Glossary of Alternative Therapies and Medical Systems
Art Therapy
Art therapy is the use of art as a therapeutic approach to healing.
It is a means for the patient to reconcile emotional conflicts, foster
self-awareness, and express unspoken and frequently unconscious concerns
about his or her disease. In addition to its use in treatment, it can be
used to assess individuals, couples, families, and groups. It is
particularly valuable with children who often cannot talk about their
real concerns. Studies on art therapy have been conducted in many areas,
including burn recovery in adolescent and young patients, eating
disorders, emotional impairment in young children, reading performance,
chemical addiction, and sexual abuse in adolescents. For more
information visit
http://www.artheals.org and
http://www.arttherapy.org.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic care involves diagnosing spinal misalignments and
correcting them by adjusting the spine. A slight pressure is most
commonly used with children rather than the more forceful manipulation
sometimes used with adults. Chiropractors attempt to get to the root
cause of a health problem rather than just treat the symptoms.
Misalignments of the spine (also called subluxations) can occur during
childbirth, from tumbles or falls, or from any other normal activity.
Chiropractors maintain that misalignments left untreated can irritate
the nerves and eventually disrupt the body’s ability to function
properly. The purpose of a chiropractic adjustment is to help to restore
the normal functioning of the nervous system so the body can heal itself
without the use of drugs or surgery. For more information, visit
http://www.icpa4kids.com,
http://www.amerchiro.org and
http://www.chiropractic.org.
Conventional Medicine
Also called allopathic medicine, conventional medicine is the current
mainstream medical system of diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Conventional medical doctors focus heavily on the use of specific
pharmaceutical drugs and surgeries for specific problems. Medical
doctors (M.D.) typically do not take a child’s mental, emotional, or
spiritual health into consideration when prescribing treatment, unless
they are integrative or holistic. Conventional medicine’s strongest
capabilities are in emergency medicine (broken bones and other major
bodily injuries) and serious acute diseases like bacterial meningitis or
pneumonia.
Environmental Medicine
Practitioners of environmental medicine recognize that illness can be
caused by a broad range of substances, including chemicals found at
home, in the workplace, and in the air, water, and food. There are
multiple approaches to treatment, including changes in lifestyle, diet
and environment. New techniques such as provocation/neutralization can
not only pinpoint the causes but also provide fast and effective relief
of the symptoms. Studies have supported the use of the approaches of
environmental medicine in treating arthritis, asthma, chemical
sensitivity, allergies, colitis, depression, eczema, fatigue, and
hyperactivity. For more information, visit
www.interlog.com/~environ/medicine.html and
www.aaem.com.
Guided Imagery
Guided Imagery is both a mental process (as in imagining) and a wide
variety of procedures used in therapy to encourage changes in attitudes,
behavior, or physiological reactions. As a mental process, it is often
defined as “any thought representing a sensory quality.” Imagery
includes all the senses. It has been successfully tested as a strategy
for alleviating nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in
cancer patients, to relieve stress, and to facilitate weight gain in
cancer patients. It has been successfully used and tested for pain
control in a variety of settings; as adjunctive therapy for several
diseases, including diabetes; and with geriatric patients to enhance
immunity. For more information, visit
http://www.healthjourneys.com
and
www.holistic-online.com/guided-imagery.htm
Herbal Medicine
Also known as botanical or phytomedicine, herbal medicine is the
medicinal use of plant substances. Because these substances are in their
natural state rather than being chemically derived, they are more easily
assimilated and integrated into the body’s own chemistry. This results
in fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals. (see the Herbal Medicine
article in the healthychild.com searchable database)
Homeopathic Medicine
Based on the concept that “like cures like”, homeopathic remedies (a
minute dose of a substance normally toxic in larger quantities)
specifically match different symptom patterns of illness and act to
stimulate the body’s natural healing response. Homeopathic remedies,
which are made from naturally occurring plant, animal, or mineral
substances, are recognized and regulated by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and are manufactured by established pharmaceutical
companies under strict guidelines. Homeopathy has a good record of
success, especially with children. In its early history, it proved far
more effective than conventional medicine for some of the most serious
diseases of the time. In addition to disease prevention and health
promotion, homeopathy is used to treat acute and chronic health
problems. Since the remedies must be carefully chosen to match the
unique symptoms of an individual child, it’s best to consult a trained
practitioner for all but minor complaints. For more information see the
article Homeopathic Medicines for
Children in the healthychild.com searchable database, and go to
Dr. Neustaedter’s website:
www.cure-guide.com
Music Therapy
Music therapy is the use of music as a therapeutic approach to
healing. Studies have found music therapy effective as an analgesic,
relaxant, and anxiety reducer for infants and children, and as an
adjunctive treatment with burn patients, cancer patients, cerebral palsy
patients, and stroke, brain injury, or Parkinson’s disease patients.
