Alternative and Complementary Medicine

What is the Difference between Alternative and Complementary Medicine?

The term’s "complementary medicine" and "alternative medicine" often are used interchangeably, but the two are different. Complementary therapies are used together with traditional western medicine. For example, you may take prescribed medication to manage your day-to-day pain and use guided imagery to help manage a breakthrough pain episode. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. For example, using a special diet to treat your arthritis instead of using medications recommended by your GP is using alternative medicine.

Complementary techniques to manage pain include diet, exercise, biofeedback, massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and self-regulation techniques such as self-hypnosis, relaxation training, yoga, reiki (a natural healing process using the hands to tap a universal life energy) and Jin Shin Jyutsu (a process to balance the body’s energies to bring optimal health and well-being).

Practitioners of complementary medicine, such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, and naturopaths, often view health as a balance of physical, emotional and spiritual factors. Complementary treatment often attempts to restore that balance. The most widely used complementary medicine practices in the United Kingdom are acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy, and herbal medicine.

Choosing Practitioners and Techniques:

One of the most important decisions you can make when deciding to pursue complementary therapies is choosing a qualified and knowledgeable practitioner to ensure you receive the best care.
Another vitally important aspect of using complementary or alternative therapies is to make sure that you inform your GP. It is believed that as much as 60% of complementary therapy use is not disclosed to physicians—it cannot be emphasised enough that your health care providers need to know what therapies, herbs, or other medications you may be using or are considering using. Many herbal remedies interact adversely with medications and some complementary therapies may not be appropriate for your condition (e.g., massage may not be comfortable for people who suffer with arthritis)

Factors to Consider:

Speak with your primary health care provider regarding the therapy in which you are interested. Ask if he or she can recommend a practitioner or if they are willing to make a referral.

Ask basic questions about a practitioner’s credentials and practice (e.g., Where were they trained? How long have they been in practice? What licenses or certifications do they have? How much will the treatment cost?).

Be sure to check with your insurer to see if the cost of therapy will be covered. For example, most health insurers cover visits to a chiropractor.

Meet with the practitioner and determine if he or she is right for you (e.g., Did you feel comfortable with the practitioner? Did he or she answer your questions and respond to you in a way that satisfied you? Does the treatment plan seem reasonable and acceptable to you?).

Contact a professional organisation for the type of practitioner you are seeking. Often, professional organisations have standards of practice, provide referrals to practitioners, have publications explaining the therapy that their members provide, and may offer information on the type of training needed and whether practitioners of a therapy must be licensed or certified in your country.

Chiropractic Manipulation:

Chiropractors, osteopathic physicians and manual therapists most commonly practice this intervention, which involves moving tissue by the laying on of hands. According to the International Chiropractic Association, the primary focus of chiropractic is the detection, reduction and correction of spinal misalignments and nervous system dysfunction. Doctors of chiropractic attempt to get to the root cause of a health problem and seek to maximise the natural strengths of the body and its capacity to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery.

When performed gently, manipulation is usually referred to as mobilisation. Doctors of chiropractic and osteopathy often perform manipulations that are called adjustments. Many patients can experience effective pain relief from this therapy and many prefer these interventions because they avoid the potential side effects or complications of medications or surgery.

www.backtrouble.co.uk