Alternative
therapies have been described as one of the ranges
of systems of healing or treating disease not included
in the traditional medical curricula taught in Europe
and America. Sometimes alternative therapy practices
are based on belief systems. Alternative therapies
usually incorporate spiritual, metaphysical and religious
foundations, sometime untested practices or newly developed
approaches to healing are also included. Alternative
therapy is generally safe and effective. Conventional
practitioners have adopted it and it is no longer considered
as alternative therapy. Alternative therapies are commonly
categorized together with complementary medicine under
the term 'complementary and alternative medicine' (CAM
for short).
Some critics say that some of the fields
of alternative therapy are not scientific. Jurisdictions
also differ concerning the legality of the branches
of alternative therapy. Numerous supporters of alternative
therapy strongly disagree with the limitations extended
by the government agencies that approve medical treatments.
India, home of several alternative systems of medicines,
has already recognized many of the alternative therapies.
Many people make use of conventional medicine for diagnosis,
while turning actually to alternative therapies. The
studies show that most people use alternative therapies
with conventional medicines. Increasing numbers of
medical colleges’ world over have begun offering
courses in alternative medicine. The most common CAM
therapies used were the prayer, herbalism, breathing
meditation, meditation, chiropractic medicine, yoga,
body work, diet-based therapy, progressive relaxation,
mega-vitamin therapy and Visualization.
The practice
of using complementary medicine collectively with conventional
medicine is known as integrative medicine. Alternative
therapies include herbal medicine, Chinese medicine,
chiropractic, naturopathy, osteopathy, acupuncture,
homeopathy, reflexology, aromatherapy, Alexander technique,
Bach and other flower remedies, massage, hypnotherapy,
shiatsu, ayurvedic medicine, nutritional medicine,
yoga, anthroposophical medicine, spiritual healing,
iridology, kinesiology, meditation and others.
It is
advisable for patients to inform their doctor when
they are using alternative therapies, because some
treatments may interact with conventional medical treatments,
and such possible clash should be investigated in the
interest of the patient. However, many patients are
usually unwilling to share this information with their
doctors since they fear it will hurt their doctor-patient
relationship. However not informing their conventional
doctor can sometimes cause harm.
Many critics of alternative
therapy claim that people have been hurt or killed
directly from various alternative therapies or the
subsequent avoidance of conventional medicine which
they consider unnecessary.
It may be very surprising
to learn that many of the prescription drugs are now
being tagged as dangerous for human health, there is
a big problem posed by people's attitude in using the
alternative remedies, the problem is not in those remedies
themselves, but in the way people like to use them
to address their health challenges.
In other words
people generally come to the alternative therapy searching
for that magic pill to cure them with a snap of finger,
as the conventional prescription drugs do not offer
cure usually, instead they only help to suppress the
symptoms for the time being. Vast majority of chronic
diseases are caused by the lifestyle adapted by the
patients themselves. Usually patients are asking for
a magic herb to cure their symptom. If they have pain,
they want a pill that will eliminate the pain. The
problem with patients is that they fail to recognize
the internal cause of their pain, or they fail to take
ownership of their role in creating the disease they
are expressing.
This is extremely frustrating for practitioners
of alternative therapies. Because therapists want to
help patients, but most patients really aren't looking
for long-term solutions or the cure, what they're actually
looking for is short-term masking of their symptoms,
using products that they can call natural. There is
a huge challenge before the therapist and that is educating
patients. However, most patients aren't looking to
be educated. They don't want to change their lifestyle,
and they don't want to have to do anything that's too
uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Alternative medicine is
not better than conventional medicine if the patient
treats it as a temporary cover up for a set of symptoms
that they have created in their life through their
reluctance to change that lead to long term health
goals.
Alternative therapies really can do wonders
for you, if you turn to them whole heartedly and follow
them religiously for a long term cure of your problems.
One more thing to be certain of is proper accreditation
of the therapist but this does not always guarantee
the expertise.
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