Category Archives: Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine is any form of practice that is outside the realm of conventional modern medicine. It covers a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies. Most of these treatments and health care practices are not taught widely in medical schools. Examples are naturopathy, chiropractic, ayurveda, homeopathy and acupuncture. (A complete listing of alternative medical practices are given later.)

If alternative medicine or therapy is used alone or instead of conventional medicine, it is called "alternative" medicine. If the treatment or therapy is done along with or in addition to conventional medicine, it is referred to as "Complementary Medicine" as the two practices complements each other. For example, many Chinese hospitals use acupuncture to reduce the pain during the surgery instead of anesthetics. This is complementary medicine. Later, we refer to the use of sesame oil as a complementary treatment for cancer. Dean Ornish uses life style changes to combat heart disease. These are all examples of complementary medicine.

Many of the alternative practices pay attention to the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of health, in addition to the physical body. Therapies like hypnosis and visualization claims to be able to change physical conditions through purely mental interventions. They believe that our bodies are remarkably resilient machines, capable, with some occasional prodding or intervention, of healing themselves. The name "holistic medicine" came from this unification of the mind and the body. Holistic practitioners treat the "whole person" as opposed to the individual organs of the body where symptoms occur. The importance of self care and preventing illness are stressed by holistic practitioners.

Any therapy that relies on the body's own healing powers may be considered natural medicine. These include herbal remedies, diet and water therapies.

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There are many different types of complementary and alternative treatments believed to be effective for treating high blood pressure (hypertension). Scientific evidence indicates that a diet that is low in saturated fat and salt and rich in complex carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fruits), increased physical activity, and regular practice of relaxation techniques such as yoga, Tai Chi, or Qigong, can help to lower high blood pressure.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to lower your blood pressure is to eat a healthy diet, such as the DASH diet. Doctors recommend:

A solid body of evidence shows that men and women of all age groups who are physically active have a decreased risk of developing high blood pressure. Findings from multiple studies indicate that exercise can lower blood pressure as much as some drugs can. People with mild and moderately elevated blood pressure who exercise 30 to 60 minutes three to four days per week (walking, jogging, cycling, or a combination) may be able to significantly decrease their blood pressure readings.

Blood pressure increases when a person is under emotional stress and tension, but whether or not psychological interventions aimed at stress reduction can decrease blood pressure in patients with hypertension is not clear.

Nevertheless, recent studies suggest that ancient relaxation methods that include controlled breathing and gentle physical activity, such as yoga, Qigong, and Tai Chi, are beneficial. People with mild hypertension who practiced these healing techniques daily for two to three months experienced significant decreases in their blood pressure, had lower levels of stress hormones, and were less anxious.

The results of a recent small study suggest that a daily practice of slow breathing (15 minutes a day for 8 weeks) brought about a substantial reduction in blood pressure. However, these findings need to be confirmed in larger and better-designed studies before these ancient healing techniques are recommended as effective non-pharmacological approaches to treating hypertension. Still, possible benefits, coupled with minimal risks, make these gentle practices a worthwhile activity to incorporate into a healthy lifestyle.

Note: It is important that inactive older people or those with chronic health problems be evaluated by their doctor before starting a program of any physical activity, including Tai Chi, Qigong, or yoga.

The effectiveness and safety of herbal therapies, such as Rauwolfia serpentina (snakeroot), Stephania tetrandra (tetrandrine), Panax notoginseng (ginseng), and Crataegus species (hawthorn) for treating high blood pressure have not been extensively studied. Because of potential health risks associated with these herbs, it is imperative that you inform your doctor if you plan to use or are already using them. This is even more important if these herbs are used in combination with high blood pressure drugs. Some herbs, such as licorice, ephedra (Ma Huang), and yohimbine (from the bark of a West African tree) should not be used by people with hypertension, because they can increase blood pressure.

Some supplements have been evaluated as blood pressure-lowering options, including:

Talk to your doctor before starting any medication, including these supplements, which may be available without a prescription. The risks and benefits of every medicine (including over-the-counter drugs) must be carefully weighed on an individual basis.

Extensive research on the effectiveness of acupuncture for lowering blood pressure has been reported, but many studies have considerable weaknesses. More rigorously controlled research is needed to determine the value of acupuncture as a treatment for hypertension. At this time, there is no evidence that acupuncture reliably lowers high blood pressure.

SOURCE: University of Maryland Medical Center.

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Alternative Treatments for High Blood Pressure - WebMD

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Complementary and Alternative medicine provide you with many different therapy options for any condition.

Across the world physicians and healthcare providers are searching out what are seen as new and improved ways of finding answers to the treatment problems of their patients, likeMiami Doctors. In many cases the new treatments doctors are finding are based on ancient treatments and therapies now placed in the medical category known as complementary and alternative medicine. These treatments are generally based on the idea of realigning the energies of the body to help treat medical conditions ranging from simple colds and allergies through to more serious conditions like various forms of cancer and auto immune conditions.

Complementary and alternative medicines are largely based on ancient principles and can include a large variety of treatments in which the patient has a large say in the course of the treatment. When looking forAlternative medicine Miamiresidents know a trip to the Dayton Medical Center can help them treat medical conditions in a natural or complementary way to work alongside conventional medical treatments. In many cases patients arrive at theMedical Wellness Center Miamiwhen they have exhausted every other treatment opportunity or are frustrated at the lack of a definitive diagnosis.

The Dayton Medical Center offers both conventional and complementary treatment options in an attempt to provide relief from pain and suffering from medical conditions. Offering mainstream therapies available through the majority of hospitals in the U.S. the offering of alternative and complementary medical treatments can be used to speed the recovery time for patients or help relieve recognized symptoms.

Many complementary and alternative therapies work by restoring natural balance and detoxifying the human body from the poisons found in the modern world. One therapy offered through Dayton Medical Center is Chelation therapy, which is concerned with removing heavy metals and toxins from the human body. During the therapy a fluid containing chelating chemicals is transferred into the veins, which grabs onto heavy metals within the blood and withdraws them from the veins to improve the general well-being of the individual being treated.

Alternative injectionsare often used to treat a variety of medical conditions, including serious conditions such as Parkinsons Disease and MS. Injection therapies can be used to effectively target the specific areas of the body being affected by a disease or medical problem. In these therapies nutrients are delivered to the specific areas of the body being targeted in a bid to relieve painful or debilitating symptoms.

Not all the therapies offered at theMedical Wellness Center Miamiare targeted directly at medical conditions and their symptoms. Many complementary and alternative therapies can be used in an effort to delay the signs of aging and make the individual receiving the therapy feel younger and energized. One of these treatments is a series of injections delivering a chemical known as GH3, which has been known about since the 1950s and first used in the Eastern European country of Romania. The use of GH3 has been shown to limit the onset of aging skin and reduce the number of wrinkles visible to give people a younger appearance. The use of these injections is thought to help strengthen muscles, lungs and can help people affected by moods, which have a negative effect on the lives of individuals and their loved ones.

Alternative Medicine is not only better, it is the best.

What is it about alternative medicine that is supposed to be better for you? We hear others speaking about it but does it really work? Everyone has their own opinion about whether or not alternative medicine is the best way to go. There are also opinions to what extent you should be using these methods. But like I said we all have an opinion. So how about I give you some facts about alternative medicine, and you decide.

Lets begin with discussing what Dayton Medical is all about. They employ only the top Miami doctors in the state so that the patients that come in will get the best care possible. Every single doctor is trained to engage and help educate their clients on the pros and cons of alternative methods, when they are needed and when they are not. Through their various tools and medicines, Dayton Medical helps everyone. Whether its from chronic back pain or those who are dealing with symptoms of Cancer and other various illnesses, Dayton Medical can help. Now truth be told there are many other clinics and offices that provide chronic pain relief and other medical treatments, both conventional and non-conventional. But Dayton is by far the best alternative medicine clinic Miami has to offer.

