What Are Natural Remedies and Alternative Medicine and Do they Work?

Whether you call them – alternative medicine, natural remedies or complementary therapies – there are millions of people around the world who use traditional and holistic approaches to maintaining their health. 

Alternative medicine is a bit of a catch-all label for all those treatments that conventional medicine considers to be unorthodox and unscientific – even when science has unequivocally shown that some “alternative treatments” such as acupuncture can have a powerful effect and many conventional medicines have been based on traditional natural remedies. 

There are a great many different forms of alternative medicine and alternative remedies, with varying degrees of evidence for their effectiveness. Scientists and/or detractors of these approaches may claim that the placebo effect is responsible for any beneficial effect that results from alternative medicine treatments; but the truth is, if they make people feel better, whether it is a result of the placebo effect or some other, perhaps as yet not understood action, then that is what really counts. 

One of the main differences between conventional medicine and complementary approaches is that medical science tends to divorce the disease from the individual – by this I mean that they look at the condition but not at the individual as a whole; someone whose beliefs, emotions, character, experiences, etc, can all have a significant impact on their health and well being and may also be reflected by the physical symptoms they exhibit. Alternative treatments may tend to be more tailored to an individual. Natural remedies may include a number of constituents that contribute to their beneficial effect, whereas conventional medicines based on a traditional herbal remedy may focus on only one compound (which may then be created in synthetic form). 

Types of Natural Remedies and Alternative Medicine

There are so many different types of natural remedies and alternative medicines used around the world that it is not possible to detail them all here. However a selection of the most well known are listed below:

Acupressure	Acupuncture	Alexander Technique
Allergy Intolerance Testing	Aromatherapy	Art Therapy
Ayurvedic Medicine	Baby Massage	Biofeedback
Chinese Herbal Medicine	Chiropractic medicine	Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Colonic Hydrotherapy	Colour Therapy	Counselling
Cranial Osteopathy	Craniosacral Therapy	Deep Tissue Massage
Detoxification	Ear Candling	EFT
EMDR	Energy Healing	Environmental Medicine
Flower Essence Therapy	Guided Imagery	Herbalism
Holistic Massage	Homeopathy	Hydrotherapy
Hypnotherapy	Indian Head Massage	Iridology
Kinesiology	Life Coaching	Light Therapy
Lymphatic Drainage Massage	Magnetic Therapy	Massage
Meditation	Mind-Body Techniques	Music / Sound Therapy
Naturopathy	NLP	Nutritional-based therapies
Osteopathy	Physiotherapy	Pilates
Psychotherapy	Reflexology	Reiki
Shiatsu	Tai Chi / Qi Gong	Thai Massage
Traditional Chinese Medicine	Yoga

  

Use Natural Remedies and Alternative Medicine Safely

It is down to individual choice whether you use conventional medicine, alternative medicine and herbal remedies or a combination of them. However remember just because a treatment claims to be herbal or natural doesn’t mean it has to be safe – some herbal medicines can be extremely powerful, yet the strength of individual doses can vary significantly. 

Also bear in mind that some treatments may not be suitable for people with specific conditions or those undergoing other treatments of any kind, so it is extremely important that you share all information about your health with anyone who is treating you. 

Finally, the best way to find a natural remedies or alternative medicine practitioner is to have someone recommended to you but, failing that, always do your research into areas such as training/qualifications, experience, professional affiliations, insurance, etc. 

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