Alternative medicine refers to the different treatment, remedies, and therapy that is not considered or categorized as standard care or...
Alternative medicine refers to the different treatment, remedies, and therapy that is not considered or categorized as standard care or Western medicine. Alternative medicine is geared towards providing patients with natural remedies that will help improve health and overall well-being. Alternative medicine relies on systems that were created thousands of years ago and are now categorized as traditional medicine. What sets alternative medicine apart from Western and modern medicine is that alternative medicine is focused on healing the patient as a whole, instead of going after symptoms individually. This is done in order to help balance the patient’s physical and emotional levels and to promote self-healing.
Today, more people are using alternative medicine together with, or as a replacement for, standard medicines, but they don’t provide the same medicinal results. Alternative medicine is reliant not only on medicinal herbs but also on different mind and body techniques that will treat various ailments like heart problems, insomnia, depression, panic disorders, anxiety attacks, and chronic pain, just to name a few. Let’s take a look at some of these mind and body techniques:
- Hydrotherapy is an alternative treatment which involves the use of water both externally and internally to prevent diseases and improve health. Though the Romans were the first to introduce spas into the world, modern hydrotherapy can be traced back to Father Sebastian Kneipp, who believed that water has the ability to remove, strengthen, and dissolve.
- Acupuncture is also a popular alternative treatment which involves a series of procedures that stimulates different points of the body and is the key component of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture involves the use of thin needles and piercing it through the skin to stimulate different parts of our body that will “enable” us to achieve overall well-being, to relax, or to treat certain illnesses. These energies are believed to flow in a river-like pattern within our body and these needles can redirect these flows to treat illnesses and symptoms or to improve our body’s healing abilities.
Though it’s difficult to pinpoint the efficacy of alternative medicine, people are geared towards achieving good health by means of natural remedies. Alternative medicine has been around for thousands of years, and compared to Western medicine, it’s relatively older and has established almost a millennium tradition. However, it is important to note that alternative medicine may or may not work for others, given that our bodies react differently. Before you decide on using alternative medicine, consult with your physician first.
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