No matter what kind of patient walks through that door, each and every one of them are treated with kindness, compassion and the highest respect. No matter what the situation is, Dayton doesnt believe in turning anyone away. Dayton also has an outreach program that specializes in various forms of testing. Within this outreach center, testing is done for those patients who might have a problem that cant be diagnosed with in a normal visit. These tests can be covered under most insurances and they are completely natural. There are alternative medicine treatmentsfor anyone.

During your initial visit you will be asked to fill out the usual form. On this form you will be asked specific questions about your health and where you feel you are at risk. In other words, when you fill out the form you will be filling out the order of your ailments, from what hurts the most to what hurts the least. The doctors and nurses want to make sure you get the most out of your visit.

Now of course you will have options for how they can treat your problems. You can choose to have conventional methods done for some of the aliments. Or you can choose to have things done unconventionally, the choice is completely up to you. Just so there isnt any confusion, the pros and cons of each method will be outlined and given to you on the forms that you fill out. That way both ends are covered, the doctors have done their job and you have the information that you are required to get.

The doctors view the signs and symptoms as indicators of the imbalance that is happening within your body. Those imbalances have a direct affect on everything else that your body goes through physical stress to emotional stress. What many dont fully understand is that your emotional issues can cause breakdowns within the body. This will affect your overall health, and can also lead to other impurities. The doctors know this. So when the doctor uses various healing methods he or she is helping to restore health to your body.

Dayton Medical Center Miami keeps track of everything, in order to know where to look. The problem with other medical practices is that the only take a look at the symptoms, and not the signs. When you do this you only remove a portion and not the whole thing. By using up-to-date technology and methods, the medical clinic will get to the root of what is bothering you, and to the root is what is causing all of the difficulties.

Miami Doctors take a look at both sides and attacks these difficulties with a very aggressive methodology, which is different when compared to other doctors and alternative medical clinics. By using natural healing methods and medications, Dayton gives the medical profession something to talk about.

There are Alternative Practices at Dayton Medical Center in Miami that are just for you.

When people become sick, hurt or just have some aches and pains from their daily routine they will often seek out medical attention. Some of the people are already on several prescription medications and every time they go to see a medical doctor another prescription medication is prescribed to their already flowing medication list. Instead of putting pills into our bodies over a number of years it is better to with Miami Doctors, in which to find a better Alternative Medicine Miami and allow a more natural way of healing our bodies and minds.

One of the best places in which to receive the best alternative care is at the Dayton Medical Center there in Miami, Florida, which was established back in 1973. The doctor who started this alternative medicine practice felt that people could be healed without having to take prescription drugs. Some patients like to take baby steps when it comes to switching over from the original medical practice to the non-traditional way of practicing medicine.

The center approaches each and every ailment from headaches to cancer with compassion and will talk with their patients about how they would like to proceed. One of the options that a patient has is to use Acupuncture Miami, however once a patient has determined how they want to proceed with their treatment the doctor and staff are there to help guide them on the road to recovery.

The Dayton staff and doctors are all about finding the best alternative treatments to fit their patients needs. They talk and research different medical aspects from everywhere around the world. They are also aware that the signs and symptoms that their patients portray are only the tip of the under lying problem. Getting to the root of the problem is their mission and they do this with little risk to the patient. When a unusual sign or symptom is noticeable the doctor and staff know they must eliminate those unusual signs and symptoms in order to allow the body and mind to become healthy again.

When you enter into the Dayton office for the first time the staff and doctors will want to know what alternative medicine you are on, why you are there and what signs and symptoms you have been having and how long you have been having them and what you are allergic to. Since patients have a choice as to the type of treatment they prefer they are told in great detail all the advantages or disadvantages to each particular treatment.

Miami Doctors feel that in order for a patient to be completely healed in mind and body they should be able to utilize every option from regular medicine along with the non-traditional medicine. This way the patient has the opportunity to find out which way is going to work the best for them. More doctors are becoming aware that by working together in the conventional medical way along with the all-inclusive medical ways is better for the patient to be healthy, happy and whole.

Miami Doctors have been recognized as the leading medical practices in the country.

Miami Doctors have been recognized as the leading medical practices in the country. This center stands as the oldest medical facility that uses this medicine. The treatments can range anywhere from colds or allergies, you need to visit this medical center that can offer this to every detail. This is a friendly center that offers itself in treating every patient that receives the best attention. They can help you to improve your health while minimizing the risk of medical care. To offer excellence in health, they use natural way to get this as you will be asked to list what your major health concerns are. This is an office visit for great results for medical care, and you can offer different options for your visit.

This is a great advance in alternative medicine, and many fields have been adapted. Using the technology from both fields, not only can you overcome against the diseases like cancer, but you can see the healing signs and symptoms of this disease and treat the causes. This is shared among the medical profession and the professionals such as nurses, as this is what medical care is all about. These are the only medical technicians that can practice medicine that can deal with the patients. This is a group of people who have been trained to apply the medical knowledge, and in many countries they have legal rights of whom practices these medicines. There are other fields such as sports medicine, as this varies to the specialized sport. These are different systems of health care practice and they are human societies. Most of these are separate from medicine, and many other types of natural medicine are used in the health care world.

These alternative medicine therapies of the health care world, are sometimes considered as a competition to the other medicines that have been brought into this field. This is why it is important for you to use a medical alert bracelet. These bracelets alert the people if you are a victim of an accident or a medical emergency, to properly identify you. These bracelets are showing up in styles and they alert the vendors of a medical issue. This is information that goes where you go, as you can use these bracelets every where you go. These are bracelets that are used in an emergency situation, so that the person that you help can relay the information. This is good for any allergic reactions that do not occur. These bracelets can help a person gets the attention that you need, and you do not draw the attention to this condition, and they look like plain jewelry. These bracelets can save your life. This is where the Medical clinic Miami can help you.

Therapy brings warmth to the tissue, and it increases the circulation of nutrients and it cleans the toxins out. This helps you to overcome the disease and it brings you good health. Alternative Medicine Miami uses a therapy of higher temperatures that help in overcoming the infections and addressing cancer. They offer the best possible care and benefits, they offer special areas of expertise for a better approach. Natural remedies offer conventional or alternative medical approach for treating the infection. This was established to focus oncomplementary medicine. These doctors have been there through the years to help you feel better and they have more knowledge than any doctor.

People are actively searching for alternative ways to treat a number of common ailments to more serious health concerns.

People are actively searching for alternative ways to treat a number of common ailments to more serious health concerns. In addition, a growing number of people are very disappointed with traditional medicine and the toxic chemicals or drugs that are prescribed to treat their ailments. This has led to a revival in herbal healing, holistic care, and other types of natural remedies to treat common ailments. Alternative medicines stress treating the entire person in a healthy way with natural methods. The Miami Medical Center could be the cure for what ails you. The staff filled with Miami Doctors who use a truly holistic approach to medicine are a welcomed change.

The average patient at Miami Medical Center is looking for an alternative way to treat their health problem. Many have spend months or perhaps years trying various traditional methods with very little results. They have arrived at the decision to take another approach to health and healing.

Dayton Medical Center is a meeting ground for patients in various stages of health. Some have minor problems like an allergy or sinus problem. Then there are those with aching backs or injuries. Another group might have more serious life threatening problems like cancer. All the patients are welcomed at the center.

The Miami Doctors based at the center are experienced with various holistic healing methods that have proven successful with patients. Their feeling is that the alternative medicine approach takes into consideration the whole being of the patient. Of course, many associate the holistic approach with new age treatments. Holistic medicine or many alternative medicines are centuries old. The alternative medicines were used with great success by many ancient cultures. Their natural approach to treating illness or disease is gaining great respect in the traditional medicine world among doctors and other health professionals.

