Why do people increasingly prefer alternative to conventional medicine?
The reasons are pretty simple - it is safe and it works!
While there is
little doubt that allopathic medicine works well in the case of trauma and
emergency (you don't call your herbalist if you get hit by a car), it is much
less effective when it comes to prevention, chronic disease, and in
addressing the mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of an individual.
These are precisely the areas where alternative medicine excels.
To most of
the world's population, over 80 per cent to be precise, alternative medicine
is not "alternative" at all, but rather the basis of the health care system.
To Western-trained physicians alternative medicine is "something not taught
in medical schools" and something that allopathic doctors don't do and, one
could add, generally know nothing about.
Alternative medicine actually
encompasses a very large array of different systems and therapies ranging
from ayurvedic medicine to vitamin therapy.
Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced in India for the past five
thousand years and has recently undergone a renaissance in the West due, in
no small measure, to the work and lectures of Dr. Deepak Chopra, MD.
Ayurvedic medicine is a very comprehensive system that places equal emphasis
on body, mind, and spirit and uses a highly personalized approach to return
an individual to a state where he or she is again in harmony with their
environment. Ayurvedic medicine uses diet, exercise, yoga, meditation,
massage, herbs, and medication and, despite its long lineage, is as
applicable today as it was 5000 years ago.
For example, the seeds of the
Mucuna pruriens plant have long been used to treat Parkinson's disease in
India; it is now receiving attention in conventional circles as it is more
effective than l-dopa and has fewer side effects.
Traditional Chinese medicine has been practiced for over 3000 years
and over one quarter of the world's population now uses one or more of its
component therapies. TCM combines the use of medicinal herbs, acupuncture,
and the use of therapeutic exercises such as Qi Gong. It has proven to be
effective in the treatment of many chronic diseases including cancer,
allergies, heart disease and AIDS. As does Ayurvedic medicine, TCM also
focuses on the individual and looks for and corrects the underlying causes of
imbalance and patterns of disharmony.
Homeopathy was developed in the early 1800s by the German physician
Samuel Hahnemann. It is a low-cost, non-toxic health care system now used by
hundreds of millions of people around the world. It is particularly popular
in South America and the British Royal Family has had a homeopathic physician
for the last four generations. Homeopathy is an excellent first-aid system
and is also superb in the treatment of minor ailments such as earaches, the
common cold, and flu. Homeopathy is again based on the treatment of the
individual and when used by a knowledgeable practitioner can also be very
effective in the cure of conditions such as hay fever, digestive problems,
rheumatoid arthritis, and respiratory infections.
Chiropractic primarily involves the adjustment of spine and joints to
alleviate pain and improve general health. It was practiced by the early
Egyptians and was developed into its present form by the American Daniel
David Palmer in 1895. It is now the most common form of alternative medicine
in the United States. Chiropractors not only manipulate spine and joints,
but also advise their patients on lifestyle and diet matters. They believe
that humans possess an innate healing potential and that all disease can be
overcome by properly activating this potential.
Naturopathic medicine also strongly believes in the body's inherent
ability to heal itself. Naturopathy emphasizes the need for seeking and
treating the causes of a disease rather than simply suppressing its symptoms.
Naturopaths use dietary modifications, herbal medicines, homeopathy,
acupuncture, hydrotherapy, massage, and lifestyle counseling to achieve
healing.
Vitamin therapy or orthomolecular medicine uses vitamins, minerals,
and amino acids to return a diseased body to wellness in the belief that the
average diet today is often woefully inadequate in providing needed nutrients
and that the need for specific nutrients is highly individual. Conditions as
varied as hypertension, depression, cancer, and schizophrenia can all benefit
enormously from vitamin therapy.
Biofeedback, body work, massage therapy, reflexology, hydrotherapy,
aromatherapy, and various other forms of energy medicine round out the vast
spectrum of alternative medicine modalities.
source of information..
http://www.yourhealthbase.com/alternative_medicine.htm....
