The National Institutes of Health's Office of Alternative Medicine classified alternative therapies into the following seven categories: Diet and nutrition - use of specific foods, vitamins, and minerals to prevent illness and to treat disease Alternative systems of medical practice - use of medicine from another culture (e.g., Ayurvedia, Chinese medicine) Herbal medicine - use of plants as medicine Mind-body interventions - use of the mind to enhance health (e.g., hypnosis, meditation, yoga) Manual healing methods - use of the hands to promote healing (e.g., massage, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation) Pharmacologic and biologic treatments - use of various substances (e.g., drugs, serums) to treat specific medical problems Bioelectromagnetic therapies - use of electrical currents or magnetic fields to promote healing (e.g., bone repair, electroacupuncture)
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What are the different types of alternative therapies?
These therapies have been practiced for centuries worldwide. Traditional alternative medicine may include: Body. Touch has been used in medicine since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is based on the idea that illness or injury in one area of the body can affect all parts of the body.
What is alternative medicine?
What is alternative medicine? In general, the term “alternative therapy” refers to any health treatment not standard in Western medical practice. When used alongside standard medical practices, alternative approaches are referred to as “complementary” medicine.
What are the benefits of alternative treatment methods?
These alternative methods are beneficial for overall psychological health and well-being and can improve certain factors that likely contribute to success with both treatment programs and relapse prevention.
Are complementary and alternative therapies the same as allopathic medicine?
As a rule, complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies are not curative or healing as is allopathic medicine. Some complementary therapies are covered by insurance, but alternative remedies are not.
What is an example of an alternative therapy?
Some types of alternative therapy have been well-researched by scientists, so doctors can safely recommend them to patients. Examples of this include yoga and meditation, as well as acupuncture. The American College of Physicians recommends acupuncture as a first-line treatment for lower back pain.
What is considered alternative treatment?
Complementary and alternative medicine includes practices such as massage, acupuncture, tai chi, and drinking green tea. Integrative medicine is an approach to medical care that combines conventional medicine with CAM practices that have shown through science to be safe and effective.
What is the most common alternative medicine?
Homeopathy – Homeopathy originated in Germany in the 18th century. It is one of the more popular and accepted types of alternative medicine. Homeopathy is based on the philosophy that both the cure and the ailment come from the same situation.
What are alternative therapies in psychology?
They are dietary supplements, meditation, chiropractic, aromatherapy, massage therapy, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, spirituality, religion and prayer, movement therapy, acupuncture, Reiki, biofeedback, hypnosis and music therapy.
What are the 5 major types of complementary and alternative medicine?
One of the most widely used classification structures, developed by NCCAM (2000), divides CAM modalities into five categories:Alternative medical systems,Mind-body interventions,Biologically based treatments,Manipulative and body-based methods, and.Energy therapies.
What are 4 alternative treatment types?
Traditional alternative medicine may include:Acupuncture.Ayurveda.Homeopathy.Naturopathy.Chinese or Oriental medicine.
How many types are of alternative therapy?
Alternative Therapy Categorization Physiological approach: This includes alternative therapy practices like meditation and hypnosis. Physical approaches: This includes practices like acupuncture and massages. Combination of physiological and physical: These are therapies that affect the mind and body simultaneously.
What are some examples of therapies that incorporate the senses?
Examples of therapies incorporating the senses include: Art, dance, and music. Visualization and guided imagery.
What are some examples of body therapies?
Examples of body therapies include: Chiropractic and osteopathic medicine. Massage. Body movement therapies. Tai chi. Yoga. Diet and herbs. Over the centuries, man has gone from a simple diet consisting of meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains, to a diet that often consists of foods rich in fats, oils, and complex carbohydrates.
How is touch used in medicine?
Touch has been used in medicine since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is based on the idea that illness or injury in one area of the body can affect all parts of the body.
What is the best treatment for addiction?
Yoga and Mindfulness-Based Therapies. Individuals struggling with addiction are often disconnected from their bodies and perhaps engage in their substance use with the intention of self-soothing and numbing against painful thoughts, emotions, and experiences.
What is art therapy?
Art therapy is another type of experiential therapy that may involve any number of mediums such as pens, paint, tissue paper, clay, beads, or even wooden boards and nails. Similar to equine therapy, it may offer a less jarring way for you to begin addressing issues that contribute to your substance use and addiction.
How can mindfulness training help with addiction?
Therapy that involves mindfulness training can help you increase awareness and connect back with yourself so that you may have a better understanding of how your addiction plays itself out in your life.
How does psychodrama help with addiction?
Psychodrama may also help to resolve issues related to trauma, which often underlies addiction. Don’t wait. Call us now.
What is tapping in EFT?
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) EFT is often referred to as “tapping,” as it involves using the tips of your fingers to tap on a sequence of points on the body that are related to acupressure points or meridians.
What is biofeedback?
Biofeedback is a method that helps individuals monitor their body’s physiological processes to affect psychological change. You would be connected to some kind of technological device that would measure and give you immediate biological feedback like:
Why is art therapy important?