Natural remedies take many forms. There are at least several alternative medical practices that are used at the center. The Medical Center focuses on mixing the alternative methods with a few non-invasive traditional methods. They find that a natural balance is reached by combining the best of each practice. Some of the common alternative medicines might include Acupressure which is an ancient Chinese Medicine practice that believes placing pressure on certain meridian points on the body release chi which helps to heal illness. Acupuncture Miami is another Chinese Medicine practice similar to Acupressure. They use tiny needles instead of pressure. Reflexology is an alternative medicine practice that believes that touching certain pressure points on the hand or foot relieves stress. Massage Therapy is a technique that uses body massage to release tension and stress in the body which leads to illness. Many of the specialist at the center are very experienced with the methods mentioned here.

Many wonder if the methods are right for them. It is important that they consult with one of the specialist at the center and discuss their concerns and any other issues that are pressing in their mind. The medical professionals will guide you to selecting the alternative treatments that are best for your condition.

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Natural Alternative Medicine, Herbal Remedies & Holistic ...

Alternative medicine may be defined as non-standard, unconventional treatments for glaucoma.

Use of alternative medicine continues to increase, although it must be noted that some of these treatment alternatives have no proven clinical effect.

Regular exercise and relaxation techniques can be beneficial for lowering eye pressure and may have a positive impact on your overall health and other glaucoma risk factors including high blood pressure.

Always talk to your doctor before starting any alternative therapies.

Proponents of homeopathic medicine believe that symptoms represent the bodys attack against disease, and that substances which induce the symptoms of a particular disease or diseases can help the body ward off illness.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not tested homeopathic remedies for safety or effectiveness. There is no guarantee that they contain consistent ingredients, or that dosage recommendations are accurate. It would be a mistake to use homeopathic remedies and dismiss valid therapies, delaying proven treatment for serious conditions.

Holistic medicine is a system of health care designed to assist individuals in harmonizing mind, body, and spirit. Some of the more popular therapies include good nutrition, physical exercise, and self-regulation techniques including meditation, biofeedback and relaxation training. While holistic treatments can be part of a good physical regimen, there is no proof of their usefulness in glaucoma therapy.

No conclusive studies prove a connection between specific foods and glaucoma, but it is reasonable to assume that what you eat and drink and your general health have an effect on the disease.

Some studies have shown that significant caffeine intake over a short time can slightly elevate intraocular eye pressure (IOP) for one to three hours. However, other studies indicate that caffeine has no meaningful impact on IOP. To be safe, people with glaucoma are advised to limit their caffeine intake to moderate levels.

Studies have also shown that as many as 80% of people with glaucoma who consume an entire quart of water over the course of twenty minutes experience elevated IOP, as compared to only 20% of people who dont have glaucoma. Since many commercial diet programs stress the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of water each day, to be safe, people with glaucoma are encouraged to consume water in small amounts throughout the day.

The ideal way to ensure a proper supply of essential vitamins and minerals is by eating a balanced diet. If you are concerned about your own diet, you may want to consult with your doctor about taking a mulitvitamin or multimineral nutritional supplement.

Some of the vitamins and minerals important to the eye include zinc and copper, antioxidant vitamins C, E, and A (as beta carotene), and selenium, an antioxidant mineral.

An extract of the European blueberry, bilberry is available through the mail and in some health food stores. It is most often advertised as an antioxidant eye health supplement that advocates claim can protect and strengthen the capillary walls of the eyes, and thus is especially effective in protecting against glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. There is some data indicating that bilberry may improve night vision and recovery time from glare, but there is no evidence that it is effective in the treatment or prevention of glaucoma.

There is some evidence suggesting that regular exercise can reduce eye pressure on its own, and can also have a positive impact on other glaucoma risk factors including diabetes and high blood pressure.

In a recent study, people with glaucoma who exercised regularly for three months reduced their IOPs an average of 20%. These people rode stationary bikes 4 times per week for 40 minutes. Measurable improvements in eye pressure and physical conditioning were seen at the end of three months. These beneficial effects were maintained by continuing to exercise at least three times per week; lowered IOP was lost if exercise was stopped for more than two weeks.

In an ongoing study, glaucoma patients who walked briskly 4 times per week for 40 minutes were able to lower their IOP enough to eliminate the need for beta blockers. Final results are not available, but there is hope that glaucoma patients with extremely high IOP who maintain an exercise schedule and continue beta-blocker therapy could significantly reduce their IOP.

Regular exercise may be a useful addition to the prevention of visual loss from glaucoma, but only your eye doctor can assess the effects of exercise on your eye pressure. Some forms of glaucoma (such as closed-angle) are not responsive to the effects of exercise, and other forms of glaucoma (for example, pigmentary glaucoma) may actually develop a temporary increase in IOP after vigorous exercise. And remember -- exercise cannot replace medications or doctor visits!

The long-term effects of repeatedly assuming a head-down or inverted position on the optic nerve head (the nerve that carries visual images to the brain) have not been adequately demonstrated, but due to the potential for increased IOP, people with glaucoma should be careful about these kinds of exercises.

Glaucoma patients should let their doctors know if yoga shoulder and headstands or any other recreational body inversion exercises that result in head-down or inverted postures over extended periods of time are part of their exercise routines.

The results of studies regarding changes in IOP following relaxation and biofeedback sessions have generated some optimism in controlling selected cases of open-angle glaucoma, but further research is needed.

However, findings that reduced blood pressure and heart rate can be achieved with relaxation and biofeedback techniques show promise that non-medicinal and non-surgical techniques may be effective methods of treating and controlling open-angle glaucoma.

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Alternative Medicine | Glaucoma Research Foundation

Summary

Over the past decade, governmental agencies, medical schools, influential voices in the media, and the public at large have seen a remarkable surge of interest in alternative medicine in the United States. While many therapies focus on unproven but otherwise spiritually neutral approaches (for example, nutritional supplements), others arise from or validate worldviews especially the monism (All is One) of the New Age movement that are hostile to the teachings of Scripture. The cultural developments that have brought alternative (still often called holistic) therapies into the cultural mainstream are complex and often understandable. However, a number of general cautions are still in order regarding this movement.

Twenty years ago a nurse tending to pediatric patients at Santa Monica Hospital handed me a rather unassuming publication bearing the title, Journal of Holistic Health. Along with more than 2,000 health-care professionals and other interested parties, she had just attended a conference in San Diego entitled, The Physician of the Future. In more ways than one, she had got religion at this meeting, and spoke with great enthusiasm about the new paradigm that would soon revolutionize our understanding of health and disease.

The future of health care, she explained, lay in the concept of holism, understanding the whole person body, mind, and spirit who was in fact a great deal more than the sum of several organ systems. It would become much more important to understand the patient who had the illness, not merely the illness that had the patient. Prevention, lifestyle, stress reduction, and self-awareness would displace the invasive and often destructive approaches specifically, drugs and surgery that had for so long dominated Western medicine. Eventually, we would begin to define health in more uplifting terms: not merely as the absence of disease, but as a state of increasing energy, productivity, insight, and personal transformation.

RISE OF HOLISTIC HEALTH

It sounded intriguing. After all, I was training as a resident in family practice the specialty whose interest extended not only to the whole patient, but also to her or his family, work, relationships, and even the community where she or he lived. I glanced through the articles in this home-grown journal (which actually was a transcription of the previous years conference), and then began to read more carefully, with increasing concern. This movement appeared to have more on its mind than changing dietary habits, encouraging exercise, and coping with stress.

