Alternative Medicine Information and Uses

Author: Disabled World (DW)
Updated/Revised Date: 2026/05/30

Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Publications - Subtopics

Synopsis: Information and examples of various categories of alternative medicine, including home remedies holistic health and traditional Chinese medicine.

At a Glance

• 1 - The NCCAM classifies complementary and alternative therapies into five major groups - energy medicine, biologically based practices, manipulative and body-based practices, mind-body medicine, and whole medical systems.
• 2 - Homeopathy is based on principles first defined by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, centered on the idea that an ill person can be treated with a substance that produces similar symptoms in a healthy person.
• 3 - Reiki was developed in 1922 by Mikao Usui, who claimed to receive the ability of "healing without energy depletion" after three weeks of fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama in Japan.

Topic Definition: Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine refers to any healing practice that claims the effects of medicine but is not backed by evidence gathered through the scientific method, setting it apart from the standard care provided by medical doctors, osteopaths, and allied health professionals like nurses and physical therapists. It covers a wide and varied field - think naturopathy, chiropractic, herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, meditation, yoga, biofeedback, homeopathy, and acupuncture, among many others. When these approaches are used alongside conventional treatment rather than in place of it, they are usually called complementary medicine, and the broader field as a whole is often grouped under the label CAM, for complementary and alternative medicine. One thing worth keeping in mind is that the line is not fixed: a practice treated as alternative in one country may be considered conventional care in another, and remedies once viewed as unproven can move into mainstream medicine if they are shown to be safe and effective. Because its roots run through traditional medicine, folk knowledge, spiritual belief, and newer ideas about healing alike, alternative medicine remains both widely used and a subject of ongoing debate.

Introduction

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a broad domain of resources that encompasses health systems, modalities, and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, apart from those intrinsic to the dominant health system of a particular society or culture in a given historical period. However, bear in mind that what are considered complementary or alternative practices in one country may be considered conventional medical practices in another.

Main Content

According to the NCCAM formerly unproven remedies may be incorporated into conventional medicine if they are shown to be safe and effective. NCCAM classifies complementary and alternative therapies into five major groups and some overlap:

• Energy medicine is a domain that deals with putative and verifiable energy fields.
• Biologically based practices use substances found in nature such as herbs, foods, vitamins, and other natural substances.
• Manipulative and body-based practices feature manipulation or movement of body parts, such as is done in chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation.
• Mind-body medicine takes a holistic approach to health that explores the interconnection between the mind, body, and spirit. It works under the premise that the mind can affect "bodily functions and symptoms".

Whole medical systems cut across more than one of the other groups; examples include Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.

• Aromatherapy is when aroma-rich oils are extracted from specific plants. These oils are mixed with other materials like alcohol, oils, lotions etc. to give the desired effects on the body.
• Ayurveda is a system of traditional medicine native to India, and practiced in other parts of the world as a form of alternative medicine. Evolving throughout its history, Ayurveda remains an influential system of medicine in South Asia.
• Biofeedback is a form of alternative medicine that involves measuring a subject's quantifiable bodily functions such as skin temperature, sweat gland activity, blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension, conveying the information to the patient in real-time.
• Detoxification is an alternative medicine approach which proponents claim to rid the body of "toxins", accumulated harmful substances that are alleged to exert a negative effect on individual health. The idea of a good detox diet is to eat pure and natural foods that will aid the function of the lymph, kidneys, and liver.
• Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, and phytotherapy.
• Holistic health is a philosophy of medical care that views physical and mental aspects of life as closely interconnected and equally important approaches to treatment. While frequently associated with alternative medicine, it is also increasingly used in mainstream medical practice as part of a broad view of patient care.
• Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine based upon principles first defined by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. A central thesis of homeopathy is that an ill person can be treated using a substance that can produce, in a healthy person, symptoms similar to those of the illness.
• Home remedies are a treatment to cure a disease or ailment that employs certain spices, vegetables, or other common items. Home remedies may or may not have medicinal properties that treat or cure the disease or ailment in question, as they are typically passed along.
• Reiki is a spiritual practice developed in 1922 by Mikao Usui. After three weeks of fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama, in Japan, Usui claimed to receive the ability of "healing without energy depletion". A portion of the practice, tenohira or palm healing, is used as a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Tenohira is a technique whereby practitioners believe they are moving "healing energy" (a form of ki) through the palms.
• Traditional Chinese medicine (also known as TCM) includes a range of traditional medical practices originating in China. It is considered a Complementary or Alternative Medical system in much of the western world, while remaining as a form of primary care throughout most of Asia.

Many people utilize mainstream medicine for diagnosis and basic information, while turning to alternatives for what they believe to be health-enhancing measures. Studies indicate that alternative approaches are often used with conventional medicine. This is referred to by NCCAM as integrative (or integrated) medicine because it "combines treatments from conventional medicine and CAM for which there is some high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness.

Debate

Alternative medicine has been a source of vigorous debate, even over the definition of alternative medicine.

Dietary supplements, their ingredients, safety, and claims, are a continual source of controversy. In some cases, political issues, mainstream medicine and alternative medicine all collide, such as the case where synthetic drugs are legal, but the herbal sources of the same active chemical are banned.

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.