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ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE

Those marked by an asterisk (*), are discussed in some detail in the following pages.

1. Special implement based therapies

a) Acupuncture: insertion of special needles at specific points in the body*

b) Electro-acupuncture: acupuncture with small direct current

c) Laser acupuncture: acupuncture points stimulated by a weak laser beam

d) Homoeopuncture: dipping acupuncture needles in homoeopathic medicine before acupuncture*

e) Moxibustion: application of moxa (Artemisia moxa) smoke and heat to acupuncture points*

f) Acupressure: finger tip or thumb pressure on acupuncture points

g) Cupping: vacuum treatment on acupuncture points using a suction cup

2. Manual therapies

a) Osteopathy and Chiropractice: bone setting

b) Applied Kinesiology: motion or movement of external or internal organs by external manipulation

c) Reflexology: zone therapy to treat the whole body through contact with feet

d) Shiatzu: Chinese massage similar to acupressure

e) Rolfing: correcting postural problems by structural integration

f) Massage

g) Rosen method: psychotherapy plus massage

3. Oral therapies

a) Homoeopathy* b) Herbal medicine: South American, African, etc., other than the well established and recorded systems c) Ayurveda* d) Siddha* e) Tibetan medicine* f) Unani* g) Chinese medicine* h) Bach’s flower remedies* i) Naturopathy* j) Nutrition therapy k) Specific therapies: Aloe vera, vitamin E, garlic, folic acid, green-lipped mussel, fasting, etc.

a) Yoga

b) Alexander technique: correction of bad body postures

c) Feldenkrais technique: Alexander technique plus yoga

5. Psychosomatic therapies

a) Hypnotherapy b) Autogenic therapy: deep relaxation exercises

c) Meditation d) Biofeedback: sensory control of involuntary body

responses like blood pressure

7. Sensory therapies

a) Aromatherapy* b) Sound therapy c) Colour therapy d) Dance therapy

e) Primal scream therapy

8. Energy therapies

a) Radionics: healing by energy directed from a distance: also called ‘pranic healing’

b) Universal energy (Radiance technique, Reiki): exchange of universal energy between the patient and the therapist to reintroduce universal energy into the patient who lost it

c) Polarity: balance of energy flow between different organs in the body

9. Diagnostic aids

a) Iridology: study of iris

flow about and around the body

10. Other therapies

a) Anthroposophical medicine: inner feelings

b) Bates’ method of eye testing: exercises of the eye muscles

c) Schuessler’s Biochemic tissue salts: an adjunct of Homoeopathy, using salts extracted from plants

d) Bowen technique: gentle and subtle massage

e) Colonic irrigation: enema and purgation

f) Conductive education: improvement of motor skills

g) Crystal and gem therapy

h) Enzyme potentiated desensitisation: immunotherapy for allergies

i) Eurhythmy: music and gentle dance

j) Facial diagnosis

k) Flotation therapy: lying in a tank of saline

l) Healing: faith and spiritual healing

m) Hydrotherapy

n) Integration therapy: adult adjustment to one’s own neo-natal reflexes

o) Iscador therapy: use of mistletoe extract

p) Jin shin jyutsu: Japanese method of touch and gentle massage

q) Magnetotherapy

r) Manual lymphatic drainage: massage of lymph nodes and glands

s) Neurolinguistic programming: programming neurological processes by communication

t) Pilates method: exercises to strengthen the abdomenal and related muscles

u) Probiotics: use of friendly bacteria like Lactobacillus

v) T’ai chi ch’uan: a Chinese exercise

w) Tea tree oil: oil of Melaleuca alternifolia, Myrtaceae, antibacterial, antifungal

x) Zero balancing: osteopathy plus energy flow

y) Zinc therapy

REFERENCES

Bannerman, R.H., Burton, J. and Wen-Chieh, C. 1983. (eds.) Traditional medicine and health care coverage. WHO, Geneva.

Canary, J.J. 1983. Modern allopathic medicine and public health. In Traditional medicine and health care coverage. (eds.) Bannerman, R.H., Burton, J.and Wen-Chieh, C. WHO, Geneva. pp. 90-101.

Daly, D. 1997. Alternative Medicine courses taught at the United States Medical Schools: an ongoing list. The J. Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 3:405-410.

Dunn, F.L. 1976. Traditional Asian medicine and cosmopolitan medicine as adaptive systems. In Asian medical systems. (ed.) Leslie, C. Univ. of California Press, Berkeley. p. 135.

Foster, G.M. 1983. An introduction to ethnomedicine. In Traditional medicine and health care coverage. (eds.) Bannerman, R.H., Burton, J. and Wen-Chieh, C. WHO, Geneva. pp. 17-24.

Foster, G.M. and Anderson, B.G. 1978. Medical anthropology. Wiley, New York. pp53-56.

Goldwater, C. 1983. Traditional medicine in Latin America. In Traditional medicine and health care coverage. (eds.) (eds.) Bannerman, R.H., Burton, J. and Wen-Chieh, C. WHO, Geneva. pp. 37-49.

Hughes, C.C. 1968. Ethnomedicine. In International encyclopaedia of social sciences. Macmillan, New York. vol. 10, p 99.

Jamil, T. 1997. Complementary medicine. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.

McPartland, J.M. and Soons, K.R. 1997. Alternative medicine in Vermont—A census of practitioners: prevelence, patterns of use and national projection. The J. Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 3:337-342.

Principe, P. 1991. Monetizing the pharmacological benefits of plants. US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.

West, R. and Trevelyan, J.E. 1985. Alternative medicine: a bibliography of books in English. Mansell Publishing Ltd., London.pp 210.