Alternative Medicine

The Holistic nutrition is basically a modern natural approach to a healthy diet and considers the individual as a whole, including all aspects of his lifestyle. This natural approach incorporates emotional, spiritual and physical health to create a state of well-being for optimum health. Practioners of Alternative medicine like acupuncturists, chiropractors, herbalists and nutritionists, agree to the fact that following a diet in accordance to the guidelines of holistic nutrition allows people to heal naturally without the intake of prescription drugs and can help prevent various health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer.

The Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world's oldest whole-body healing systems. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India. Ayurveda is a personalized approach to health, and knowing your mind-body type allows you to make optimal choices about diet, exercise, supplements, and all other aspects of your lifestyle. Ayurveda practitioners believe that every person is made of five basic elements found in the universe: space, air, fire, water, and earth.

Homeopathy was developed in the late 1700s in Germany. Homeopathy is a medical system based on the belief that the body can cure itself. In a way, it is an advanced form of vaccination; whereby a substance which is capable of producing a disease like state is administered to the patient, but in a very minute dose, to cure the similar disease. Homeopathy practitioners use tiny amounts of natural substances, like plants and minerals.

The Natural Product Development mainly focuses on the need for less expensive alternative therapies, especially in the treatment of chronic illnesses. It also involves the use of natural products in a drug-discovery or development program. The World Health Organization has been promoting traditional medicine as a source of less expensive, comprehensive medical care, especially in developing countries. The main goal is to fully exploit the biosynthetic and therapeutic potential of untapped biodiversity for drug discovery. Many well-known drugs listed in the modern pharmacopoeia have their origins in nature.

Physical therapy commonly known as physiotherapy aims to encourage tissue healing by controlling and reducing pain and inflammation and help restore normal range of motion by integrating the muscular, joint and nervous systems. A physiotherapist does treatment by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery. Physiotherapy helps to resolve musculoskeletal problems such as muscle and joint pain, sports injuries, back or neck pain, sprains and strains. Physiotherapists have been trained in the use of exercise therapy to strengthen muscles and improve function. Additional training in the field of acupuncture and dry needling technique to assist pain relief and muscle function have been acquired by many physiotherapists.

Traditional Veterinary Medicine provides information on ancient methods of preventing and treating diseases of animals before the advent of modern medicine. Herbal medicine, acupuncture, chiropractic, and nutritional therapy are more widely accepted in the veterinary community as valid treatment methods than other alternative treatment options. Use of herbs or herbal therapy is usually continued for weeks to months by adding powders or tablets to the dog/cat food and is changed according to the needs of the animal. Chiropractic therapy is mainly used for musculoskeletal pain in veterinary medicine.

Pharmacognosy is the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties of drugs or drug substances of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural sources. The term comes from two Greek words ‘pharmakon’ meaning drug and ‘gnosis’ meaning knowledge. Phytochemistry is the branch of chemistry dealing with the chemical processes associated with plant life and the chemical compounds produced by plants.

 Phytochemistry is widely used in the field of Chinese medicine especially in the field of herbal medicine. Phytochemical technique mainly applies to the quality control of Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic or herbal medicine of various chemical components, such as saponins, alkaloids, volatile oils, flavonoids and anthraquinones.

Unani medicine or Islamic medicine is a traditional system of healing and health maintenance observed in South Asia. The inceptions of Unani medication are found in the tenets of the old Greek doctors Hippocrates and Galen. According to Unani medicine, management of any disease depends upon the diagnosis of disease. The history of Unani medicine can be characterized by the work of its practitioners, or hakims, who relied on natural healing based on principles of harmony and balance, uniting the physical, mental, and spiritual realms.

The herbal cosmetics are the preparations containing phytochemical from a variety of botanical sources, which influences the functions of skin and provide nutrients necessary for the healthy skin or hair. They are the preparations containing phytochemical from a variety of botanical sources, which influences the functions of skin and provide nutrients. They are formulated using various permissible cosmetic ingredients to form the base in which one or more herbal ingredients are used to provide defined cosmetic benefits.

Nutraceutical is a pharmaceutical-grade and standardized nutrient. They are products derived from food sources that are purported to provide extra health benefits, in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods. Everything from vitamins, supplements to sports drinks, snacks, dairy products, and pre-prepared diet meals could be considered as nutraceuticals.

The term Alternative Medicine implies any type of medication that is outside the standard of western or customary drug. The corresponding and Alternative drug showcase is relied upon to create income of USD 196.87 billion by 2025.

Reports of mid 2017 expressed that roughly 66% of the populace in the majority of the created and creating nations have detailed utilizing either type of option or reciprocal type of pharmaceutical. There are sure nations that are moving towards the legitimization of some Alternative medication treatments that are being upheld with endorsed clinical information.

Therapeutic plants are vital hotspots for pharmaceutical manufacturing. New researches in the field of traditional healing systems has led to a resurgence of interest in herbal medicines in Europe and North America, where herbal products have been incorporated into so-called alternative, complementary, holistic or integrative medical systems. Reports of consumers showed positive attitudes towards herbal products because they believe them to be of natural rather than synthetic origin, they believe that such products are more likely to be safe than drugs and are considered part of a healthy lifestyle, and they can help to avoid unnecessary contact with conventional western medicine.

The Alternative treatments include diet and exercise, chemicals, herbs, devices, and manual procedures. These are not part of the science-based healthcare system, but these are having healing effects as scientific medicine alternative treatments are complimentary methods that improves the efficacy of the treatment. Evidences show that certain complementary therapies can help to control some symptoms of cancer and treatment side effects.

Usage of alternative and complementary medicine is increasing more frequent among women and adults with higher incomes and advanced levels of education. Many complementary therapies concentrate on relaxation and reducing stress. They might help to calm emotions, relieve anxiety, and increase general sense of health and wellbeing.

Acupuncture is a Traditional Chinese Practice which involves the insertion of the tips of needles into the skin at specific points for the purpose of treating various disorders by stimulating nerve impulses. The objective of acupuncture is to regulate and normalize the flow of the Chi, so that the Yin and the Yang return to a state of dynamic equilibrium. Chinese medicine does not draw a sharp line between mind and body as Western Medicine does. Acupuncture help ease types of pain that are often chronic such as low-back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis or knee pain. It also may help reduce the frequency of tension headaches and prevent migraine headaches.

Naturopathic medicine emphasizes on prevention, treatment, and optimal health through the use of therapeutic methods and substances that reestablish the body's inborn capacity to heal itself without the adverse impacts of conventional drug. It is a specific primary health care system that blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine. Naturopaths focus on a holistic approach, completely avoiding the use of surgery and drugs. Naturopaths often prescribe exposure to naturally occurring substances, such as sunshine, herbs and certain foods and encourage activities they describe as natural, such as exercise, meditation and relaxation. In addition to diet and lifestyle changes during treatment, they make use of natural therapies like botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, naturopathic manipulation and Traditional Chinese Medicine or acupuncture.

The primary feature of modern TCM is the that good health relies on the restoration and maintenance of harmony. Traditional Chinese medicine takes a holistic approach to understanding normal function and disease processes. Chinese herbal medicine is part of TCM. Herbs are prescribed to restore energy balance to the opposing forces of energy - Yin and Yang based on laws of nature - that run through invisible channels in the body. TCM includes various forms of moxibustion, Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage (tui na), exercise (qigong), and dietary therapy. It is primarily used as a complementary alternative medicine approach.