Medicine is a field that has advanced greatly in the last few years. In spite of this progress, there are many traditional forms of treatment that have stood the test of time. Alternative healing modalities refer to any other method of curing disease other than medicine based on scientific proof. They constitute a number of therapies not supported by any degree programs or any known medical institution. Examples of these kinds of therapies include homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic and naturopathy.
Naturopathy is a type of alternative medicine that relies on the assertion that the human possesses vital energy necessary for crucial human processes including growth and development, reproduction, respiration, digestion and so forth. It has the advantage of neither using drugs nor surgery or any other form of invasion. This practice also encompasses systems as a whole; it does not need to dissect the body into individual parts.
Another treatment that is in common use is known as homeopathy. It has been in existence on the European continent for many years. Homeopathy paradoxically believes that a sick person can be healed using a substance that would cause the same symptoms in a normal person. This approach is commonly known as the law of minimum dose. It is however in conflict with the basic laws of chemistry and physics.
The body is linked to the mind by the fact that the former only responds to commands issued by the latter. Examples of mind body treatment include spirituality, yoga and relaxation. Sometimes the spirit is integrated into these two; meditation, directed imagery, yoga and hypnotherapy are such examples.
Yoga is based on the concept that one can breathe in life. This is facilitated through meditation, exercise and stretching for the purpose of obtaining energy necessary for disease management. Religious practices like praying and anointing are also a way of providing healing for those that have faith in supernatural powers. However, in most cases, prayer is only used to complement and facilitate conventional approach of medicine. There are different ways of meditation including mantra, mindfulness meditation and tai chi.
Majority of assertions on efficacy of alternative healing are not reliable because of the low quality research attached to it. There is also a lot of bias in results that go into publication; only positive results are considered. A person may assume to feel better based only on the fact that there has been some form of intervention. This is technically referred to as the placebo effect.
Prior to treatment, one may be taken through a number of tests. The main reason as to why this is done is to assess the probability of getting side effects associated with the treatments. Fortunately, most of them are largely natural and are for this reason associated with very few side effects. Homeopathy, for example, is free of any side effects and has been incorporated into mainstream medicine in some countries.
Unwanted interactions may occur when alternative healing modalities are used alongside conventional drugs. Examples of therapies in which complementary treatment is used include shark cartilage, insulin potentiation, and oxygen and ozone therapies. Some herbal solutions when used together cancer drugs and radiation can cause lethal drug interactions.
Naturopathy is a type of alternative medicine that relies on the assertion that the human possesses vital energy necessary for crucial human processes including growth and development, reproduction, respiration, digestion and so forth. It has the advantage of neither using drugs nor surgery or any other form of invasion. This practice also encompasses systems as a whole; it does not need to dissect the body into individual parts.
Another treatment that is in common use is known as homeopathy. It has been in existence on the European continent for many years. Homeopathy paradoxically believes that a sick person can be healed using a substance that would cause the same symptoms in a normal person. This approach is commonly known as the law of minimum dose. It is however in conflict with the basic laws of chemistry and physics.
The body is linked to the mind by the fact that the former only responds to commands issued by the latter. Examples of mind body treatment include spirituality, yoga and relaxation. Sometimes the spirit is integrated into these two; meditation, directed imagery, yoga and hypnotherapy are such examples.
Yoga is based on the concept that one can breathe in life. This is facilitated through meditation, exercise and stretching for the purpose of obtaining energy necessary for disease management. Religious practices like praying and anointing are also a way of providing healing for those that have faith in supernatural powers. However, in most cases, prayer is only used to complement and facilitate conventional approach of medicine. There are different ways of meditation including mantra, mindfulness meditation and tai chi.
Majority of assertions on efficacy of alternative healing are not reliable because of the low quality research attached to it. There is also a lot of bias in results that go into publication; only positive results are considered. A person may assume to feel better based only on the fact that there has been some form of intervention. This is technically referred to as the placebo effect.
Prior to treatment, one may be taken through a number of tests. The main reason as to why this is done is to assess the probability of getting side effects associated with the treatments. Fortunately, most of them are largely natural and are for this reason associated with very few side effects. Homeopathy, for example, is free of any side effects and has been incorporated into mainstream medicine in some countries.
Unwanted interactions may occur when alternative healing modalities are used alongside conventional drugs. Examples of therapies in which complementary treatment is used include shark cartilage, insulin potentiation, and oxygen and ozone therapies. Some herbal solutions when used together cancer drugs and radiation can cause lethal drug interactions.
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