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Alternative Medicine
If you prefer natural remedies and preventions to some disorders and diseases, all you need is to try safe and effective alternative medicines.Definition
There are some medical practices, products and beliefs that are brought about by culture and history, and these are called alternative or complementary medicines. They are not taught at medical schools and are not available at hospitals. They are not practiced by medical doctors, registered nurses and physical therapists, and thus, are considered non-conventional and non-standard treatments. In other words, alternative or complementary medicines are not part of the present standard care and dominant health system. However, due to some advanced scientific researches and biomedical explanations, some alternative medicines are already proven safe and effective like acupuncture and herbal medicines.
Other alternative treatments include the following: folk medicine, hypnotherapy, diet fads, homeopathy, faith and new-age healing, chiropractic, naturopathy, massage - reflexology, chiropractic, and physical and music therapy.
Types of Patients
Some of the medical conditions that can be prevented or treated by alternative or complementary medicines are breast cancer, depression, Parkinson's disease, bone loss, back pain, arthritis and immunodeficiency syndrome.
Yoga is a type of exercise that is practiced as a part of the Hindu discipline, is aimed at controlling the body and mind. It is now known as an alternative treatment to stress and breast cancer as it helps relieve weariness and improve emotional health.
Alternative medicine practitioners also prescribe meditation and sesamol for people experiencing high levels of stress. To be able to prevent a person from depressive-like behavior, he or she can practice meditation and take sesame oil extract. Studies show that meditation is as effective as anti-depressant medication when it comes to decreasing depression relapse rate, and that sesamol reverses stress-induced inflammation and oxidative stress.
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative central nervous system disorder that causes impaired muscular coordination and tremor. Fortunately, advances in science and technology made way for products and researches that can prevent and treat the said disease. A recent study shows that melatonin and silymarin, compounds found in milk thistle, reverse oxidative stress by acting as antioxidants and fighting free radicals.
The Role of Science
Since not all alternative or complementary medicines are 100% safe and effective, a lot of scientific research is being conducted to approve or reject unconventional products, practices and beliefs. The most important areas that are being examined by researchers nowadays are the potential side effects and dangers of this kind of treatment, and their effect in the healing rate of the patient. In addition to this, journals about clinically-tested herbal medicines and exercises are already being published and released.
Alternative medicine doctors by state:
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