Well-Studied Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine

The fields of health and medicine ignore many alternative therapies, particularly those like reiki and reflexology whose mechanism is not understood or in conflict with Western medicine’s understanding of human physiology. However, other alternative therapies are becoming more mainstream.

Meditation Mind-body therapies like meditation, guided imagery and biofeedback are among the most accepted alternative therapies in conventional health and medicine practices. Lamaze childbirth is a relaxation method that is so mainstream that many hospitals offer classes in it. The high level of acceptance may be because, unlike some other forms of alternative medicine, mind-body therapies pose little risk to the patient, even if done incorrectly. The main risk of meditation is the possibility of a patient using meditation when a stronger intervention is indicated.

Massage Therapy Massage therapy and related fields of bodywork are not far behind meditation as alternative therapies accepted in health and medicine practices. While creating a double blind placebo controlled study of massage is all but impossible, studies have shown demonstrable health benefits correlated with massage, which may be helpful in managing some conditions. In particular, massage appears to be effective alternative medicine for arthritis, relieving the inflammation of the condition. Massage’s well-known effects on relieving stress and enhancing circulation also show potential for managing blood pressure and other conditions exacerbated by stress. Other clinical studies have shown immune system enhancing effects of massage and better outcomes for HIV-exposed babies who are treated with massage therapy.

Acupuncture Like massage, acupuncture is going under the clinical microscope more often, and showing some significant results. While the basis of the technique in aligning energy flow is still disputed by conventional medicine, primarily because conventional medicine has so far failed to find a biological basis for the common Eastern medicine concept of chi, the reduced pain and inflammation after acupuncture treatments are difficult to dispute. Acupuncture is one of the few energy-based alternative therapies that conventional medicine and health care is seriously considering. Even at that, the few studies done show little clinical difference between acupuncture using the traditional techniques and a placebo “sham acupuncture” that applies the acupuncture needles to places off the energy meridians.

Herbal Treatments Herbal treatments are second only to prayer in popularity as alternative therapies. In traditional medicine and health care, a surprising number of pharmaceuticals are based on traditional herbal treatments, and the general public is returning to the herbal roots of pharmacopoeia. Research by the conventional medical establishment is following that interest, examining such common herbal remedies as Echinacea for colds and antibacterial properties of tea tree oil. The main challenge to studies of herbal alternative therapies in conventional health and medicine is one of dosage. While each dose of a pharmaceutical will have the same strength, the strength of herbal supplements may vary widely, even in doses of the same weight.