A Realistic 'Alternative'? (Alternative Treatment Methods)

Member Name: splodgethecat

Product:	Alternative Treatment Methods
Date:	26/08/01 (185 review reads)
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Advantages: Are effective for many people, Lots of different therapies to chose from, No waiting lists

Disadvantages: We do not yet know *how* many of them work

Therapy, whether conventional or ‘alternative’ is all about making people feel better, and feeling better, of course, does not always hinge upon whether medical intervention has been utilised. A sunny day makes some of us feel brighter, more vibrant, a pay rise is the way to give some people a spring in their step! I find that when I go through periods of extreme tiredness, I am not physically tired, I’m *bored* and this, to me, illustrates how often the way we feel is more a state of mind than of body. I think I once read somewhere that optimists had fewer infections than pessimists so maybe, state of mind might have something to do with the efficacy of many alternative treatments?

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(I apologise in advance because this op is going to be quite long, as I am quite interested in this subject. I promise, however, to proof read it and cut, cut, cut, as they say, before posting to avoid being too long and drawn out.)

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There are many reasons why people are turning to alternative treatments;

Wanting to take responsibility for their own well-being and health

An increasing awareness of preventative health

Dissatisfaction with the state of the NHS

No reliance on long waiting lists

Wanting to use a holistic health system (one that looks at the ‘whole’ person) rather than relying on symptomatic treatment, which is what you will with conventional medicine.

These people turning to these methods therefore are taking responsibility for their own health and treatment and this *empowerment* might have something to do with the effectiveness of these various treatments. Put another way, those with belief in a system may have better results than those who are more sceptical. On the other hand, there are many things on this earth that we still don’t understand; healing energy emanating from someone’s hands, the healing power of crystals, the vali
dity of ’vibrational’ medicines such as flower essences. What is so terrible about admitting that although many of these alternative therapies do work, we don’t yet understand *how* they work?

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The number of people turning to alternative therapies and medicines has more than doubled over the last five years. One in five of us now opt for these types of treatments rather than relying on conventional medicine. Although on the whole, women use complimentary treatment more than men do, it is believed that herbal medicine and acupuncture are two therapies that are used more by men.

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When asked about complimentary therapies, people have said they use them because they are relaxing, they ‘work for them’ or they help prevent illness. We know that there are many over the counter herbal preparations which have been proven to work during clinical trials, such as St John’ Wort and Echinacea, so it makes sense. Another reason that there has been an increase in people taking up these alternatives is because many have actually been referred to these practitioners by their own G.Ps. One in ten people who visit an alternative therapist are referred by a doctor, however many more say they simply don’t believe in or trust conventional medication. A large percentage of people visit them because they can’t get the treatment they need on the NHS.

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Last year every G.P. practice received comprehensive information on complimentary medicine in order to encourage belief and use of more unorthodox healing methods. The guidance covered the most often provided alternative therapies that are offered on the NHS, which are;

homeopathy
acupuncture
herbal medicine
chiropractic
hypnotherapy
aromatherapy
osteopathy

The information given to doctors was developed by the Department of Health, the NHS Alliance, the National Association of Primary C
are and the Foundation of Integrated Medicine. However, this guidance was met with some scepticism from various quarters, which was a shame. Some were disparaging about the placebo effect of some of these methods. However, many complimentary therapies rely on the body’s self-healing mechanism and are concerned with restoring balance and harmony, therefore giving the body optimum chance to heal itself. Unfortunately, many traditional practitioners are not open minded enough and rely on scientific proof of efficacy. Unfortunately this means that some who would gain great benefit from one of these new therapies might miss out because of ‘unbelieving’ doctors.

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Conventional treatment is prescribed upon a doctor’s diagnosis of a condition and is used to treat symptoms of that condition. Alternative medicine aims to treat the *whole person*, by looking at the whole physical, emotional and spiritual condition. Treatment then aims to stimulate the body’s own natural self-healing abilities. *How* this happens is still somewhat of a mystery and this is where the difficulty lies. Without scientific proof that something works, many people won’t touch it. On the other hand, those people who swear that one of these treatments have worked for them are often looked upon with scorn or they are put down as ’crackpots’ (along with their therapists). This is very unhelpful, because as I said in my opening, many things make us feel better in this life, not all of them medicinal.

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Many therapies, such as aromatherapy, reflexology, massage or yoga stimulate a heightened sense of well being and relaxation. They alleviate stress, thereby theoretically alleviating knock-on stress-related disorders such as insomnia, anxiety, infections, high blood pressure, depression, allergic reactions, menstrual or digestive disorders. Therapies such as these I have just mentioned help to counterbalance all thi
s by relieving muscular tension, aches and pains, improving state of mind and promoting feelings of well-being and bringing about an increase in energy and relaxation. What is so terrible about this?

