Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine is a combined term used for various methods or practices of healing brought in practice by physicians or non-physicians, in addition to or apart from the conventional medicine. It is estimated that a little over 33% of the US population uses some form of alternative medicine that is mainly comprised of remedies derived from several different types of traditional and ethnic therapies. All of these therapies have diverse practice and/ or product based guidelines that are not a part of conventional Western medicine. This may include meditation, acupuncture, prayer, herbal supplements, chiropractors, massage therapy and other natural medicines.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a separate division, called The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, that looks into the research, ethical and validation and related issues of alternative medicine that is prevalent in the US.

A recent statistics from the NIH shows that as many as 36% of the American adult population relies on one or more forms of alternative medicine to ward off sickness or derive other health benefits. The study doesnt limit the use of alternative medicine to this specific population and shows that women, college students, former smokers and people who have undergone previous hospitalization are also using alternative medicine practices. The sheer holistic nature of alternative medicine is what draws people to it, but despite its widespread use and popularity, it remains relatively understudied.

Some of the most widely used alternative therapies in the US include biologically based practices, mind-body medicine, manipulative and body-based practices, and alternative herbal medicine, Ayurveda, naturopathy, homeopathy and energy medicine.

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What is homeopathy?

An alternative treatment of disease involving the consumption of natural materials that simulate the symptoms of the disease. These materials are first diluted in pure water to such an extent that there are generally no molecules of the original material left. The efficacy of this treatment is rejected by most medical experts. It has the potential of causing harm, because individuals may seek a cure through homeopathy, and ignore the potential for a cure from a physician.
A natural pharmaceutical science that utilizes substances from the plant, mineral, and animal kingdoms and is based on the premise that these naturally occurring substances can cure disease symptoms similar to those they produce if taken in overdose. Each medicine is individually prescribed according to how it stimulates the immune and defence systems of the sick person. Sometimes it is called the “royal medicine.
A form of medicine that relies on minute amounts of herbs, minerals, and other substances to stimulate natural defences against disease. It is more widely used in Western Europe than the United States. Developed in the late 18th century by Samuel Hahnemann, MD, the therapy uses the "law of similars" to treat disease. That is, if large amounts of a substance such as quinine cause symptoms of an illness in a healthy person, then smaller amounts should be used for the cure.