| What is Alternative Medicine? | | | | 85% of nursing schools do as well. |
| Alternative medicine is the use of certain treatments | | | | The increased number of alternative medicine |
| and techniques in the place of conventional | | | | courses being offered at reputable medical schools as |
| treatments. It should not be confused with | | | | served to further fuel the acceptance of these |
| complementary medicine, which is the use of | | | | forms of treatment. In fact, the majority of doctors |
| alternative treatments along with conventional | | | | today have no problem with utilizing alternative health |
| treatments. To be truly following an alternative | | | | techniques alongside conventional treatment |
| medicine regimen, you must completely replace | | | | strategies. |
| conventional treatment strategies with alternative | | | | Alternative Medicine Criticisms |
| treatments. Most people, however, do utilize a | | | | Despite the growing acceptance of alternative |
| combination of both alternative and conventional | | | | medicine, there are still a number of critics who |
| treatment techniques. The balance that you strike | | | | denounce the effectiveness of these practices. This |
| largely depends on your own beliefs, as well as the | | | | is largely because, by definition, alternative medicine |
| illness you are attempting to recover from. | | | | has not been proven to be effective through |
| Often, alternative medicine treatments involve a | | | | research studies. After all, if it were proven |
| spiritual or even a religious component. This is not | | | | effective, it would no longer be an "alternative" form |
| necessary, however, as there are several alternative | | | | of treatment. Instead, it would become another form |
| medicine treatments that simply involve taking natural | | | | of conventional medical treatment. |
| supplements or becoming more in-tune with your | | | | Unfortunately, the majority of alternative medicine |
| body - whether on a spiritual level or not. In addition, | | | | treatments are difficult to test and to prove. Since |
| practices that are defined as alternative treatments | | | | many alternative medicine techniques are about |
| in Western cultures may not be considered | | | | becoming self-aware and eliciting changes in the body |
| "alternative" in other cultures. These include Chinese | | | | in that way, researchers cannot gauge the level of a |
| medicine and Ayurveda, which is a form of medicine | | | | person's awareness or truly know the amount of |
| utilized in India. | | | | effort or success a person experiences with |
| Gaining Acceptance | | | | alternative medicine. In addition, researchers cannot |
| While alternative medicine is not the most popular | | | | say definitively whether or not the positive results |
| form of medicine in Western cultures, it is quickly | | | | they have gained were because of the alternative |
| gaining supporters. In fact, during the seven year | | | | medicine or due to natural healing or the placebo |
| period between 1990 and 1997, the percent of | | | | effect. |
| people utilizing alternative medicine strategies in the | | | | One thing that most can agree upon, however, is |
| United States rose from 33.8% to 42.1%. | | | | that alternative medicine does not cause harm when |
| Furthermore, more and more universities are offering | | | | implemented properly. And, as long as the patient |
| coursework and even degrees in alternative medicine | | | | also remains under the care of a conventional medical |
| practices. Currently, approximately 60% of medical | | | | professional, there are no risks involved with using |
| schools that offer MD degrees in the United States | | | | this form of therapy - which may also very well help |
| offer coursework in alternative medicine. A whopping | | | | you get better at a faster rate as well. |