Alternative therapies acupuncture

Complementary and alternative medicine therapies, such as acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic manipulation, dietary supplements, herbal therapy, and homeopathic preparations, are used by individuals with allergic rhinitis.29,30 Use of bromelain, gingko, ginseng, licorice, quercetin, and Urtica dioica has been reported, but large-scale studies documenting efficacy are lacking.31,32 Caregivers should inquire routinely about patients use of alternative therapies and counsel patients about the lack of validated data to support such practices.12... 

Some alternative therapies have crossed the line into mainstream medicine as scientific investigation has confirmed their safety and efficacy. For example, today physicians may prescribe acupuncture for pain management or to control the nausea associated with chemother-(40) apy. Most U.S. medical schools teach courses in alternative therapies and many health insurance companies offer some alternative medicine benefits. Yet, despite their gaining acceptance, the majority of alternative therapies have not been researched in controlled studies. New research efforts aim at testing alternative methods and providing the... 

Complementary and alternative medicine, which includes a range of practices outside of conventional medicine such as herbs, homeopathy, massage therapy, yoga, and acupuncture, hold increasing appeal for Americans. In fact, according to one estimate, 42% of Americans have used alternative therapies. In all age groups, the use of unconventional healthcare practices has steadily increased in the last 30 years, and the trend is likely to continue, although people born before 1945 are the least likely to turn to these therapies. 

CAM. Data about 145 boys and 35 girls, with a mean age of 10 years, were obtained. The most popular form of alternative therapy was vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (51%), followed by nutritional supplements (14%), herbs and botanical medicines (11%), massage (9%), chiropractic (4%), homeopathy (4%), and acupuncture (2%). (Horrigan et ah, 1998). An anecdotal report described the use of St. John s wort by four teenagers who were under psychiatric care (Walter and Rey, 1999). Three of the patients had been reluctant to reveal this to their psychiatrist, believing the doctor had no interest in alternative medicine or would disapprove of it. 

People have looked to alternative medicine, herbal remedies, homoeopathy, acupuncture and hypnotherapy, and other therapies as alternatives to tranquillisers to help them withdraw. These may be valid and useful in their way but they are not all that is required. Switching to an alternative therapy fails to pay proper attention to physical dependence. A pharmacological understanding of tranquilliser withdrawal is also required. 

Alternative therapies like massage, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, and homeopathy are slowly growing in popularity people are constantly looking for new answers to old problems. 

Diet doesn t stand all by itself as the path to good health. We all need exercise, fresh air, sunshine, enough sleep, recreation, and sufficient self-discipline to stop and smell the roses now and then. Of all the varied professions in the healing arts, including aU the alternative healing arts, none of them can heal damaged tissue without nutrition. Certainly drugs can t build new tissue. Nor can polarity therapy, acupuncture, or herbs. 

Complementary and alternative medicines A group of practices and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, including alternative medical systems (e.g., homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine), mind-body interventions (e.g., meditation and mental healing), biologically-based therapies (e.g., dietary supplements, vitamins, herbs, and other natural products), manipulative body-based methods (e.g., acupuncture and massage), and energy therapies (e.g., therapeutic touch and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies). 

More and more Americans are turning to alternative medicine. The ancient art of aromatherapy has gained a tremendous following, particularly on the West Coast. Acupuncture, the traditional Chinese art of needle therapy, has doubled its number of active practitioners in the past decade. And holistic medicine—treating the whole body instead of just one part—is so popular that some HMOs now even pay for holistic care. 

Alternative medicine includes (but is not limited to) the following herbal medicine, homeopathy, aromatherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, tai chi, meditation, music or art therapy, shamanism, and faith healing. In this chapter our focus is on herbal medicine. The increased use of herbal medicine outside of the traditional physician-patient paradigm represents a search for other sources of health as well as an expression of assuming greater responsibility for our own health maintenance. In one sense, it is a return to an earlier period. The shift from traditional medicine to modern medicine can be traced to the Flexner Report of 1910. 

Herbal products are considered a type of alternative medicine (e.g., herbal medicines, Chinese herbs, homeopathy, acupuncture, biofeedback, color therapy, music therapy, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy. Ayurvedic medicine, massage, therapeutic touch, Bach flower remedies, chiropractic, reflexology, naturopathy, and more). According to the Office of Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), characteristics of alternatives medicine include treatments that lack sufficient documentation in the United States for safety and effectiveness against specific disease and... 

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen sodium Alternative mefenamic acid, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, acupuncture, oral contraceptives, triptans, intermittent 17y6-estradiol, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist estrad iol/progesterone add-back therapy Insomnia... 

Some of the therapies mentioned in the BMA Report are complementary in that they can be used in conjunction with orthodox treatments. For example, chiropractic, osteopathy, reflexology, Shiatsu and the Alexander technique all involve manipulation of muscle and bones and could be used to complement NSAID-based treatment. Others are genuinely alternatives which attempt to replace orthodox medicines, e.g. herbalism and homoeopathy, while some, e.g. acupuncture, are being assimilated into conventional medical practice. This chapter concentrates on those therapies which rely heavily on the use of plant materials and attempts to explain the basis of the therapy and provide examples of the plants used. In particular, the interrelationship between herbalism, herbal medicines and the phytotherapeutic use of plants, described in Chapter VI, is explored. 

Clinical trials involving people, rather than animals, as patients are under way in a number of areas, including acupuncture, shark cartilage, diet alternatives (e.g., macrobiotic and flaxseed), the Asian therapy called Noni, L-camitine, massage, electroacupuncture, and mistletoe (combined with the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine). 

In recent years, Americans and others have tended to rely less and less on modern, scientific medical practices and remedies for treating many medical conditions. Popular magazines, television shows, and newspapers routinely include stories about alternative medical treatments, aromatherapy, herbal and natural remedies, magnet therapy, touch therapy, psychic healing, acupuncture, and homeopathy. The debate over the efficacy of such treatments continues. It is safe to say, however, that most, if not all, of these treatment methods have not been subjected to the same rigorous scientific standards as most modern medical practices and treatments. 

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