Subjects:
Western medical practitioners today call alternative medicine. The term
alternative medicine covers a broad range of healing philosophies,
approaches, and therapies. It generally describes those treatments and
health care practices that are outside mainstream Western health care.
People use these treatments and therapies in a variety of ways. Alternative
therapies used alone are often referred to as alternative; when used in
combination with other alternative therapies, or in addition to conventional
therapies they are referred to as complementary. Some therapies are far
outside the realm of accepted Western medical theory and practice, but some,
like chiropractic treatments, are now established in mainstream medicine.
Worldwide, only an estimated ten to thirty percent of human health care is
delivered by conventional, biomedically oriented practitioners ("Fields of
Practice"). The remaining seventy to ninety percent ranges from self-care
according to folk principles, to care given in an organized health care
system based on alternative therapies ("Fields of Practice"). Many cultures
. . .
Does all this recent medical establishment attention mean that the
non-conventional therapies really work? Critics say a definitive scientific
answer must await well-designed experiments involving many patients. Founded in the eighteenth century by German physician Samuel
Hahnemann, it is based on the idea that "like cures like" (Kees); that
micro-doses of substances, known in large amounts to cause illness, can
treat that illness by stimulating the body's own natural defenses and
curative powers.
In addition to releasing endorphins, doctors and clinicians know that
acupuncture can provide at least short-term relief for a wide range of pains
by inhibiting the transmission of pain impulses through the nerves. The systems of alternative medical practice
the OAM has classified so far share many common therapeutic techniques. Some scientists suggest
that the power of prayer and faith healing, like some forms of meditation,
might also be physiological in that they may protect the body from the
negative effects of stress hormone norepinephrine. A diagram of the meridian system looks similar to
those of our circulatory and nervous systems (Crute).
Although chiropractic clearly has its drawbacks, notably its stubborn
insistence that spinal misalignments cause or underlie most ailments,
including those far afield from the backbone, its use of vertebral
manipulation has proved useful in treating acute low-back pain and other
muscular and neurological problems. When the flow of
energy becomes blocked, an imbalance is created, resulting in pain or
disease.
Furthermore, recent studies also show acupuncture to be effective in
alleviating bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and stroke-induced paralysis
(Apostolides).
Twenty years ago, few physicians would have advised patients to take folic
acid to prevent birth defects, vitamin E to promote a healthy heart, or
vitamin C to bolster their immune systems. Puncturing the
skin with a needle is the usual method, but acupuncturists may also
stimulate the acupuncture points with finger-pressure. Current chiropractic research focuses on
back and musculoskeletal pain and reliability studies.
Traditional oriental medicine and naturopathic medicine, for example, both
use herbal remedies, acupuncture, and mind/body control. "I'm a healthy skeptic," says Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Mary
McCaul (Apostolides).
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