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Complementary Medicine Can Speed Healing
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Published on: 08/04/ 2008 | By: Melville Wong
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Complementary medicine is generally understood to be the use of therapeutic treatments that are considered to be non-conventional in conjunction with conventional medicines. Conventional medicine are therapies that are prescribed by medical doctors.
Complementary therapies are used to treat health problems, prevent disease and to improve basic wellness. Examples of complementary medicine include:
- Yoga
- Aromatherapy
- Reiki
- Hypnotherapy
- Chiropractic
- Massage
- Stress therapy
- Meditation
- Reflexology
- Shiatsu
- Acupuncture
In most cases, all of these therapies can be practiced in conjunction with a conventional form of treatment. For example, many people may be under a physician’s care for back pain, but they will seek the help of a massage therapist or a chiropractor to help them find pain relief and to recover.
Medicines that are considered to be “alternative therapies” such as certain herbal treatments, are not advisable to combine with conventional medicine. For example, St. John's wort is a herbal remedy alternative that is sometimes used to treat mild-to-moderate depression instead of conventional anti-depressant medications. Combining this herbal remedy with conventional medicine could create an adverse or counterproductive health reaction.
It's worth noting that what may be considered “complementary medicine” in Western society may actually be used as conventional treatment in many other countries in the world. Western society refers to them as complementary because they are not the primary treatment prescribed by physicians.
Does Complementary Medicine Work?
Some forms of complementary medicine are supported by scientific studies, while others are still being evaluated for their safety and scientific effectiveness.
Well-known proponents of evidence-based medicine, such as Edzard Ernst - Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter - agree that all treatments, whether "mainstream" or "alternative", ought to be held to standards of the scientific method.
Complementary Therapies Focus on the Whole Body
Many complementary therapies actually focus on the whole body and not just the symptoms or area being treated. They operate under the principle that the body will always try to heal itself and that by working on areas beyond the immediate area needing treatment, the body will be able to be more in sinc to heal.
Speed up Healing
Complementary medicine, in most cases, cannot hurt. For many people, healing is faster and more effective than for those who are only using conventional therapy.
The combination of conventional and complementary medicine is often referred to as “integrative medicine”. Deciding what approach to take comes down to what your specific condition warrants for treatment and whether or not you are willing to try all options that are open to you.
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