Alternative therapies chiropractic medicine

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... 

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. 

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... 

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. 

A third approach to medical care that has recently gained significantly in popularity is alternative medicine and the alternative approaches. These are varied but frequently involve such techniques as touch therapy and massage (acupressure), chiropractic, magnets, herbals, and naturopathic remedies. Herbal preparations and spiritual healing are also used that allow for mind and body control. 

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