Alternative medicine is a set of diverse traditional medicinal healthcare systems and practices that are not generally considered part of conventional or modern medicine.
Alternative Medicine (Traditional/Natural medicine)
Alternative medicine is a health care approach that is applied instead of Conventional or Western drugs. Alternative medicinal treatment may include ingesting or applying organic substances, mostly herbs, and some minerals. It also includes a unique diet plan that primarily vegetables and fruits. Generally, a physician who practices conventional or modern medicines would not suggest. Alternative medicine not only offers remedies for various health issues but also teaches us how to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Alternative medicine is an umbrella term for hundreds of natural therapies from all over the world. Most of them are the medical systems of older cultures that include Egyptian, Chinese, Asian Indian, Greek, and Native American.
The Alternative medicine user’s statistics
In May 2004, a survey was published by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in collaboration with the National Center for Health Statistics, which is a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The result shows that in the United States alone, about 36% of adults used some form of CAM therapy during the past 12 months.
A British telephone survey by the BBC in 1998 shows about 20% of adults had used alternative medicine in the past 12 months.
The use of alternative medicine among people in developed countries appears to be increasing. A study in 1998 showed that the use of alternative medicine had risen from 33.8% in 1990 to 42.1% in 1997.
The most commonly practiced complementary treatments are herbal, yoga, acupuncture or acupressure, meditation, and massage. Other treatments are therapeutic touch, aromatherapy, Chinese medicine, dance therapy, music therapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, and naturopathy.
A 2002 survey of US adults 18 years and older conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (CDC), and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine indicated that 49.8% had used some form of CAM.
A 2005 survey among Denmark's population aged 16 and older revealed that 45.2% of respondents had used some form of alternative medicine at some point in their lives. Additionally, 22.5% indicated that they had used alternative medicine in the last year.
Patients are opposed to the dangerous side effects of conventional drugs. Even antibiotic medications can potentially trigger a life-threatening severe allergic reaction in a small number of individuals. Additionally, many medications can lead to minor yet bothersome side effects such as coughing or stomach discomfort. In each of these instances, patients are turning to alternative medicine therapies to clear the negative side effects associated with conventional treatments.
Alternative medicine user’s class
A study from 1998 reveals that most instances of alternative medicine were utilized alongside conventional medical treatments. Approximately 4.4 % of those studied used alternative medicine as a replacement for conventional medicine. Research shows that those having used alternative medicine tended to have higher education or report more inferior health status.
People of all backgrounds start using alternative treatments. However, women, along with individuals who possess a higher level of education and income, are particularly noteworthy among them.
A 2008 survey conducted among medical students in Denmark revealed that 68% of respondents had utilized alternative therapies. The most commonly used alternative medicine was herbal medicines and Dietary supplements (50 %), Acupuncture (18 %), and Reflexology (18 %).
The alternative approach preferred most
When asked the people who use CAM, why they are using CAM?
- They thought CAM combined with conventional medicine would help faster relief.
- They thought CAM would be interesting to try.
- They thought conventional medicine would not help.
- The conventional medical professional suggested it.
- Conventional medicine is too expensive.
Natural herb products are the most commonly used alternative medicines among adults. Other popular alternative therapies are breathing exercises, meditation, massage reflexology therapy, acupressure, and yoga.
Different traditional therapies and their oneness
Although traditional treatments are diverse approaches, they share specific attributes; they consider humans as a whole and more than just physical bodies. Body, mind, and spirit constitute a unified reality, illness can influence and be influenced by both physical and mental states.
Almost every alternative medicine considers symptoms during health conditions to be due to the body’s efforts to cure its imbalance a disease).
What is vital energy?
The human body animates by integrated energy called the vital force, life force, prana, qi, or chi. The life force sustains the physical body linked to a higher being or infinite energy source. When life forces quantity and if it flows freely throughout the body, then you can enjoy optimal health. Obstructed or diminished vital energy can cause a deficiency in energy for organs, tissues, and cells, ultimately leading to illness or disease over time.
They view vital energy as the force that integrates the body, mind, and spirit, which connects everything. The Chinese mention this as a life force as qi or chi, the Ancient Greeks call it pneuma, and the Hindus call it prana. In every culture, they believe the life force is both self-nurturing and self-sustaining.
Health conditions that prompt alternative treatment use
People use complementary alternative medicine treatment for many diseases and conditions, most familiar to them are musculoskeletal problems such as back, neck, or joint pain.
Now people start looking for alternative treatments for many conditions such as:
- Allergy, Arthritis/Osteoarthritis, Asthma, Attention Deficit, Autism,
- Birth Defects, Cancer, Chronic Fatigue, Cognitive Dysfunction, Colds, and Influenza,
- Depression, Detoxification, Diabetes, Digestive Disorders,
- Eating Disorders, Epilepsy, Erectile Dysfunction,
- Heart Disease, Hepatitis C, Hypertension,
- Immune System, Infertility, Inflammatory Bowel, Insomnia, Interstitial Cystitis,
- Liver Disease, Neuro-degeneration, Ocular (Eye) Disorders, Osteoporosis,
- Parkinson's Disease, Peripheral Neuropathy, Prostate Cancer, Prostate Disease, Psoriasis,
- Restless Leg Syndrome, Seasonal Affective, Stress, and the list is endless.
Natural Alternative Medicine Treatments are available here
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