Earth Songs, a wonderful music CD for helping to calm and relax children
and parents is available at
http://www.healthychild.com.
For more information about music therapy, visit
www.musictherapy.org.
Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET)
NAET is a synthesis of various medical disciplines such as allopathy,
acupuncture, chiropractic, kinesiology and nutrition. By reprogramming
the brain and removing the blockages from the energy pathways of the
body, NAET can completely eliminate an allergy and allow the body to
regain balance and function normally. NAET’s allergy testing technique
uses muscle response testing (MRT) which indicates the kinetic imbalance
in the body caused by allergens. Pressure points along the spine are
stimulated from the neck to the sacrum while the patient is holding the
allergen. Specific acupuncture points are then massaged or acupuncture
needles may be inserted for 20 minutes to stabilize the treatment. The
substance must then be completely avoided for 25 hours following the
treatment for best results. Thousands of doctors of acupuncture,
allopathy, chiropractic and various other licensed practitioners have
been trained in this technique. For more information and to find a
practitioner in your area, visit
http://www.naet.com.
Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine integrates traditional natural
therapies—including herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy,
acupuncture, traditional oriental medicine, hydrotherapy, and
manipulative therapy—with modern scientific medical diagnostics and
standards of care. This health system sticks closely to natural health
principles, particularly the concept of giving the body’s innate healing
capacity as much support as possible. Naturopathic physicians teach
their patients to take an active role in maintaining their own health
through diet, exercise, eliminating toxins, and other lifestyle changes.
For more information, visit
www.pandamedicine.com or
www.healthy.net/clinic/therapy/naturopathic
Osteopathic Medicine
Doctors of Osteopathy (D.O.) are licensed to perform all aspects of
medicine and prescribe drugs. There is nothing that conventional doctors
do that osteopaths aren’t also licensed to do. Osteopaths are
additionally trained in manual (hands-on) treatments such as cranial
osteopathy and myofacial release to make changes in the musculoskeletal
system that enhance the body’s own healing potential. They are also
educated on the holistic perspective of medicine. More than 60 percent
of osteopathic physicians are involved in primary care—family medicine,
pediatrics, internal medicine, and obstetrics-gynecology. For more
information, visit
http://www.aacom.org.
Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, and Energy Work
Everything is energy in various states of vibration and motion. The
body is energy in the form of solid matter. It is made up of many
vibrating, interacting energy fields. Each bodily system and all the
cells, organs, and tissues are responsive to subtle energies coming from
both inside and outside the body. In addition, there are subtle energy
fields that extend beyond the physical body. These energy fields expand
and contract, depending on a person’s health, particularly the mental
and emotional states. Chakras are energy centers within the body that
control the energy flow in and out of the body. They are like spinning
disks, opening and closing like camera lenses. Healing practitioners
work with a flow of energy that is channeled through their hands to the
person to promote healing. Feelings of heat and tingling sensations as
well as deep relaxation and a sense of peace are common in both healer
and healee. There are many published reports of experiments in which
healers were able to influence a variety of cellular and other
biological systems by directing the flow of energy with their thought
and intention. For more information, visit these sites:
www.reiki.org
www.integrativemedicalarts.com/noteener.html
www.amfoundation.org/energywork.htm
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine is a complete medical system of many
techniques and methods, including acupuncture, herbal medicine,
acupressure, qi gong, and oriental massage. Doctors of Chinese medicine
consider the properties of foods, herbs, organs, and lifestyle habits
according to their doctrines of yin/yang and five-element theory. The
most striking characteristic of Chinese medicine is its emphasis on
diagnosing disturbances of chi (vital energy) in health and disease.
Diagnosis involves the classical procedures of observation, listening,
questioning, and palpation, including feeling pulse quality and
sensitivity of body parts. Acupuncture
or acupressure is used to regulate or correct the flow of chi
(the Chinese word for energy) to restore health by placing needles or
light finger pressure on specific points on the body. It is one of the
most thoroughly researched and documented alternative medical practices.
Chinese medicine views symptoms differently in children than adults.
Pediatrics is a specialty of Chinese medicine, so be sure your
practitioner has been trained appropriately. For more information, visit
these websites:
www.aaom.org
www.cure-guide.com
www.healthy.net/clinic/therapy/chinmed/
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