Alternative medicine definition

As for the specifics of the Naessens therapy, as has been noted, the mixture called 714X is injected into the lymph system at the groin area. For the record, recommended daily dosages of the serum are presented at the end of the chapter in Pelton and Overholser (1994). There is a cautionary note that vitamin E and vitamin B12 should not be taken at the same time as 714X, a caution also mentioned in other references Alternative Medicine The Definitive Guide, p. 574 An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer, pp. 32, 504. 

In Alternative Medicine The Definitive Guide, a practitioner cited who used 714X and other alternative therapies is Harvey Bigelson, M.D., of Scottsdale, AZ. Additional resources are found in An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer, e.g., p. 781ff.)... 

The reference work Alternative Medicine The Definitive Guide has sections Where to Find Help and Recommended Reading at the end of each chapter, including the chapter on cancer. The reference vtoBs. An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer describes many or most of the mainstream alternative therapies. All are listed in its references. Such institutions as the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston keep a file on alternatives. Much more can be found on the Internet. 

An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer. 1997. Puyallup, WA Future Medicine Publishing. 

In the United States, the use of products, including botanicals, thought to fall within the realm of complementary and alternative medicine is very common. It is difficult to obtain reliable estimates of use or to compare many of the current publications in this area because of diverse definitions for categorizing these products (e.g., dietary supplement, food supplement, herbal medicine, natural remedy, traditional medicine, etc.) in both the United States and elsewhere. A recent report on the use of complementary and alternative medicine by U.S. adults in 2002 indicated that approximately 19% of the population used nonvitamin, nonmineral, and natural products, 19% used folk medicine, and 3% used megavitamin therapy in the past 12 months (1). 

Most proponents of the field would like to define alternative medicine as the art of using safe, natural methods to get to the root of problems, help the body to heal itself, and prevent diseases before they arise. While this definition sounds beautiful, it is a pure romance. Alternative medicine seldom achieves such an idealized standard. 

Often called complementary and alternative medicine, this group of medical practices has also been termed unconventional, unorthodox, unproven, and even quackery. Because these terms have significant negative connotations, terms such as alternative medicine are preferred. Alternative medicine is not one form of medicine, but rather a diverse group of health practices that are outside of what is considered usual or conventional by the medical establishment. Alternative medicine spans the range of practices, from home remedies to manufactured products, from patient self-treatment to care by a skilled practitioner, from efficacious to potentially dangerous. Specific definitions of more common alternative medicine practices used in the United States are listed in Table 1. ... 

In the application of IT, there is a recent and rapidly increasing tendency by many to use holistic to mean simply consideration of all factors for the patient, but nonetheless essentially meaning only those factors that are the focus of Western mainstream medicine. Presumably, this restricted use of the term is intended to give an air of establishment respectability, while the idea still confers a significant improvement on current healthcare. In contrast, everyday use of holistic continues to incorporate alternative medicine and the emotional, philosophical, metaphysical, and spiritual aspects of well-being. It would be very sad if this were lost from the definition. The goal of the traditional holistic approach is a wellness that encompasses each and every person in entirety, according their belief systems, and not just the lack of physical pain and disease (see, e.g., http //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holistic health), in complete accordance with the definition of health by the WHO as mentioned above and discussed below. 

B. Goldberg, J. Anderson, and L.Trivieri. 2002. Alternative Medicine The Definitive Guide. Berkeley, CA Ten Speed Press. 

Tyler VE. Product definition deficiencies in clinical studies of herbal medicines. Sci Rev Altern Med 2000 4 17-21. 

---