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Complementary Medicine
Complementary medicine or alternative medicine is the treatment and prevention of disease by certain practices modern Western medicine terms 'unorthodox' or 'scientifically unproven'. So complementary medicine refers to any therapeutic practices that are outside the realm of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine, according to Western theory is the practice of a particular society or culture. Some of the therapies of complementary medicine have their roots in eastern cultures, where the emphasis is on maintaining good health and overall well being and not just treating diseases.
Complementary medicine encompasses a wide range of treatments like acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal medicine, homeopathy, biofeedback, meditation, massage, naturopathy and other practices. Modern medicine has always been skeptical about complementary medicine because of the lack of research-based evidences into these practices.
Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine has diagnosed, treated and prevented disease for the last 23 centuries. Chinese medicine enhances the recuperative powers and immunity apart from treating various ailments and altering the state of mind. Chinese cosmology is based on the union of two opposite forces of yin and yang. The system of Chinese medicine sets to restore harmony.
Acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine. Its origins can be traced back to about 3000 to 2000 BC. Herbal medicine and acupuncture are among the primary therapies in traditional Chinese medicine.
Homeopathic Medicine
Homeopathic medicine is based on two fundamental principles. One is the principle of similars: like is cured by like. That is to say that giving a drug to a healthy individual produces the same symptoms of the disease in the healthy person as in the afflicted person. The other principle is based on the potency of drugs, that is, the more you dilute a drug, the more potent it becomes. Homeopathic medicine makes use of diluted extracts from herbs to make pills or drops.
Samuel Hahnemann, a physician from Germany in the early 19th century gave the first practical application for homeopathic medicine. He named the established practice of medicine allopathy, and gave the name homeopathy to the new system.
Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine uses plant substances to prevent and treat ailments. Herbal medicine is not new to mankind, as it has existed since prehistoric times. About 80% of the world's population use herbal medicine. Herbal medicine has been in documented use in China for over 2500 years. Herbal ingredients are present in most of the over-the-counter drugs. In fact, aspirin comes from the bark of the willow tree (Salix species) and digitalis comes from the foxglove plant (Digitalis purpurea). The US has shown little scientific interest in the field of herbal medicine, when compared to the countries of Asia and Western Europe, where graduating physicians have studied herbal medicine. Nevertheless, millions in the US use herbal products
The Dietary Supplement and Health Act of 1994 reclassified herbs as dietary supplements rather than food additives. It forbids unreasonable health claims by manufacturers of herbal medicine. An issue concerning the herbal medicine is the availability of wild plants for the ever-expanding market. The potential of extracting beneficial medicines from plants has prompted large pharmaceutical companies to contribute to the cause of protecting tropical rain forests.
Holistic Medicine
Holistic medicine is a system of medicine based on the concept of the "whole person", where body, mind, spirit and emotions are in harmony with the environment. Holistic medicine emphasizes on personal responsibility for health the holistic medicine approach may include conventional medicine and other alternative methods. Holistic medicine encourages patients devise a self-regulated regimen to repress some causes of illness like smoking, alcohol, poor diet, and stress.
Naturopathic medicine
Naturopathic medicine is a system of medicine that uses natural substances to treat diseases. The treatment is based on the premise that the physical, mental and emotional states of a person must be addressed for the treatment to be effective. The term naturopathy was first coined in 1895.
Naturopathic medicine was found in the early 20th century by a group of therapists who were followers of Sebastian Kneipp, an advocate of the healing powers of nature in the 19th century. There were over 20 schools of naturopathic medicine in the US at the height of its popularity. The practice of naturopathic medicine decreased as the use of pharmaceutical drugs increased. The last few decades saw the revival of the popularity of naturopathic medicine. Most of the research on naturopathic medicine has been based on observations of treatments rather than on controlled clinical trials that compare naturopathic medicine with a placebo or any alternative treatment.
Ayurvedic Medicine
Many scholars consider Ayurvedic medicine to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means "the science of life" (ayus = life, veda=knowledge/wisdom). The roots of Ayurvedic medicine can be traced back to India over 5000 years ago. Ayurvedic medicine emphasizes the prevention of illness and maintaining good health by balancing one's life in terms of a positive frame of mind, a healthy diet and lifestyle and also advocates the use of herbs. Ayurvedic medicine is used for impotency, weight loss, liver or heart disease, and other common ailments.
Ayurvedic medicine recognizes three main types of energy within the body: vata, pitta and kapha. There are no English equivalents of these terms that would convey its meaning. These principles are seen in growth, maintenance and decay. Ayurvedic medicine is based on the premise that the body, mind and consciousness work together to maintain harmony and balance in the body.
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