The conference director, David J. Harris, who bore the title Founder and President of the Association for Holistic Health, had rhapsodized in his opening remarks that this gathering is part of a process that is bringing about a new way of thinking, a new science merged with religion. James Fadiman, Ph.D., at that time Director of the Institute of Noetic Sciences at Stanford University, declared that we are not primarily physical forms. We are primarily energy around which matter adheres. Richard Svihus, M.D., President of the California Academy of Preventive Medicine, proclaimed that the holistic health movement is desired by higher forces and consciousness within the universe. Harold Bloomfield, M.D., a psychiatrist who had written the best-selling TM: Discovering Inner Energy and Overcoming Stress, extolled the benefits of Transcendental Meditation. Dr. Elisabeth Kbler-Ross, widely recognized as the worlds authority on the dying process, stated unequivocally that death does not exist, and that after transitioning from this life, you will have the opportunity not to be judged by a judgmental God, but to judge yourself. Many others with strings of initials after their names and impressive titles used engaging anecdotes that described healing through aligning the bodys invisible energies, developing psychic abilities, and most important altering, expanding, and transforming consciousness.

The pediatric nurse really had gotten religion but not a gospel that would set well with Luke, the doctor who followed Jesus. It was, instead, a gospel better suited to Luke Skywalker, master of the Force, the impersonal energy allegedly pervading the universe. The holistic health movement, it turned out, appeared to be yet another banner under the We are all energy / All is One / I am God / You are God / We are all God / Aint that great? spirituality of the New Age movement. Such spirituality was storming the gates of Western culture and hoping to be welcomed with open arms.

In my subsequent explorations of the holistic phenomenon I attended two of the annual Association for Holistic Health conferences in San Diego. For the most part, the speakers were interesting, energetic, and sincere in their desire to promote health and healing, while the audiences were far more attentive than many I had observed at other medical conferences. These total immersion experiences left no doubt in my mind that the spiritual agenda of the new medicine at least as presented by its most active proponents was of utmost importance. Furthermore, a few direct questions to some of the speakers made it abundantly clear that this spirituality, which presented itself as generously inclusive of all religious traditions, did not in fact harbor warm and fuzzy feelings about such concepts as the sinfulness of humankind, Christs atoning death on the cross, or our need for individual repentance.

Ask a speaker about Jesus, and you would hear He was a Master Teacher, Enlightened Healer, Bearer of the Christ Consciousness, and so forth. Mention atonement, and you would be gently corrected, for Jesus demonstrated at-one-ment an understanding of His (and our) unity with God. Bring up repentance, and you would be told that what we really need is enlightenment a direct experience of our own divinity. Bear down on that distasteful event at Golgotha, and the air would suddenly become rather chilly.

Over the next several years, I both wrote and spoke of my concerns about the holistic health movement in a variety of settings, and while doing so, made a few observations:

First, a number of conventional medical practitioners were miffed over the idea that unorthodox healing systems were promoted as treating the whole person more effectively. Indeed, even the most narrowly focused subspecialist could truly keep the patients entire life in focus, attending to the mind and spirit as well as the body. Furthermore, there was no guarantee that an unorthodox practitioner might not see a patient as little more than a tangled wad of energy fields needing to be balanced through some esoteric formulation. (Take these supplements/herbs that I have chosen for you through the most inscrutable and subjective criteria, and call me in the morning.)

Second, many people including committed Christians who would go to the mat over the interpretation of a grammatical detail in a passage of Scripture appeared quite willing to lay critical thinking aside while dealing with unorthodox healing methods. Does it work? or, more specifically, Does it make me feel better? were often far more important questions than Does it make any sense? or Is there any empirical proof? or On what world view is this healing system based?

Third, the holistic health movement appeared to be having little impact on the practices of mainstream physicians. It had somewhat greater success among nurses, particularly with a specific healing technique known as therapeutic touch (see below).

Fourth, the new medicine also seemed to be making little headway within medical schools, government bodies, and insurance companies. Holistic health proponents repeatedly expressed a desire to leave the fringes and enter the cultural mainstream via research, public policy, and finance, but for many years this goal proved elusive.

Indeed, the persistent inability of holistic practices to gain widespread acceptance by the powers that be was undoubtedly a sore point for this movement for a number of years. Despite the grandiose optimism expressed during the San Diego conferences and others during the late 1970s and early 1980s, holistic health seemed to sputter through the 1980s, keeping itself alive primarily through paying clients who beat a path to the doors of unconventional practitioners. I concluded that there would always be holistic voices crying in the wilderness, but that our culture would probably keep them there.

My unspoken prediction, however, was proven wrong by some startling developments over the past few years. A dramatic turnabout has brought the gamut of holistic therapies including those with New Age and Eastern mystical flags fully unfurled squarely into the mainstream of American culture under a new banner: alternative medicine. Some proponents prefer the more conciliatory term complementary medicine, while a few describe themselves as promoters of integrative medicine, seeking to unite all forms of health care into a coherent system. Alternative medicine, however, is the most widely used term.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE TODAY

It is difficult to pinpoint when or how this reversal began. Promoters of alternative health care would likely argue that this movement hasnt actually enjoyed a revival, but that it has been alive and well all along, and that the power elites of the press, government, and medicine have only recently noticed. This idea is supported to some degree by a now-famous 1993 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, a publication not exactly known for tabloid excesses.

The report detailed the findings of a 1990 survey of health care utilization in the United States, suggesting that more than 30 percent of American adults availed themselves of at least one form of alternative therapy that year, paying an estimated 425 million visits to providers of such treatments about 40 million more than the number made to primary care physicians! The tab for this care was nearly $14 billion, of which more than $10 billion was not covered by insurance and thus was paid out of pocket. The survey indicated that unconventional therapies were used mostly for chronic rather than life-threatening conditions, that most people using these alternatives didnt discuss them with their physicians (no great surprise since conventional practitioners tended to dismiss such options with eye-rolling disdain), and that the elderly represented a significant proportion of the clientele.1

A RECENT SURGE IN PUBLIC INTEREST

It would not be surprising if a survey taken today showed even more widespread involvement in alternative practices. Recent indications of a surge in public interest include the following:

A Time cover story entitled Faith and Healing (24 June 1996) painted its subject with broad strokes, encompassing traditional faith in God, meditative techniques, and biochemistry. It described controlled studies designed to determine whether patients who were the recipients of prayer defined in a variety of ways fared better than others.

A bumper crop of books on alternative therapies now line the shelves of the Health and Medicine section of the typical neighborhood bookstore. No longer limited to the off-label and self-published material that was once the staple of New Age outlets, the newer titles come from mainstream publishers, and place unconventional treatments on equal footing with Western medicine. One prominent example is The Medical Advisor: The Complete Book of Alternative and Conventional Treatment,2 published last year by Time-Life Books. This handsome volume describes health problems in encyclopedic detail, noting for each the conventional medical approach and then listing several alternatives: ancient Chinese, homeopathic, herbal, and so on.

The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) has repeatedly broadcast presentations of alternative healing. Bill Moyerss 1993 series, Healing and the Mind, attracted almost twice the normal PBS viewing audience. Andrew Weil, M.D., a popular author who now teaches Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, has offered articulate distillations from his book Spontaneous Healing on a program of the same name. Deepak Chopra, M.D., a publishing hot-ticket and Americas foremost purveyor of Indias ancient healing system known as ayurveda, captivated viewers in the PBS specials, Body, Mind and Soul: The Mystery and the Magic and The Way of the Wizard.

Websites devoted to alternative therapies abound on the Internet. If one tells the Yahoo search engine to look for alternative medicine, he or she will be escorted to more than 200 sites, many of which provide links to dozens of others. On the other hand, cautionary notices and critical analyses by organizations such as the National Council against Health Fraud and the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP, a humanist think tank that publishes Skeptical Inquirer) are few and far between.

Periodicals promoting alternative therapies are now available both for the general public (for example, Natural Health) and health care providers. The monthly journals Alternative and Complementary Therapies and Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine contain articles and studies of variable quality, which in some cases (unlike standard medical journals) freely wade into metaphysical and promotional material.

