Alternative Medicine Therapies and the Modern Era

Recurring health problems like back problems can be treated with alternative medicines. Many alternative medicine practitioners, like chiropractors, are licensed to conduct procedures for those wanting to try something new.

Back problems have long been a problem of many adults and the elderly. Back pains are common among adults since the body wears down as time passes. Alternative medicines and therapy can treat these types of conditions and provide relief.

There are several alternative therapies and they all claim to treat your illnesses via non-conventional ways.

Here is a rundown on some of these alternative therapies:

- Acupuncture

This alternative therapy involves the use of needles inserted into "acupuncture points" around the body. Practitioners believe that acupuncture points are also the nerves that, when stimulated using the needles, can correct imbalances within the body. They consider health ailments to be the result of an imbalance in the body's chi flow, the life energy that is supposedly the driving force in every living thing. The therapy originated from China, based on ancient Chinese medicine relying heavily on natural remedies.

- Herbal Medicine

Although already considered as a legitimate medicine therapy, several branches of herbalism are still under clinical trials today.

One kind is aromatherapy, a form of alternative medicine where smoke, essences, and aromas from plants are believed to treat certain ailments. The aromas can be inhaled when dispersed in the surrounding environment, inhaled directly, or applied on the body during massages and the like.

Another one is the shamanic or spiritual use of herbs to treat people. Many societies believe and still practice this form of medicine. Practitioners may "purge" you of your ailment by waving the herbs around your body, or by making you ingest the herbs.

- Naturopathy

Naturopathy is a form of alternative medicine that believes in vitalism, a vital energy or force is supposedly behind bodily processes such as metabolism, reproduction, adaptation, and growth. This approach believes in the healing powers of natural things like the food we eat, sunlight, fresh air, water, the heat, and the cold.

- Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine that believes improper functioning of the nerves causes us to be sick. It is a system of treating bodily disorders by working and manipulating the spine and other body parts. The body's neuromusculoskeletal system is usually involved in the diagnosis and treatment process in this therapy.

Spinal manipulation, or spinal adjustment, is the most common type of chiropractic care. The spine area undergoes manual therapy. The therapy is sort of a combination of body stretches and massages. The spine, or the affected body part, gets stretched a little bit beyond its normal range of motion without dislocating or damaging it. Chiropractors apply a sudden force, either by a dynamic thrust or by a strike that releases a clicking or snapping sound. The thrust is believed to have physiological effects, sending signals to the nerves and the nerves, in turn, fixes whatever is wrong in that area.

Although these methods are not scientifically proven to a great extent, many people who have experienced these procedures claim that they are effective.