ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- WHAT IS IT?
2. CONTROVERSY
Despite it being tested numerous times, it has hardly ever shown any effectiveness greater than the placebo effect. It has been criticized a lot by doctors and science experts for being nonsense, fraudulent or unethical. Many doctors claim alternative medicine practices are junk science and may even be dangerous and state that there is no alternative medicine. They say that there is only one scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data.
Despite it being tested numerous times, it has hardly ever shown any effectiveness greater than the placebo effect. It has been criticized a lot by doctors and science experts for being nonsense, fraudulent or unethical. Many doctors claim alternative medicine practices are junk science and may even be dangerous and state that there is no alternative medicine. They say that there is only one scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data.
3. TYPES
NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) classifies complementary and alternative therapies into five major groups:
a) BIOLOGICALLY BASED APPROACHES:
Biologically based therapies use naturally occurring substances and include individual biologic therapies. EXAMPLE: shark cartilage to treat cancer. These are the most common and used biologically based therapies.
NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) classifies complementary and alternative therapies into five major groups:
a) BIOLOGICALLY BASED APPROACHES:
Biologically based therapies use naturally occurring substances and include individual biologic therapies. EXAMPLE: shark cartilage to treat cancer. These are the most common and used biologically based therapies.
- Diet Therapy
- Herbal Medicine
- Orthomolecular Medicine
- Chelation Therapy
b) MANIPULATIVE AND BODY BASED THERAPIES:
Manipulative and body-based practices encompass a system of therapies that use either manual manipulation or movement of one or more parts of the body to address structural or systematic imbalances of the bones and joints, the soft tissues, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems.
Manipulative and body-based practices encompass a system of therapies that use either manual manipulation or movement of one or more parts of the body to address structural or systematic imbalances of the bones and joints, the soft tissues, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems.
- Chiropractic
- Massage Therapy
- Structural Integration
- Reflexology
c) ENERGY THERAPIES:
Energy therapies focus on the energy fields that are thought to exist in and around the body . They use also external energy sources like electromagnetic fields to influence health and healing. Practitioners of energy therapies typically place their hands on or near the body and use their energy to affect the energy field of the person.
Energy therapies focus on the energy fields that are thought to exist in and around the body . They use also external energy sources like electromagnetic fields to influence health and healing. Practitioners of energy therapies typically place their hands on or near the body and use their energy to affect the energy field of the person.
- Magnets
- Reiki
- Therapeutic Touch
d) ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL SYSTEMS:
They are complete systems of diagnosis and practice.
They are complete systems of diagnosis and practice.
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Acupuncture
- Ayurveda
- Homeopathy
- Naturopathy
e) MIND BODY INTERVENTIONS:
Mind-body medicine focuses on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior. They believe in an interrelationship between our minds and bodies: our minds can affect how healthy our bodies are.
Mind-body medicine focuses on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior. They believe in an interrelationship between our minds and bodies: our minds can affect how healthy our bodies are.
- Hypnotherapy.
- Yoga
- Qigong:
SURYA NAMASKAR