Alternative medicine is any form of healing that is outside the purview of conventional medicine. Many of these alternative forms of treatment have been derived from differing origins like folklore and traditional medical practices, spiritual beliefs and fresh perceptions of healing.
Some of the better known disciplines in alternative medicine are homeopathy, ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, yoga, acupuncture and meditation. In addition, there many other disciplines and practices of alternative medicine.
Many practitioners of conventional medicine use conventional medicine and some form of alternative medicine simultaneously. For example, in the treatment of leukemia, chemotherapy and radiation, is often combined with techniques of holistic medicine. The reason is that alternative and complementary therapies have been found to be especially effective in treating nausea, stress, pain and other symptoms of leukemia and side effects associated with chemotherapy and radiation.
Many forms of alternative medicine like ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine, pre-date modern conventional medicine by several thousand years. However, there is a certain amount of skepticism attached to them and other complementary and alternative medicine therapies because most of the techniques used cannot be proven scientifically. In fact, it is often believed that the cures attributed to complementary and alternative medicine therapies are often the result of a placebo effect.
Even if the result is from a placebo effect, there is no escaping the fact that in the last few decades there has been a marked shift towards complementary and alternative medicine therapies. It would appear that this move stems from changing beliefs and dissatisfaction with conventional medicinal practice. Similarly there is a change in the perception of modern conventional medical practitioners towards complementary and alternative medicine. Conventional medical practitioners now agree that there are certain advantages of using alternative and complementary medicine therapies.
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