Alternative medicine, also known as alternative therapies, lies outside the realm of conventional medicine. Alternative therapy is an intervention that: is not reimbursable by most health insurance providers in the United States, is not well supported by scientific tests establishing safety and effe...

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) has defined alternative medicines as "Any medical practice or intervention that (a) lacks sufficient documentation, for safety and effectiveness against specific diseases and conditions; (b) is not generally taught in medi...

Hospice is a concept of caring borrowed from medieval times, where travelers, pilgrims and the sick, wounded or dying could find rest and comfort. The contemporary hospice offers a program of care to patients and families facing a life threatening illness encompassing medical, nursing, spiritual, a...

Acupuncture as and Alternative Treatment. Take a walk into your local hospital. See the background of busy doctors helping patients. Doctors chattering about prescriptions, diagnoses and medical talk of conditions. In Chinese medicine, it¡¯s a complete medical system that has diagnosed, treated, ...

The Power of Acupuncture Imagine having crippling back pain as you arise out of bed every morning, or sharp pains in your shoulders and knees that no longer allow you to perform up to your actual ability. Whether it is in athletics, at work, or even just through out your daily life these problems...

James Cassedy's Medicine in America, A Short History takes a comprehensive look at medical progress in America from its colonial days to the present time. The book takes on five different themes in discussing medicine. First, it examines the medical establishment, and how it develops over time. Sec...

If your pet dog Sparky became suddenly ill, would you begin to perform experiments on your uncle Waldo to try to find a cure? Probably not, that would be ridiculous. Finding a cure for a nonhuman disease in a human is completely illogical. Yet people across the world have been led to believe that e...

Medical Changes in the Twentieth Century Medical advancements in American history have gone through many significant changes in the twentieth century. These advancements in surgery, medicine, and technology had a dramatic impact on our society that improved and bettered the quality of life. Am...

Cuba and the Affects of the Embargo The island nation of Cuba, located just ninety miles off the coast of Florida, is home to 11 million people and has one of the few remaining communist regimes in the world. Cuba's leader, Fidel Castro, came to power in 1959 and immediately instituted a...