The most striking foray into the realm of conventional medicine occurred last November when American Family Physician, the official journal of the American Academy of Family Physicians (normally a reliable resource), published as its cover article, Alternative Medicine and the Family Physician.3 Authored by James M. Gordon, M.D., who directs the Mind-Body Center in Washington, D.C., the article offered a bland overview of alternative care, admonished family physicians to convey a sensitive acceptance and an openness to.their patients interest in alternative therapies, and encouraged practitioners to explore this realm themselves starting with Gordons own book, Manifesto for a New Medicine. An accompanying editorial strongly endorsed physician involvement in alternative therapies, and a duplicable information sheet did likewise for patients. Nowhere in these materials was there a note of caution or concern about any of the approaches mentioned.

NEW LINKS WITH CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

Manifestations of increasing interest in alternative health care have not been limited to the general public and news media. In 1991, Congress mandated the formation of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM), now permanently established within the National Institute of Health (NIH). OAMs mission is to encourage and support the investigation of alternative medical (AM) practices, with the ultimate goal of integrating validated alternative medical practices into health and medical care (emphasis added).4 To this end, 10 exploratory centers have been established at institutions such as the University of Minnesota Medical School, Stanford University, and Columbia Universitys College of Physicians and Surgeons. NIH guidelines for these centers call for a systematic analysis of alternative treatments and their effect on major diseases, health, and wellness.5

It remains to be seen whether the centers, each of which will focus on a specific health care issue, will approach alternative therapies with open arms along with open minds. Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, for example, has already established the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the first of its kind at an American medical school. A quote in the Rosenthal Centers brochure from Woodson Merrell, M.D., sounds less than dispassionate: The fact that medical schools are beginning to incorporate alternative modes of healing into their curriculum is a major step in medical education. It is very exciting.

The enthusiasm for alternative medicine displayed by those involved with OAM certainly raises some doubt that its programs will provide evenhanded analysis of the therapies they study. Representative John E. Porter (R-Ill), Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services Education Subcommittee, which oversees funding for NIH, not only supports OAM but also sees it as fulfilling a specific mission: As I see it, the most important contribution the OAM can make to the practice of medicine is to provide that link between alternative and conventional medicine.Therefore, it is important to continue making contacts on Capitol Hill and to deliver the message: alternative medicine is integral to biomedical research, provides effective results, and is a priority for spending decisions.6 James Gordon, M. D., who wrote the above-noted Manifesto for a New Medicine, also serves as Chairman of the Program Advisory Council for OAM.

WHY THE INTEREST?

What might explain this surge of interest in alternative therapies? There are many possible reasons, but the heart of the matter is this: for all of its technological prowess, especially with acute and critical conditions, Western medicine continues to bump against the limits of its effectiveness when dealing with many disabling chronic conditions especially those related to aging, such as degenerative arthritis as well as complex diseases, such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. A massive tide of baby boomers is now facing mid-life and menopause, and, having challenged the status quo at every stage of life, this generation is not about to accept a just deal with it approach to the health problems of its golden years.

Moreover, stress and common lifestyle-induced problems, such as chronic fatigue and depression, do not always find sympathetic ears and definitive solutions in the doctors office. Many conventional practitioners drive large numbers of people to alternative therapists by spending as little time as possible with their patients and by clinging to outmoded authoritarian roles (I know whats best for you, so dont ask me those irritating questions.). Alternative practitioners may listen more attentively to their patients, and they frequently promote themselves as encouraging a more collaborative relationship.

Yet encouraging mutual respect, open communication, and informed decision-making are not the exclusive province of alternative therapies. In fact, many conscientious doctors within the conventional model have inadvertently contributed to the popularity of alternative therapies by candidly admitting the limits of their capabilities and carefully explaining the pros and cons of treatment options. Maintaining this evenhanded approach requires using words such as might, maybe, and I dont know. Furthermore, an increasing and appropriate emphasis on informed consent over the past few decades requires physicians to present both the risks and the benefits in connection with a given medication or surgery.

As a result, in many situations a physician may not be able to bring the power of positive expectation to bear on the patients problem. Alternative therapies, on the other hand, are typically brimming with optimism, often inversely proportional to their ties to reality. After hearing more than one doctor say, I dont know what is causing your problem or what we can do about it, someone with a complex illness may feel a breath of hope when the alternative practitioner announces, I can find out why you feel so poorly, and I have a specific plan that will get you on the road to recovery.

Other reasons for the rising interest in alternative therapies include:

1.) The appeal of natural approaches often touted as helping the body to heal itself over drugs and surgery. There is no question that ounces of prevention are better than pounds of cure, and positive lifestyle choices (regular exercise, prudent eating habits, and avoidance of harmful substances) are very likely to reduce medical problems in the future. But all too often the term natural is misapplied to bizarre, illogical treatments or the use of huge (and unnatural) amounts of vitamin and mineral supplements. Eating a variety of wholesome foods every day is natural; taking a tackle-box full of supplements is not.

2.) The current cultural enthronement of choice the need to have options, to have it my way has become a national credo. The word alternative implies that there is a choice to be made regarding health care, as opposed to simply following doctors orders.

3.) Skyrocketing costs, especially related to high-tech procedures and expensive medications, continue to plague the conventional health care system. Because alternative therapies tend to be relatively lowtech and often stress activities that the individual can do for himself or herself, some managed care/HMO systems are investigating their potential for lowering health care bills.

4.) A deep and widespread spiritual hunger. A number of therapies serve as a gateway to spiritual technologies and world views that address needs for meaning, knowledge, and power.

So what is the problem with alternative medicine? Before addressing that question, it is important to state what is not at issue.

1.) Turf battles. As a conventional, Western-trained practitioner, I can readily affirm that any concerns that I or others raise about alternative practices are not driven by possessiveness for patients or the income derived from them. Furthermore, it is important to counter an allegation that circulates with variable fervor in alternative circles: The A.M.A., the medical establishment, the pharmaceutical industry, or some other nefarious conglomerate is suppressing effective alternative treatments especially for cancer as part of an evil scheme to keep people sick so that billions of dollars can be made treating them. This paranoid delusion has as much basis in reality as a Stephen King novel, and begs the obvious question: What do these plotters do when any one of them or a loved one develops cancer? This rumor needs to be given a decent burial.

2.) Optimizing lifestyle. Many alternative devotees pay close attention to their daily living habits and make wise decisions (although sometimes for odd reasons). Primary care physicians are always delighted to have low maintenance patients who make wholesome dietary choices, exercise regularly, shun harmful substances, and deal effectively with lifes stresses. If this were the sum of alternative or holistic health, there would be little to be concerned about and much to applaud.

3.) Effective treatments based on rational thinking and solid research. One of the potential benefits of the Office of Alternative Medicine is the sponsorship of studies to separate alternative wheat from chaff. For example, the Rosenthal Center is conducting a double-blind, randomized study to determine whether a specific Chinese herbal preparation is effective in treating menopausal hot flashes. If such research validates this particular herbal remedy as a useful therapeutic tool and provides guidelines for its appropriate use, many women will be grateful beneficiaries.

4.) Recognizing the spiritual dimension to health. Human beings are indeed more than a collection of complex biochemical reactions, and their spiritual values can play an important role in both health and illness. Research psychiatrist David Larson, M.D., at the National Institute for Healthcare Research has collected a large number of studies that indicate that regular churchgoers are, among other things, more likely to have a reduced risk of coronary artery disease, lower blood pressure, less depression, and fewer anxiety-related illnesses. Furthermore, these benefits appear to be independent of lifestyle decisions (such as abstaining from smoking) that might arise from spiritual commitments. However, a number of alternative therapies and conceptions of health embrace metaphysical orientations overtly hostile to the teachings of the Old and New Testaments.

PROBLEMS WITH ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Presenting a detailed critique of even a sampling of alternative therapies is beyond the scope of this article. The following basic problem areas are presented, however, as a caution to those involved in this realm.