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Therapies such as herbalism, we know work, because the preparations used are of the same chemical compounds, gained from natural sources, as many of the traditional medications. In aromatherapy, many of the essential oils used are also in other over the counter medications. Peppermint oil, for example, is known to improve digestion, alleviate bad breath, get rid of headaches and help in a number of other directions. It is therefore used in many of the preparations you can buy at your chemists’ for these very conditions.

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(I said I would try to keep this as short as possible, but this is such a wide ranging subject, it is difficult to condense everything into one op. The category could have done with being broken down into various *types* of complimentary therapies, for example bodywork, vibrational medicine, herbal / homeopathic etc. Anyway ... )

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So where do I stand on all this? Well, I am a firm believer of if it works, it works. I must admit I have had reflexology and Indian head massage, both of which were wonderfully relaxing and provided some uninterrupted ‘me’ time. I use over the counter herbal preparations occasionally and take vitamins daily. To be honest I don’t have a lot of faith in the NHS or a large percentage of its doctors (please don’t have a go at me because of this. It’s MY opinion, based on personal experience) therefore if I had a health concern which I felt could be helped by a complimentary therapist I would have no hesitation in consulting one. I firmly believe that many minor health niggles can be completely cured by sensible eating and having a body that is in balance, so I would have no hesitation in advising people to consult a nutritioni
st either.

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On the other hand, those who wish to use only conventional medication and treatment are at complete liberty to do so. Unfortunately you will never cure a broken leg or serious disease by alternative methods (although it is documented that some people believe they have their cancer by the power of positive thought) but there is definitely a place for it.

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One last note of caution to finish on though. Many ‘natural’ over the counter medications should not be taken in conjunction with traditional drugs. I have written an op all about this in the herbalism section of the lifestyle category, entitled “Are Herbal Remedies Really Safe? - ALERT” where I explain how herbal remedies can actually work against, reduce effectiveness of, or even magnify effects of G.P. prescribed medications. This is, of course, going off the point a little, but as many of the complimentary therapies discussed here are considered ‘natural’, many people might feel that they are able to medicate themselves with natural substances. Also, because something is ‘natural’ it doesn‘t mean you can necessarily use it *along with* traditional drugs. You often can‘t. As there is a danger here, I thought I would just point this out.

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To sum up;
There are many dozens of complimentary therapies available today. Many are very effective for a large number of people. However, because of lack of scientific evidence as to their efficacy many of these therapies are undergoing or have undergone clinical trials with good results. Add to this the increasing lack of confidence in the NHS and I can see the number of people turning to these therapies and treatments rising even more in the future. So, here are some of the most popular complimentary therapies available today. Not all are available through the NHS, but you will easily find local practitioners by looking in your Yell
ow Pager or consulting with the various governing bodies for each therapy;

Acupuncture
This ancient Chinese therapy rests on the theory that Qi energy flows along meridians in the body, which are stimulated by the insertion of fine needles at specific points. Used to treat depression, asthma, addiction to smoking, blood pressure and digestive problems.

Aromatherapy
Based on the principle of strengthening the body's self-healing by stimulation of the immune system through application to the body and inhalation of essential oils extracted from aromatic plants. It balances, relaxes, restores and rejuvenates the body and enhances the emotion and spirit. Working on both a physiological as well as emotional level, it can be particularly beneficial for children and babies too.

Flower Essence Therapy
These essences are tinctures which gently bring about changes in attitude and shift negative emotions, turning them into positive personality traits. Working on an emotional rather than physical level they bring about harmony and balance in the body which helps it to heal itself.

Herbalism
Up to 80% of the population of the world relies on herbs for health and many commercial pharmaceutical preparations are derived from herb extracts. Herbalism, however uses the whole plant and is useful for a range of conditions including insomnia, migraine, blood and skin disorders.

Homeopathy
This works on the principle of ‘like cures like’. By giving the patient a massively diluted substance, which if ingested without dilution would create the very same symptoms they are suffering from, practitioners can cure an ill. Clinical trials have produced fantastic results and homeopathy is used to cure a whole range of minor and more major conditions and disorders.

Massage
This is the manipulation of the soft tissue for therapeutic purposes. Promoting relaxation and feelings of well being.

Os
teopathy
This is the manipulation of spine and muscles to improve mobility. Useful for many types of injury and conditions such as arthritis, sciatica and headaches. The practice has a regulatory body.

Reflexology
Deep foot or hand massage which relaxes and repairs the body through reflex points. As in acupuncture, meridian energy flow is stimulated by massaging particular reflex points with the thumbs.

There are many more therapies available, all with their own benefits. I would urge everyone to keep an open mind about these benefits, because as I said earlier, there are many things we do not completely understand yet about how these therapies work, which doesn’t mean that they cannot be effective or beneficial.

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