The overall benefits of art therapy are twofold: The actual process of creating your art can be therapeutic and relaxing. The content of your art can be explored with a therapist to uncover and heal emotional wounds related to your addiction.
What is alternative medicine?
In general, the term “alternative therapy” refers to any health treatment not standard in Western medical practice. When used alongside standard medical practices, alternative approaches are referred to as “complementary” medicine. Beyond that, complementary and alternative therapies are difficult to define, largely because the field is so diverse.
What is the treatment for naturopathy?
Naturopathy typically involves a variety of treatment techniques, including nutrition, behavioral changes, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and acupuncture. 1. Acupressure. Acupressure is similar in practice to acupuncture (see below), only no needles are involved.
How does aromatherapy work?
Aromatherapy uses essential oils — highly concentrated extracts from the roots, leaves, seeds, or blossoms of plants — to promote healing. It’s a practice that can be traced back to at least 5,000 years ago.#N#Stefiltisch W. (2017). Aromatherapy — From traditional and scientific evidence into clinical practice. DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-116476 Trusted Source
How does a biofeedback therapist work?
Patients work with a biofeedback therapist to learn these relaxation techniques and mental exercises. In initial sessions, electrodes are attached to the skin to measure bodily states, but eventually the techniques can be practiced without a therapist or equipment.
What is homeopathy based on?
Homeopathy functions in much the same way as a vaccine: It’s based on the principle of treating “like with like,” meaning a substance that causes adverse reactions when taken in large doses can be used — in small amounts — to treat those same symptoms.#N#Bella vite P. (2015). Homeopathy and integrative medicine: keeping an open mind. DOI: 10.1007/s12682-014-0198-x Trusted Source
Is chiropractic a complementary or alternative medicine?
Chiropractic medicine. Chiropractic work is widely accepted in the medical community, and thus qualifies more as a “complementary” medicine than alternative. The practice focuses on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, treating issues in the back, neck, joints, arms, legs, and head.
Is balneotherapy good for back pain?
For this reason, it’s often called “spa therapy.”. Balneotherapy has been studied for its effects on chronic pain, with some positive results. For example, a 2015 study found that spa therapy combined with exercise could ease low back pain in the long-term.
What is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine?
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has the responsibility to evaluate treatments, distribute information, and conduct research. It has no power to remove defective products from the market or deal with insurance payments.
What is Coumadin after a follow up visit?
During a follow-up visit with a patient recently started on Coumadin, the home health nurse is concerned after seeing an herbal remedy that enhances the effect of anticoagulants by the patient's bedside.
What is reflexology in nursing?
Aromatherapy uses pure essential oils to provide health benefits. The nurse is educating a patient regarding reflexology. Information includes that reflexology is a therapy based on the theory that the entire body can be reached by applying pressure to specific areas.
Is CAM a curative medicine?
As a rule, complementary and alternative ( CAM) therapies are not curative or healing as is allopathic medicine. Some complementary therapies are covered by insurance, but alternative remedies are not. 5. The nurse is obtaining health history information on a new patient at a physician's office and he or she records a barbiturate medication on ...
What is complementary medicine?
The term complementary describes treatments used in conjunction with standard care, and the term alternative relates to less conventional methods of treatment. In recent years, the term “integrative health” has been used to describe the incorporation of evidence-based CAM therapies into conventional treatments for the purpose ...
Where is complementary medicine practiced?
The branch of medical care referred to as complementary and alternative medicine has been in practice in some parts of the world, such as China and India and among the numerous tribes of the indigenous American peoples, for hundreds of years. These traditional techniques may not necessarily be considered "complementary" or "alternative.".
What can a therapist do to help with CAM?
Therapists can introduce those in treatment to complementary approaches such as meditation or relaxation. Doctors can suggest chiropractic care or massage therapy. A person who has had success with a particular CAM approach can share this information with a provider, in the interest of increasing knowledge about CAM.
What is the most commonly used CAM therapy?
Advanced Search. Among the most widely used CAM therapies are manipulative therapies (such as chiropractic and massage therapy) for back pain, yoga and other forms of exercise, and acupuncture. Dietary supplements, such as vitamins and herbal medicines, are also fairly common.
What was the popular health movement?
Some of these critics formed the Popular Health Movement ( PHM ), which flourished during the 1830s and 1840s and was devoted to the preservation of herbal remedies, nutrition, exercise, self-healing, and other practice methods of midwives and lay practitioners.
What is holistic psychology?
Many individuals take a holistic approach to healing and wellness and, as part of this approach, incorporate techniques outside the fields of medical and mental health. These techniques, which may be movement-based, biological, or energy-based, include treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga, Reiki, biofeedback, nutritional therapies, and meditation. Some have been proven to have a positive effect on mental and/or physical health, while others are not yet supported by scientific evidence.
Is caution advised when choosing an alternative treatment approach?
Caution is generally advised when choosing an alternative treatment approach, as the effects of many treatments have not been extensively studied or regulated and/or may be less well-known. However, some treatments are widely utilized and are known to be helpful as part of treatment.
