WELLBEING
Holistic health What is alternative and complementary medicine all about? Sara Whatley shares her findings and experience
I
s an ailment troubling you? It might be a new illness, a reoccurring trouble or a chronic issue. It might be more than just physical; it might be mental or spiritual as well. If so, have you ever considered looking to alternative medicines to help you? Sometimes, we need a little extra help away from the doctor’s surgery, or alongside it. Alternative and complementary health practices can be used to treat illnesses and ailments on their own, known as alternative medicine, or if they are used alongside conventional medicine they are known as complementary. People generally turn to these
different types of medicines if they are dissatisfied with or want to augment the conventional medical system, or they feel that health care alternatives are more congruent with the rest of their belief system, values and lifestyle. Some well-known examples of alternative medicines are acupuncture, osteopathy, homeopathy, and Chinese or Oriental medicine. But there are many, many more types of therapy, some focusing on traditional alternative medicines; some focusing on body touch; some focusing on diet and herbs; some on mind; some on external sources and energies, such as light therapy; and some are focused on the five bodily senses, such as art or dance therapy.
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