Excessive promoting. To say that the realm of alternative medicine is characterized by optimism is an understatement, and undoubtedly much of its success is due to its unabashedly positive outlook. Unfortunately, this buoyancy tends to pervade even its serious journals, such as Alternative and Complementary Therapies, raising doubts about the willingness of alternative practitioners to engage in any serious form of peer review. For all of its faults, Western medicine has progressed by honoring skepticism and doubt, and by demanding that the efficacy of its interventions be validated by controlled studies. Even the extensive advertising to physicians and patients by the pharmaceutical industry is governed by strict guidelines regarding claims that can be made about a given product.

There is no similar oversight for the myriad of herbal formulations, supplements, homeopathic remedies, and other concoctions heavily promoted in magazines, health food stores, and infomercials. (On weekends, some Christian radio stations literally transform into alternative therapy flea markets, without any apparent regard for the credibility of the material emanating on their airwaves.) Expansive claims abound for restoring energy, improving digestion, and solving a variety of poorly defined ailments (heart problems, kidney disease, etc.), all unspecified. Testimonials and anecdotes serve as proof positive, and any attempt by the Food and Drug Administration to bring some order to this Dodge City are met with howls of protest from merchants and buyers alike.

Everything you know is wrong. A number of alternative therapies also postulate alternative realities convoluted explanations of how things work in the human body (or the universe in general) that are totally at odds with the most basic facts of physiology. These are politely referred to in OAM literature as traditional and ethnomedicine therapies, and include such far-flung systems as ancient Chinese medicine and its offshoots (classical acupuncture and acupressure, among others), ayurvedic medicine from India, and homeopathy. Each operates as a self-contained system with its own internal logic, and while they seem to coexist happily under the big tent of alternative medicine, each is quite incompatible with the others. Questions about the validity of each systems basic assumptions are usually deflected with references to the accumulated wisdom of thousands of years of careful observation or the hundreds/ thousands/millions of treatment successes/satisfied customers or (best yet) the many scientific studies documenting the effectiveness of _____ . What proof is there, for example, for the ancient Chinese notion that invisible energy called chi circulates in equally invisible channels called meridians, and that disease results from disturbances in that flow?

The reference to many scientific studies is the most ironic because the methodology of modern scientific inquiry clearly came up with an understanding of health and disease that bears absolutely no resemblance to the precepts of these systems. For a quick reality check, imagine for a moment the reception that would greet an alternative system of mechanical engineering, aeronautics, or navigation based on ancient Eastern mysticism. Imagine, for that matter, an effort by your local emergency room to revive Hippocratess doctrine of the four humours as the basis for diagnosis and treatment.

Postmodern thinking. The fact that fanciful healing systems thrive in industrialized nations is partly due to the fact that postmodernism has penetrated Western cultures to a significant degree. This world view rejects both scientific rationalism and biblical notions of absolute truth, and substitutes for them intense subjectivism: Truth is defined by my experience/my feelings/my understanding. The scientific method and all that it entails rational hypotheses, logical deductions, controlled studies, and revising ones opinions based on this arduous process are seen as no more valid a way of understanding the world than any individuals mystical experiences or intuitive hunches. Any claim that one approach to obtaining knowledge might, in fact, be better than another, or that there is any absolute truth especially a transcendent God who is the truth is viewed as a power play, an attempt by one person to suppress and oppress someone else.

One alternative well suited to a postmodern culture is therapeutic touch, a practice that has continuously gained in popularity among nurses since its introduction in 1975 by New York University Professor Dolores Krieger, R.N., Ph.D. Now taught at more than 80 universities and hospitals, therapeutic touch purports to detect and adjust invisible energies supposedly flowing within and emanating from the human body. This involves entering a meditative state, moving the hands slowly about two inches above the patients skin in an effort to detect subtle sensations such as tingling or heat, using the hands to sweep away excess energy that might have been detected, creating mental images of desirable energy states, and then directing these images to the patient through the hands.

Aside from its misleading title (it should be therapeutic nontouch), the utter lack of objective validation for an invisible human energy field and the spectacular subjectivism of its technique (how in the world can anyone tell whether someone is doing it correctly?), therapeutic touch possesses a mystical heritage that should chill any practitioner who possesses even the faintest belief in the veracity of Scripture. Dr. Kriegers book The Therapeutic Touch makes it clear that she views Eastern mysticism and the Hindu concept of a universal energy called prana as the cornerstone for her therapy. She writes, The idea that prana might be transferred from one individual to another may not be so readily apparent to us unless we have gotten into the practice and literature of hatha yoga, tantric yoga, or the martial arts of the orient.7

Whenever therapeutic touch is called into question, a chorus of protest even from some Christian nurses who embrace this technique (often erroneously equating it with the laying on of hands in the New Testament) is a virtual certainty. But regardless of the benign intentions of its practitioners and its frequent proclamations of validation by some scientific studies, this technique represents a florid invasion of Eastern mysticism into the corridors of Western medicine.

The hijacking of prayer. Alternative medicine has embraced prayer as a healing modality, and in doing so, it has repeatedly fooled even mature Christians. This has occurred in two ways. One is exemplified by a 1988 study reported in the above-noted Time article, Faith and Healing. Nearly 400 patients in the coronary care unit at San Francisco General Hospital were randomly assigned to two groups. Patients in the experimental group were prayed for by born-again Christians, while those in the control group were not. Neither group of patients knew this was being done. Lo and behold, the prayed-for group had one-third the number of complications. Some Christians who become aware of such studies are thrilled: Finally science is validating what the Bible says about prayer.

But is God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, an appropriate subject for a controlled study? Is the potter going to be subject to a randomized protocol of the clay? Is prayer merely a form of spiritual technology? This type of experiment encompasses the worst of both worlds misdirected science and presumptuous theology and indirectly validates the misguided assumption (prevalent even among many Christians) that prayer is a cosmic call button, in response to which an omnipotent butler automatically fulfills human desires.

The other fake-out, involving some inventive verbal sleight of hand, is exemplified by the writings of Larry Dossey, M.D., author of the bestselling Healing Words and the more recent Prayer Is Good Medicine. Dossey is widely quoted even in reputable Christian publications because of his encouraging thoughts about the role of prayer in healing. But his notions of prayer extend well beyond the basic concept of communication between a human being and the omniscient, omnipotent, and loving Creator. He views prayer as a nonlocal extension of human consciousness: Prayer actually enlarges the reach of human consciousness. It is a way for us to transcend our physical limitations to be nonlocal, like gods.8 It doesnt matter much whether one prays to Jehovah or to the entire universe, or merely extends positive thoughts in another persons direction. To him its all prayer and its all good.

In the Bible, however, the importance of worshiping and honoring the one true God is of paramount concern. It does matter to whom we pray, and with what attitude. Furthermore, doing so requires that we have a clear understanding that God is God, and we arent which brings us full circle to the last and most serious problem with alternative medicine.

Health is godhood. As noted at the beginning of this article, the holistic health movement of 20 years ago embraced a concept that was in fact deeply embedded in many of its therapies: Matter and energy are different forms of the same reality. We are all congealed energy the same energy that fills the universe, which some call God. Therefore we are God. Alternative medicine in the 1990s has in no way distanced itself from this world view.

Perhaps the most successful proponent of this philosophy in the United States is Deepak Chopra, M. D., author of numerous best sellers including Ageless Body, Timeless Mind and The Way of the Wizard, ubiquitous endorser of other alternative medicine books, and favorite of PBS viewers and movie stars. Originally trained in Western-style endocrinology and once the prime promoter of Maharishi Mahesh Yogis foray into health care, Chopra is now in command of his own Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, California.

