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Health and
Fitness
Trends
Towards
Alternative TherapiesOver the past ten years the
attitudes of both doctors and common people in western countries has
undergone a remarkable change with respect to their outlook towards a host
of alternative therapies that have been practiced for ages, essentially in
the east. Alternative therapies : not widely taught in schools not
practiced by physicians in the developed world especially America. Not
clearly defined as yet…. Not talked about much…..
You could be wrong if u think that The United States is the only country
with a documented use of alternative therapies. International studies show
use in from 25 to 75 percent of the populations of the United Kingdom,
Australia France, Germany, Israel, Finland and Japan.
The Netherlands also uses alternative therapies. In China and India the
majority of medical care is provided by "traditional" providers practicing
acupuncture and Ayurveda.
Should we say alternative healing is the same as the folk healing of
old times?
Pre-industrial people the world over had been practicing alternative
healing therapies. The healer, man/woman, was often an elder of the group,
wise in the practical and spiritual ways of the people. Generally he used
to be a respected figure of his community say Priest . At that time, the
disease was thought to be due to either natural or supernatural causes.
Supernatural means either due to the intrusion into the body of an evil
spirit or substance, or the loss of the person's own spirit. Treatment was
given by a healer whose function was partly priestly; he used a wide
variety of plant remedies, some pharmacologically active, remedies of
animal origin, may be excreta, or magic. Charms and talismans were
commonly used, and the doctrine of sympathies accepted. The medicine of
Canadian aboriginal people was a good example.
People all over the world were divided on the basis of their cultures,
civilizations, their customs but even then there was a common thread or
should we say link which linked them all. Guess what ? Perhaps the close
relationship between religious belief and healing.
With the passage of time and advancement in technology, the healing
practices of several great societies grew up in relative isolation from
western medicine. Much Chinese medicine was semi-magical. Massage was an
important mode of treatment as was acupuncture, insertion of fine needles
at pre-determined points. Moxibustion, the burning of dried fragments of
vegetable matter on the body surface was also used.
Medicines were given orally, by inhalation or by enema. Often the healer
would induce altered consciousness, perhaps in a sweat lodge, would let
blood, and use supernatural or magic remedies. You will wonder that
treatments in vogue included horseback riding for pulmonary tuberculosis,
and a decoction of carrots for jaundice. Dropsy was treated by bleeding,
tapping, and plantain and liverwort. Ague was known to be related to
mosquito bites, and was treated with Peruvian bark, but it was alleged
that the incorporation of the bark in a waistcoat would protect a child.
According to the ancient Chinese system of philosophy, the human body is
governed by Chi, which can loosely be translated as the 'Life Force'. The
Chi is made up of the Yin and the Yang - the feminine and masculine
principles - that in perfect balance ensure health, peace and well being.
And If there is an imbalance between these two, it result in the
development of some or the other disease in one’s body. According to the
famous Chinese healing method of Acupuncture there were particularly
identified pressure points in the human body that were considered crucial
for the healing process. By manipulating these pressure points, ancient
Chinese physicians could treat the most complicated of disease.
While in Greek medicine, it is synonymous with the name of Hippocrates,
who is deemed to be the father of modern medicine. He based his study and
his practice of medicine on reasoning and scientific experimentation. He
recorded all his theories and observations in a series of books, which are
now held sacred by the practitioners of modern medicine all over the
world. Greek surgeons used various types of knives, syringes and forceps
as surgical tools. But on the same time there is a school of thought which
believes that transfer of similar knowledge from India through the trade
connections cannot be ruled out entirely.
The Hindu holy books, the Vedas, date mostly from before 1000 BC; the
principal source of medical information, the Ayur- Veda dates from before
the first century AD (or CE). This is a divinely inspired epic poem cycle
containing wisdom on drugs and medicine--magic, drugs, charms, amulets,
chants and mantras against the demons of fevers, fractures, wounds and
snake-bite. Ayurvedic medicine was more of priestly. It stressed the
maintenance of health, rather than the treatment of disease. It was
divided into internal medicine, diseases of the head, surgery, toxicology,
etc.
There were three semi-legendary physicians of great wisdom – Caraka,
Susruta and Vagabhata, living probably in the first
millennium BC. They wrote of mantras, of diet and drugs, of subjection of
the mind. Even at that time back in the ancient and so called unscientific
age, Susruta, wrote of the characteristics of a good medical
student, of a good hospital, and of surgical treatment.
But only in the recent years has there been a dramatic increase in public
interest and awareness of alternative therapies. What exactly is the
alternative medicine? Unfortunately, the definition is not at all
standardized. "Complementary", "alternative", and "integrative" are all
commonly used terms applied to multiple different therapies.
The study reports in America so far now tell that between 1990 and 1997,
the prevalence of alternative medicine increased by 25 percent. During
this same period, expenditures for alternative medicine professional
services increased by 45 percent. Expenses for these services,
conservatively estimated at $21.2 billion.
In the recent years the attitudes of both doctors and common people in
western countries has undergone a remarkable change with respect to their
outlook towards a host of alternative therapies that have been practiced
for ages, essentially in China and India. Some of which are being looked
into here: Acupressure ,Magnet Therapy ,Ancient Medicine, Reiki ,Aroma
Therapy, Laughter Therapy ,Massage Therapy and Aura Therapy .aroma
therapy, gemstone therapy etc. Apart from this are some more therapies
like alphabiotics, applied kinesiology , aromatherapy, aura therapy,
chelation therapy, chiropractic craniosacral therapy crystals, ear
candling, energy healing facilitated communication , holistic medicine,
hypnosis, iridology, joy touch, macrobiotics, massage therapy,
naturopathy, rolfing, shark cartilage as a cancer cure , therapeutic touch
and urine therapy etc. The therapies that saw the largest increase in
usage included herbal medicine, massage, megavitamins, self-help groups,
folk remedies, energy healing and homeopathy.
Along with this increasing reliance on technology, we have witnessed a
rise in the credibility and utilization of alternative therapies. So many
reasons are there to justify the increasing use of alternative therapies :
may be they are effective, low-tech, natural way of relieving pain and
suffering, free from the negative effects of long-term medication use.
Generally patients don’t disclose what therapy are they trying for their
ailment besides the prescribed medicine by their physicians. One reason
being that these so called alternative therapies are not evidence based .
But now not even patients but physicians have also started thinking about
alternative therapies in a positive manner may be perhaps due to feeling
of threat to them.
This considerable increase in the use of alternative therapies suggests
that there should be a healthy start to check the
effectiveness/ineffectiveness of these therapies in different
ailments/diseases . Physicians over the developed world should make move
to start researches in this regard. Rather should we say that a start has
already been made. Physicians are trying to open the doors of these
different therapies to find out what actually these therapies have to
offer us and upto what degree?
One can’t predict whether we could be able to find that any of these
therapies could help us treating with breast cancer, or aids in minimal
expenditure !
–
Puneet Kaur
April 14, 2002
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