Defining Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine is quickly gaining ground as an alternative to the conventional medicine that is prescribed in the doctor’s office and many reasons can be attributed to this among them the need to remain chemical –free. In theory, alternative medicine can be said to be any medicine that is not within western medicine’s scientific framework. Medicines that have been proven to be scientifically effective and that have theories that explain their effectiveness they are no longer seen as alternative medicine. Some countries on the other hand have medical associations that are tasked with dealing with every aspect of medicine and in this countries, traditional medicine is any medicine that these bodies have not accepted as being scientifically valid. In some of these countries massage is classified as alternative medicine as well.

To some people, alternative medicine is just herbs. Well herbs are indeed traditional medicine but they are not the only ones available today. Herbal medicines have been with us for a long time and presently take different forms such as supplements, liquids among others. Herbal medicines treat most diseases that are treatable by conventional medicines and treat more that conventional medicine cannot treat as well. While herbal medicine has been proven to work in many instances, quite a number of people have been affected by them as their herbalists never gave them the correct dosage or never warned them of fillers or side effects. These three areas should be looked into by a trained herbalist before one decides to take on herbal medicines.

Oriental medicine is another kind of alternative medicine and also presents the only one of its kind that can truly be compared to western medication as a good and complete medicine system. This kind of medicine includes herbal therapy, massage, qi gong and acupuncture among others. Traditional medicine from China is a form of oriental medicine and it is the only of its kind that be found in countries such as the USA. In most Asian countries oriental medicine is seen as conventional while the western kind is seen as alternative. Massage presents another way through which the body can be healed without the use of conventional medicines. It involves the use of tools or hands to manipulate the tendons and muscles and is mainly used to ease pains and aches as well as to relieve stress. Massage is effective when it comes to conditions such as fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome and eating disorders. Moreover, it can treat most muscular injuries to avoid the building up of scars as well as restrict motion range. There are different types of massage treatments and they include Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage, Chair Massage, Medical Massage, Lomi Lomi, Hot stone among others. It is advisable that one goes to a specialist despite the form of alternative medicine they choose.