Chopra shouts the virtues of ayurveda from the media housetops. He promotes the notion that we are all local nodes in the infinite, universal energy field (call it God if you wish): All of us are connected to patterns of intelligence that govern the whole cosmos. Our bodies are part of a universal body, our minds an aspect of a universal mind.9 So when the physical body dies, we have nothing to fear. As he explains in a recent column in Natural Health, Once our physical body disintegrates, we go through a period of deep slumber as an astral body.after which we gradually awaken to experiences that we need to work out. Eventually we get in touch with our karmic software and then re-emerge on the physical plane with a higher level of awareness. With each cycle of life and death we move into a higher or more refined vibratory frequency of consciousness.10

THE SAME OLD LIE

This is, of course, the old reincarnation shuffle, presented to reassure readers of this alternative health magazine that all will be well during their next several appearances on earth, until ultimate health a final unity with the universal mind takes place. Obviously, in such a scenario there is no need for God to have become a man to become a ransom for many, and no need for repentance, but only a need for each of us to experience our godhood.

These are yet another presentation, in all of their primal seduction, of the two most basic lies ever told to human beings: You shall be as gods, and you will not die. Unfortunately, despite an abundance of optimism and good intentions, many who are involved in alternative medicine especially those who claim to detect and manipulate invisible energies are unwittingly distorting Gods true identity as creator and Lord, and our true identity as creatures who need first to be saved by Him and then to serve Him.Paul Reisser, M.D., is a family physician in private practice in Southern California. He is the coauthor of several books, including New Age Medicine (InterVarsity Press, 1988) and the upcoming Focus on the Family Complete Book of Baby and Child Care (Tyndale). He is a member of the Focus on the Family Physicians Resource Council and medical commentator for the radio broadcast Family News in Focus.

NOTES

1D. M. Eisenberg, R. C. Kessler, C. Foster, F. E. Norlock, D. R. Calkins, and T. L. Delbanco, Unconventional Medicine in the United States: Prevalence, Costs and Patterns of Use, New England Journal of Medicine 328 (1993): 246-52.2The Medical Advisor: The Complete Book of Alternative and Conventional Treatment (Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1996).3James M. Gordon, Alternative Medicine and the Family Physician, American Family Physician 54,7 (1996): 2205,124Exploratory Centers for Alternative Medicine Research, NIH Guide, vol. 23, no. 15 (RFA: OD-94-004), 15 April 1994.5Ibid.6John E. Porter, OAM Funding: A Shared Responsibility, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 1,3 (1995): 80.7 Dolores Krieger, The Therapeutic Touch: How to Use Your Hands to Help or Heal (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979), 13.8 Larry Dossey, Prayer Is Good Medicine (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996), 79.9Emperor of the Soul, Time, 24 June 1996, 68.10Deepak Chopra, Soul Searching, Natural Health, January/February 1997, 192.

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Alternative Medicine - Christian Research Institute

Alternative medicine is the use of a nonconventional approach instead of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine is a nonconventional approach used along with conventional medicine.

Make sure you understand the risks as well as possible benefits if you pursue alternative or complementary therapy. Don't replace conventional medical treatment or psychotherapy with alternative medicine. When it comes to depression, alternative treatments aren't a substitute for medical care.

Examples of supplements that are sometimes used for depression include:

Nutritional and dietary products aren't monitored by the FDA the same way medications are. You can't always be certain of what you're getting and whether it's safe. Also, because some herbal and dietary supplements can interfere with prescription medications or cause dangerous interactions, talk to your health care provider before taking any supplements.

Complementary and alternative medicine practitioners believe the mind and body must be in harmony for you to stay healthy. Examples of mind-body techniques that may be helpful for depression include:

Relying solely on these therapies is generally not enough to treat depression. They may be helpful when used in addition to medication and psychotherapy.

.

More here:

Depression (major depression) Alternative medicine - Mayo Clinic

Complementary and alternative medicine comes in a broad range of forms. Here's a look at five widely practiced types of complementary and alternative medicine:

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the most commonly used complementary medicine approaches in the U.S. fall into one of two subgroups: natural products or mind-body practices.

Often sold in dietary supplement form, natural products may include herbs, probiotics, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, chemicals such as glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate (two supplements said to aid in the treatment of osteoarthritis), and a variety of other substances.

In the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (or NHIS, a report conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics), researchers determined that 17.7 percent of American adults had used a dietary supplement other than vitamins and minerals in the past year. The most commonly used natural product was fish oil, an omega-3-rich substance said to protect against conditions such as heart disease.

The second category of most commonly practiced complementary medicine approaches, according to the NCCIH, mind-body therapies typically involve using specific techniques to boost the mind's capacity to influence bodily function and enhance health.

Hypnotherapy is a popular type of mind-body therapy. Also known as hypnosis, it's been found to promote weight loss, alleviate back pain, and aid in smoking cessation in some scientific studies.

A self-directed practice long used to promote calm, meditation is a mind-body therapy that shows promise as an approach to achieving healthier blood pressure and sounder sleep.

There's also some evidence that meditation may benefit people struggling with chronic pain.

Although yoga is often practiced as a form of exercise and a means of reducing stress, it's also used as a mind-body therapy. Indeed, some research indicates that yoga may help manage conditions like anxiety, insomnia, migraines, and depression.

The NCCIH notes that yoga's popularity has significantly increased in recent years, with almost twice as many U.S. adults practicing yoga in 2012 as in 2002.

Other types of mind-body therapies include biofeedback, guided imagery, and music therapy.

Many proponents of complementary and alternative medicine use therapies and healing practices from alternative medical systems, such as homeopathy and naturopathic medicine.

Alternative medical systems also include traditional medical systems from other countries, such as Ayurveda (a form of alternative medicine that originated in India) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Within TCM are a number of therapies frequently used in the U.S.

today, including acupuncture, acupressure, and herbal medicine.

This type of complementary and alternative medicine is based on manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts of the body.

In some cases, manipulative and body-based methods involve participating in classes or individual sessions with the aim of changing your movement habits. For example, the Alexander Techniqueinvolves relearning basic movements (such as standing and sitting) in order to reduce muscle tension, while the Feldenkrais Method involves creating new patterns of movement in order to improve physical function and overall wellbeing.

Other types of manipulative and body-based methods used in complementary and alternative medicine focus on applying specific treatments to address health issues. These methods include reflexology, osteopathy, and rolfing.

Two of the most popular and well-researched types of manipulative and body-based methods are chiropractic and massage therapy.

Another type of complementary and alternative medicine, energy therapies are generally based on the idea that energy fields surround and penetrate the human body. Practitioners of energy therapies often aim to manipulate biofields by applying pressure and/or placing the hands in or through these energy fields.

While the existence of such energy fields has not been scientifically proven, there's some evidence that certain energy therapies may have beneficial effects.

For instance, preliminary research has shown that practicing qigong may help control chronic pain and lower blood pressure while Therapeutic Touch may help soothe osteoarthritis pain. In addition, there's some evidence that reiki may help lessen pain, promote healthy sleep, and reduce anxiety.

Sources

Birocco N, Guillame C, Storto S, Ritorto G, Catino C, Gir N, Balestra L, Tealdi G, Orecchia C, Vito GD, Giaretto L, Donadio M, Bertetto O, Schena M, Ciuffreda L. "The effects of Reiki therapy on pain and anxiety in patients attending a day oncology and infusion services unit." Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2012 Jun;29(4):290-4.

Lee MS, Pittler MH, Ernst E. "External qigong for pain conditions: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials." J Pain. 2007 Nov;8(11):827-31.

Lee MS, Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E. "Qigong for hypertension: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials." J Hypertens. 2007 Aug;25(8):1525-32.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. "What Is Complementary, Alternative or Integrative Health?" NCCIH Pub No.: D347. March 2015.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. It is not meant to cover all possible precautions, drug interactions, circumstances or adverse effects. You should seek prompt medical care for any health issues and consult your doctor before using alternative medicine or making a change to your regimen.

