TYPES OF ALTERNATIVE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS
Five
categories can be used to divide all the available alternative
and complementary health care systems.
- Alternative
medical systems: Homeopathy,
naturopathy, holistic, Chinese, Ayurveda, etc.
- Mind
body interventions:
Meditation, prayers, music and mental healing.
- Biologically
based systems: Herbal
products and diets.
- Body
based systems: chiropractic,
massage, and osteopathic manipulation.
- Energy
therapies: Reiki,
gi gong, magnetic fields, etc.
Acupuncture
is a method of healing developed in China at least 2,000 years
ago. Today, acupuncture describes a family of procedures involving
stimulation of anatomical points on the body by a variety of
techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most studied
scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid,
metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical
stimulation.
Aromatherapy
involves the use of essential oils (extracts or essences) from
flowers, herbs, and trees to promote health and well being.
Ayurveda
medical system that has been practiced primarily in the Indian
subcontinent for 5,000 years. Ayurveda includes diet and herbal
remedies and emphasizes the use of body, mind, and spirit in
disease prevention and treatment.
Chiropractic
It
focuses on the relationship between bodily structure (primarily
that of the spine) and function, and how that relationship affects
the preservation and restoration of health. Chiropractors use
manipulative therapy as an integral treatment tool.
Dietary
supplements A dietary supplement is a product (other
than tobacco) taken by mouth that contains a "dietary ingredient"
intended to supplement the diet. Dietary ingredients may include
vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids,
and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, and metabolites.
Electromagnetic
fields
are invisible lines of force that surround all electrical devices.
The Earth also produces EMFs; electric fields are produced when
there is thunderstorm activity, and magnetic fields are believed
to be produced by electric currents flowing at the Earth's core.
Homeopathic
medicine
is a CAM alternative medical system. In homeopathic medicine,
there is a belief that "like cures like," meaning that small,
highly diluted quantities of medicinal substances are given
to cure symptoms, when the same substances given at higher or
more concentrated doses would actually cause those symptoms.
Massage
therapists manipulate muscle and connective tissue to enhance
function of those tissues and promote relaxation and well being.
Naturopathic
medicine
proposes that there is a healing power in the body that establishes,
maintains, and restores health. Practitioners work with the
patient with a goal of supporting this power, through treatments
such as nutrition and lifestyle counseling, dietary supplements,
medicinal plants, exercise, homeopathy, and treatments from
traditional Chinese medicine.
Qi
gong ("chee-GUNG") is a component of traditional
Chinese medicine that combines movement, meditation, and regulation
of breathing to enhance the flow of qi (an ancient term given
to what is believed to be vital energy) in the body, improve
blood circulation, and enhance immune function.
Reiki
is
a Japanese word representing Universal Life Energy. Reiki is
based on the belief that when spiritual energy is channeled
through a Reiki practitioner, the patient's spirit is healed,
which in turn heals the physical body.
Therapeutic
Touch
is derived from an ancient technique called laying-on of hands.
It is based on the premise that it is the healing force of the
therapist that affects the patient's recovery; healing is promoted
when the body's energies are in balance; and, by passing their
hands over the patient, healers can identify energy imbalances.
Traditional
Chinese medicine (TCM)
is the current name for an ancient system of health care from
China. TCM is based on a concept of balanced qi (pronounced
"chee"), or vital energy, that is believed to flow throughout
the body. Qi is proposed to regulate a person's spiritual, emotional,
mental, and physical balance and to be influenced by the opposing
forces of yin (negative energy) and yang (positive energy).
(Source: National center for complementary
and alternative medicine.)
