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In Western culture, alternative medicine is any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine", or "that which has not been shown consistently to be effective." Alternative medicine is often based on the belief that a particular health regimen has efficacious effects even while there exists various bodies of evidence to contradict such a belief under the rigorous standards of evidence based medicine. In practice, alternative medicine encompasses therapies with a historical or cultural, rather than a scientific, basis. Commonly cited examples include naturopathy, chiropractic, herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Unani, Ayurveda, meditation, yoga, biofeedback, hypnosis, homeopathy, acupuncture, and diet-based therapies, in addition to a range of other practices. It is frequently grouped with complementary medicine, which generally refers to the same interventions when used in conjunction with mainstream techniques, under the umbrella term complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM. Some significant researchers in alternative medicine oppose this grouping, preferring to emphasize differences of approach, but nevertheless use the term CAM, which has become standard. Alternative medicine practices are as diverse in their foundations as in their methodologies. Practices may incorporate or base themselves on traditional medicine, folk knowledge, spiritual beliefs, or newly conceived approaches to healing. Jurisdictions where alternative medical practices are sufficiently widespread may license and regulate them. The claims made by alternative medicine practitioners are generally not accepted by the medical community because evidence-based assessment of safety and efficacy is either not available or has not been performed for many of these practices. If scientific investigation establishes the safety and effectiveness of an alternative medical practice, whereupon it becomes mainstream medicine and is no longer "alternative", and will therefore become widely adopted by conventional practitioners. Because alternative techniques tend to lack evidence, some have advocated defining it as non-evidence based medicine, or not medicine at all. Some researchers state that the evidence-based approach to defining CAM is problematic because some CAM is tested, and research suggests that many mainstream medical techniques lack solid evidence. A 1998 systematic review of studies assessing its prevalence in 13 countries concluded that about 31% of cancer patients use some form of complementary and alternative medicine. Alternative medicine varies from country to country. Dr. Edzard Ernst believes that in Austria and Germany CAM is mainly in the hands of physicians, while some estimates suggest that at least half of American alternative practitioners are physicians. In Germany, herbs are tightly regulated, with half prescribed by doctors and covered by health insurance based on their Commission E legislation. From Wikipedia under the
GNU Free Documentation License How can I found an alternative medicine doctor in Modesto, California? Q. My grandma would like to work with a doctor that believes in alternative medicine - particularly nutrition. She has several health issues. Asked by shyneenose - Mon Jun 2 08:56:31 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments A. Go to Dr. Siegried - he is a close personal friend of mine and a great alternative Doctor. Best. Answered by bassdoc - Mon Jun 2 09:08:37 2008 How can I convince my family of the potential of alternative medicine? Q. I have read all 3 of Kevin Trudeau's books after reading several other alternative medicine books and I am trying to get my family convinced to try some of this stuff. Asked by milthistagent - Wed May 16 18:01:35 2007 - - 5 Answers - 0 Comments A. there isn't a good way...the guy (rhsaunde ) probably does not have any grasp on the FDA. if he knew anything about them he would know that their funding is in a big part from the drug companies. you cannot receive funding from herbal remedies and stuff, so it would be best not to endorse any...i know a lot of alternative meds are wacky, but here is my experience. i have an incurable liver disease. the only help the doctors offered was pegasys(kinda like chemotherapy for a year) i heard about milk thistle and tried it. i have had wonderful results. i know it works cus i can tell a huge difference when i dont take it. every single health care professional i have asked about it would not give me a comment one way or another on its… [cont.] Answered by matt m - Wed May 16 19:07:41 2007 Do doctors visiting the South African section not like Alternative Medicine ?
Q. A specific doctor, Changle Nigings or something like that, seems to have trouble with the SA chat, so I suggested he should find some answers in the Alternative Medicine or Medical Health Section. So this poor troubled soul reported me for violation! I was just trying to help this disturbed person. Some thanks that was. I just do not know what is happening to the standard of medicine nowadays. Asked by cakes4africa - Sun Aug 5 11:45:27 2007 - - 6 Answers - 0 Comments A. Ja, he reported me too. In my answer I told him about the no-report-policy in the SA section but he still reported me. I also spoke about us still answering any Travel-related Q's. It's not as if I was cursing or anything. I think he should go to the mental section. Or just get off the net. Answered by Lady G - Mon Aug 6 08:28:06 2007 From Yahoo Answer Search: "Alternative medicine"
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 news.google.com Times-Standard The most controversial one is the relatively new Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM). The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine ... and more » news.google.com Sunday News Nkosiyazi Mthokozisi Welcome Ndhlovu, a 27-year-old alternative medicine graduate, is set to cause controversy by using the method ... news.google.com Nurse.com The National Center of Contemporary and Alternative Medicine , a center of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a $2.5 million grant for research ... From Google News Search: "Alternative medicine"  static.howstuffworks.com 264px x 400px | 38.00kB [source page] Perhaps a better name for alternative medicine would be traditional medicine because some of its practices have been around for centuries  mediks-bg.com 180px x 180px | 4.50kB [source page]  images.publicradio.org 225px x 300px | 14.30kB [source page] farm The county says the family is medically neglecting Danny who was diagnosed in January with Hodgkin s lymphoma They are using alternative medicine to treat his illness Photo Colleen Hauser says using alternative medicine to treat Danny is a religious decision and one the county should respect Photo James Olson is the Brown County Attorney From Yahoo Image Search: "Alternative medicine"  he.online-wealth.net Doctor ue, 17 Nov 2009 18:47:45 GM Alternative medicine. is enjoying a boom as people start to take control of their own lives. As an . alternative. medical practitioner, a homeopath, I am very.  pulse.blogs.starnewsonline.com Vicky Eckenrode Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:01:21 GM With . alternative medicine. becoming more popular, are acupuncturists or Chinese herbalist just a co-pay away? More insurance companies are starting to cover . alternative. or complementary . medicine. or at least getting patients discounts, ...  well.blogs.nytimes.com By Anahad O'Connor Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:02:29 GM New York Times "Really?" columnist Anahad O'Connor explores the claims and the science behind various . alternative. remedies that you may want to consider for your family . medicine. cabinet. This week: the Neti Pot. From Google Blog Search: "Alternative medicine" |
