Alternative Therapies

Understanding Alternative Healing

Alternative healing encompasses practices beyond conventional modern medicine, spanning various healing philosophies, methods, and therapies. Many of these treatments and healthcare practices aren't commonly taught in medical schools. Examples include Naturopathy, Chiropractic, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and acupuncture.

Exploring Complementary Medicine

When alternative medicine is used alone or instead of conventional medicine, it's referred to as "alternative" medicine. When used alongside conventional medicine, it's termed "Complementary Medicine" as the two practices complement each other. For instance, many Chinese hospitals use acupuncture to reduce pain during surgery instead of anesthetics. This is complementary medicine. Later, we discuss the use of sesame oil as a complementary treatment for cancer. Dean Ornish uses lifestyle changes to combat heart disease. These are all examples of complementary medicine.

Traditional Oriental Medicine

Traditional oriental medicine comprises a sophisticated array of systematic techniques, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, acupressure, qigong, and oriental massage. It emphasizes diagnosing disturbances of qi, or vital energy, in health and disease. Diagnosis in oriental medicine involves classical procedures of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, including feeling pulse quality and sensitivity of body parts.

The professionalization of oriental medicine has taken diverse paths in both East Asia and the United States. Currently, the model in the People's Republic of China involves the organized training of practitioners in schools of traditional Chinese medicine. In the United States, the professional practitioner base for oriental medicine is organized around acupuncture and oriental massage.

Extensive research has been conducted in China, characterizing and identifying active agents in traditional medical formulary. Traditional oriental herbal medicines and formulas have been studied for therapeutic value in various areas, including chronic hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, and certain cancers.

Understanding Holistic Health

Many alternative practices focus on the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of health, in addition to the physical body. Therapies like hypnosis and visualization claim to change physical conditions through purely mental interventions. Holistic practitioners treat the "whole person" instead of individual organs where symptoms occur, emphasizing self-care and illness prevention.