically occur unconsciously, such as heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and skin temperature.

• Chiropractic medicine - Chiropractic work in the medical community is universally recognized and thus qualifies rather than alternative as "complementary medicines. Musculoskeletal and nervous systems are the subject of the practice, addressing conditions in the back, spine, joints, arms, legs and head. Spinal manipulation, aka an "adjustment," which involves applying controlled force (typically the hands of the chiropractor) to joints that have become hypomobile, is the most common treatment performed by chiropractors.

• Homeopathy - Homeopathy operates much like a vaccine: it is based on the "like with like" treatment theory, meaning a drug which can be used in large doses to treat the same effects in a small quantity that triggers negative reactions.

Reiki - A form of energy healing that flows through the body with a "life force." Sickness and stress demonstrate, according to this theory, that energy for life is poor, while energy, health and happiness are powerful.