A Look at Complementary Alternative Health Medicine

Complementary alternative health medicine is continually evolving and encompasses a variety of alternatives including chiropractic, exercise and biofeedback training. It also encompasses herbal remedies, homeopathy and hypnosis as well as relaxation and imagery techniques, and a lot more. The fact of the matter is that no one single term can be used to cover the entire list of complementary alternative health medicine practices.

Using the term natural medicines can prove to be an adequate substitute for complementary alternative health medicine, although this term too can lead to misconceptions. Even though many medicines used in natural therapy may be nature-based, it has to also be mentioned that many complementary alternative health medicines are actually not found in nature but are already present in a person’s blood. Furthermore, to incorporate these into complementary alternative health medicines there is a need to manufacture them in a laboratory and so will defeat the meaning of the term ‘natural medicine’.

It is therefore not surprising that complementary alternative health medicine is also referred to as integrative medicine. Integrative is a word that well describes the marriage of lab manufactured medicines with natural ingredients. Trager psychophysical integration is a good example of integrated medicine. This is a movement therapy that makes use of gentle, rhythmic rocking movements to loosen up the joints.

There are several different complementary alternative health medicines that you can choose from. Another feature of this kind of medicine is that unlike conventional drug-based pharmaceuticals, complementary alternative health medicine does not segregate the human body into different parts and sub-specialties; instead it concentrates on treating a person through a holistic approach.

Typically, complementary alternative health medicine recommendations incorporate everything from manipulating the spine to using herbs to changing the diet to counseling. In addition, it involves changing the physical wellbeing of the person as well as their mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. The focus of complementary alternative health medicine is not so much on illness; rather the focus is on wellness.

In regard to complementary alternative and integrative medicine, these are all closely associated to one another though they differ in minor ways. For example, complementary medicines are those that are used in conjunction with conventional medicines while alternative medicines act as substitutes for conventional medicines. Integrative medicines are often those that are a combination of synthetic and natural medicines.