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 type of alternative medicine therapy originated in China. The Chinese developed a system of meridians from which energy is said to flow. Tapping into these meridians with the use of the acupuncture needles will assist to relieve various conditions and ailments that a person may be experiencing as well as help to relax and even lower 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 conventional medical practitioners say that while acupuncture may not be helpful there is nothing to lose if the patient would really love to test it. The utilization of clean and sterile needles as well as the application of the said practice by dependable and well qualified specialist is a must for this kind of alternative medicine. Whether it has a placebo effect or real effect on persons may depend completely on how amenable the patient 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 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. - 17273

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Submitted by Richard Ealom Author of this article. To find more about topics like Alternative and Natural Health treatments goto our web site at Alternative Medicine - Your Oourr Choice or Alternative Medicine - our Oourr Option NOTE article seen above may be circulated freely on web sites, as long as ALL article content and author information remain UNCHANGED.