Benefits of Alternative Therapies

Benefits of Alternative Therapies: Acupuncture, Massage, Chiropractic

Medical practices are practices that are  carried out to ensure the total wellbeing of a person or animal.

There are a lot of different medical practices. These may be scientific and/or non scientific processes.

Some medical practices are listed below:

Conventional medicine: This is a system in which health professionals who hold an M.D. (medical doctor) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery.  Other health professionals, such as nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, and therapists practice this also.

Standard medical care: Standard medical care is a course of action that is frequently employed by healthcare providers and is recognized by medical professionals as an appropriate course of action for a certain type of condition.

Integrative medicine: Integrative medicine is a method of treating patients that blends traditional medicine with CAM procedures that have been proven safe and effective by science. This approach usually places an emphasis on the patient’s preferences while attempting to treat the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of wellness.

Complementary medicine: While used in conjunction with conventional medical care, complementary medicine is not regarded as a form of care in and of itself. 

Effective Alternative medicine: Standard medical care is replaced by efficient alternative medicine. One instance is substituting a particular diet for cancer medications recommended by an oncologist. The majority of alternative medicine practices have received little research attention.

The phrase “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) refers to medical treatments and procedures that are not a part of conventional medical practice.

Taiji, massage, acupuncture, and drinking green tea are examples of complementary and alternative medicine procedures..

Complementary or alternative medicine can be categorized into five major categories of practice:

1. Whole medical systems
2. Mind-body techniques
3. Biologically based practices
4. Manipulative and body-based therapies
5. Energy therapies

Whole medical systems

Complete medical systems with a clear philosophy and explanation of disease, diagnosis, and treatment are referred to as whole medical systems. They include the following:

• Ayurveda
• Homeopathy
• Naturopathy
• Traditional Chinese medicine

Ayurvedic medicine: This is an Indian technique that aims to restore the balance of the body, mind, and soul as well as to physically purify the user. It employs food restrictions, home cures, exercise, breathing techniques, and other methods.

Homeopathy: A medical method called homeopathy is founded on the idea that the body can heal itself. It is practiced using organic substances/ materials like plants and minerals. They contend that these promote healing.

Mind–body techniques

The notion behind mind-body practices is that emotional and mental states can have an impact on one’s physical well-being.

 It is possible to maintain health and prevent or treat disease using behavioral, psychological, social, and spiritual techniques.

These encourage body and mind relaxation by combining mental concentration, breathing, and physical activity.

Many of the methods are now regarded as mainstream due to the wealth of scientific evidence supporting the advantages of mind-body therapies.

Some examples are below:

Meditation: To calm the mind and minimize unpleasant thoughts and feelings, try focused breathing exercises or repeating words or phrases.

Biofeedback: The patient learns to regulate numerous normally unconscious body functions by using specialized technology (such as heart rate and blood pressure).

Hypnosis: Hypnosis is a trance-like state where a person is more concentrated and aware of particular emotions, ideas, visions, and behaviors. A person may feel more calm and open to suggestions in order to aid healing..

Yoga:  Yoga is an age-old system of exercises that combines controlled breathing, stretching, and meditation to help the body and mind become balanced.

Tai chi: Tai chi  is a type of gentle exercise and meditation that use controlled breathing and slow sets of body movements.

Imagery: concentrating on optimistic mental images, such as conjuring up sceneries, pictures, or experiences to aid in the body’s recovery.

Biologically based practices

This type of CAM uses natural things.

Some examples are

• Vitamins: minimal amounts of nutrients that the body requires to function and maintain health.
• Dietary supplement: goods that are consumed in addition to food and may contain substances like vitamins, minerals, and herbs, to name a few
• Botanicals: plants or plant-related objects. Cannabis is one kind.
• Herbs and spices like cinnamon or turmeric.

special foods or diets

Manipulative and body-based practices

These are based on working with any parts of the body.

 Some examples are

• massage therapy: Massage therapy involves massaging, tapping, kneading, and stroking the body’s soft tissues. 
• Chiropractic therapy:  involves manipulating the spine, joints, and skeletal system.

Energy therapy

The foundation of energy healing is the idea that a life force permeates the body. The objective is to balance the patient’s energy flow. The presence of energy fields is not sufficiently supported by the available data. However, utilizing these methods has no negative consequences. Some examples are

• reiki: with the intention of channeling energy to support a person’s own healing response, practitioners softly place their hands on or just above the subject.
• Therapeutic touch: Therapeutic touch involves lightly touching someone’s body or gliding hands over their energy fields.

Conclusion

Before using CAM, discuss it with your doctor.

Never hesitate to ask questions. If you are hesitant about using CAM, that is acceptable. But in order to provide you with the best care possible, doctors want to know about your worries. Tell them you want their advice and would like to use CAM methods.