Alternative Medical Therapy

Alternative Medical Therapy

Introduction

The increase in alternative medical therapy is not studied much and probable causes why alternative medical therapy becoming popular. Alternative medical therapy has been the practice for several years, even though, they are still not extensively accepted in the medical community of US. This research paper emphasizes on several types of alternative medical therapy, their background, methods and training, benefits and controversies, evaluate the effectiveness of this alternative medical therapy, offer recommendations for this alternative medical therapy use, and implications for nursing practice.

Discussion

Background

In the late 20th century, alternative medical therapy was defined as a type of treatment or medicine than conventional healthcare and medicine. That is why, alternative medical therapies are often known as unconventional medicine.

Alternative medical therapy was introduced to the western world via immigrants from other countries. For instance, after Vietnam War, a number of refugees sought a new life in US, integrating their beliefs and cultures of the world part with those of US. Part of culture embraced practices and beliefs of health and illness, and traditional medicine. The tried incorporating of diverse cultures into the western countries, there exist disengagement between medical patients and practitioners of different cultures and backgrounds. Often the medical practitioner does not understand patients' beliefs of different cultures and can discount the alternative medical therapies that are employed by those patients. It is probably that these practitioners are concerned with facts, which are scientifically proven of illness and health as that is what a lot of them were learned in medical institutions.

Methods and Training

Methods of alternative medical therapy can be categorized into five broad groups: whole medical systems, mind-body medicine, biologically-based therapies, manipulative and body-based methods, and energies therapies.

Theory and practice are built upon the whole medical systems. Alternative medical systems examples that have developed based on cultures of West that include naturopathic medicine and homeopathic medicine. In non-Western cultures examples include Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. Mind-body medicine employs several tools intended to improve the capacity of mind to affect physical symptoms and function. Mind-body interventions include yoga, meditation, humor therapy, guided imagery, dance therapy, biofeedback, and art therapy. Biologically-based therapies in alternative medicine make use of substances like vitamins, foods and herbs.

Few examples include megavitamins, herbal products, dietary supplements and diet. In alternative medicine therapies, body-based methods are based on movement of body parts, such as trager approach, therapeutic touch, Rolfing, reflexology, osteopathy, massage therapy, Feldenkrais method, chiropractic, Alexander technique and acupressure (Bernstein, Tanay & Vujanovic, 2011). Energy therapies engage the energy field use and are of two types: biofield therapies and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies. Biofield therapy is aimed to have an effect on energy fields that supposedly surround and enter the human body. Some energy therapy forms influence biofields through manipulating the body and/or applying pressure placing the hands through or hands, in these fields. Examples include Therapeutic Touch, Reiki and Qi gong. Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies engage the electromagnetic fields used like magnetic fields direct-current or alternating-current fields, and pulsed ...