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5 Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Author Lloyd Wright NHC.

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Alternative Medicine Solution

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are treatments that fall outside of mainstream healthcare.

These medicines and treatments range from acupuncture and homeopathy, to aromatherapy, meditation and colonic irrigation.

This page covers:

Defining CAMs

Deciding to use complementary or alternative treatments

Availability on the NHS

Finding a CAM practitioner

There is no universally agreed definition of CAMs.

Although "complementary and alternative" is often used as a single category, it can be useful to make a distinction between the two terms.

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) uses this distinction:

There can be overlap between these two categories. For example, aromatherapy may sometimes be used as a complementary treatment, and in other circumstances is used as an alternative treatment.

A number of complementary and alternative treatments are typically used with the intention of treating or curing a health condition.

Examples include:

Tounderstand whether a treatment is safe and effective, we need to check the evidence.

You can learn more about the evidence for particular CAMs by reading about individual types of treatment see our index for a list of all conditions and treatments covered by NHS Choices.

Some complementary and alternative medicines or treatments are based on principles and an evidence base that are not recognised by the majority of independent scientists.

Others have been proven to work for a limited number of health conditions. For example, there is evidence that osteopathy, chiropractic and acupuncture are effective for treatinglower back pain.

When a person uses any health treatment including a CAM and experiences an improvement, this may be due to the placebo effect.

The availability of CAMs on the NHS is limited, and in most cases the NHS will not offer such treatments.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides guidanceto the NHS on effective treatments that are value for money. NICE has recommended the use of CAMs in a limited number of circumstances.

For example:

If you think you may have a health condition, first see your GP. Don't visit a CAM practitioner instead of seeing your GP.

It's particularly important to talk to your GP if you have a pre-existing health condition or are pregnant. Some CAMs may interact with medicines that you are taking.

The practice of conventional medicine is regulated by laws that ensure that practitioners are properly qualified, and adhere to certain standards or codes of practice. This is called statutory professional regulation.

Professionals of two complementary and alternative treatments osteopathy and chiropractic are regulated in the same way.

There is no statutory professional regulation of any other CAM practitioners.

Osteopathy and chiropractic are regulated in the same way as conventional medicine.

Apart from osteopathy and chiropractic, there is no professional statutory regulation of complementary and alternative treatments in the UK.

This means:

If you decide to use a CAM, it's up to you to find a practitioner who will carry out the treatment in a way that is acceptable to you.

Professional bodies and voluntary registers can help you to do this. See below.

Some regulated healthcare professionals such as GPs also practise unregulated CAMs. In these instances, the CAM practice is not regulated by the organisation that regulates the healthcare professional such as the General Medical Council but these organisations will investigate complaints that relate to the professional conduct of their member.

Many CAMs have voluntary registerssome of which are accreditedby the Professional Standards Authorityfor Health and Social Care (PSA) or professional associations, that practitioners can join if they choose.

Usually, these associations or registers demand that practitioners hold certain qualifications, and agree to practise to a certain standard.

Organisations with PSA-accredited voluntary registers include:

This means that these organisations have met the PSA's demanding standards, which are designed to help people make an informed choice when they're looking for a practitioner.

Find more information on the PSA's accredited registers.

Once you've found a practitioner, it's a good idea to ask them some questions to help you decide if you want to go ahead with treatment.

You could ask for:

Read more here:

About complementary medicines - Live Well - NHS Choices

Weve all seen the words complementary, alternative, and integrative, but what do they reallymean?

This fact sheet looks into these terms to help you understand them better and gives you a brief picture of NCCIHs mission and role in this areaofresearch.

Many Americansmore than 30 percent of adults and about 12 percent of childrenuse health care approaches developed outside of mainstream Western, or conventional, medicine. When describing these approaches, people often use alternative and complementary interchangeably, but the two terms refer to differentconcepts:

True alternative medicine is uncommon. Most people who use non-mainstream approaches use them along with conventionaltreatments.

There are many definitions of integrative health care, but all involve bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. The use of integrative approaches to health and wellness has grown within care settings across the United States. Researchers are currently exploring the potential benefits of integrative health in a variety of situations, including pain management for military personnel and veterans, relief of symptoms in cancer patients and survivors, and programs to promote healthybehaviors.

Chronic pain is a common problem among active-duty military personnel and veterans. NCCIH, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and other agencies are sponsoring research to see whether integrative approaches can help. For example, NCCIH-funded studies are testing the effects of adding mindfulness meditation, self-hypnosis, or other complementary approaches to pain management programs for veterans. The goal is to help patients feel and function better and reduce their need for pain medicines that can have serious sideeffects.

More information on pain management for military personnel andveterans

Cancer treatment centers with integrative health care programs may offer services such as acupuncture and meditation to help manage symptoms and side effects for patients who are receiving conventional cancer treatment. Although research on the potential value of these integrative programs is in its early stages, some studies have had promising results. For example, NCCIH-funded research has suggestedthat:

More information oncancer

Healthy behaviors, such as eating right, getting enough physical activity, and not smoking, can reduce peoples risks of developing serious diseases. Can integrative approaches promote these types of behaviors? Researchers are working to answer this question. Preliminary research suggests that yoga and meditation-based therapies may help smokers quit, and NCCIH-funded studies are testing whether adding mindfulness-based approaches to weight control programs will help people lose weight moresuccessfully.

More information on quittingsmoking

More information on weightcontrol

NCCIH generally uses the term complementary health approaches when we discuss practices and products of non-mainstream origin. We use integrative health when we talk about incorporating complementary approaches into mainstream healthcare.

Most complementary health approaches fall into one of two subgroupsnatural products or mind and bodypractices.

This group includes a variety of products, such as herbs (also known as botanicals), vitamins and minerals, and probiotics. They are widely marketed, readily available to consumers, and often sold as dietary supplements.

According to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included a comprehensive survey on the use of complementary health approaches by Americans, 17.7 percent of American adults had used a dietary supplement other than vitamins and minerals in the past year. These products were the most popular complementary health approach in the survey. (See chart.) The most commonly used natural product was fishoil.

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Researchers have done large, rigorous studies on a few natural products, but the results often showed that the products didnt work. Research on others is in progress. While there are indications that some may be helpful, more needs to be learned about the effects of these products in the human body and about their safety and potential interactions with medicines and other naturalproducts.

Mind and body practices include a large and diverse group of procedures or techniques administered or taught by a trained practitioner or teacher. The 2012 NHIS showed that yoga, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, meditation, and massage therapy are among the most popular mind and body practices used by adults. The popularity of yoga has grown dramatically in recent years, with almost twice as many U.S. adults practicing yoga in 2012 as in2002.

Other mind and body practices include acupuncture, relaxation techniques (such as breathing exercises, guided imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation), tai chi, qi gong, healing touch, hypnotherapy, and movement therapies (such as Feldenkrais method, Alexander technique, Pilates, Rolfing Structural Integration, and Trager psychophysicalintegration).

The amount of research on mind and body approaches varies widely depending on the practice. For example, researchers have done many studies on acupuncture, yoga, spinal manipulation, and meditation, but there have been fewer studies on some otherpractices.

The two broad areas discussed abovenatural products and mind and body practicescapture most complementary health approaches. However, some approaches may not neatly fit into either of these groupsfor example, the practices of traditional healers, Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, and naturopathy.

NCCIH is the Federal Governments lead agency for scientific research on complementary and integrative healthapproaches.

The mission ofNCCIHis to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, the usefulness and safety of complementary and integrative health interventions and their roles in improving health and healthcare.

NCCIHs vision is that scientific evidence will inform decisionmaking by the public, by health care professionals, and by health policymakers regarding the use and integration of complementary and integrative healthapproaches.

To learn more, visit the NCCIH Facts-at-a-Glance and Mission page.

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Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: Whats ...