5 Alternative Medicines that are Commonly Used by Patients Over the World

The field of alternative and complementary medicine is too diverse to define. Basically, it refers to a ‘health treatment’, not ‘standard’ as per the conventional Western medicine. It involves a broad range of dietary plans and exercise changes.

Technically, ‘alternative’ medicines are used in place of conventional Western medicine when it fails to deliver the expected results. Alternative medicine approaches include treatment techniques such as acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, ayurvedic medicine, and so on. All the medical forms are safe to use and are more effective than just Western medicine.

Here are the top 5 alternative medicines used nowadays:

• Acupuncture- The art of needling disorders stands at the top of the list. Acupuncture was originated in China and exists from the past 3000 years. It is a safe treatment which can cure almost all the disorders including stress, impotence, chronic pain, migraine and so on.
• Acupressure- A similar practice to acupuncture, acupressure involves no needles but certain points on the body which should be stimulated by applying pressure. This cures the disease naturally. Practitioners of acupressure believe that there are meridians and channels in the body which carry life energy (qi or chi). A single disruption in the flow of energy causes a disorder. Those blockages are removed using acupressure to establish a smoother flow of the life energy.
• Aromatherapy- It involves essential oils or concentrated extracts from the roots, leaves, flowers, and seeds of certain medicinal plants. Those oils can be massaged onto the patient’s body, inhaled or consumed depending on the purpose. Like conventional Western medicine, it reduces depression, anxiety, chronic pain and many other disorders.
• Ayurvedic Medicine- Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine originated in India and exists since ages. Practitioners use various techniques such as massage, herbs, specialized diets and exercises to maintain a harmony between the body, mind and the spirit, and cure the patient completely.
• Chiropractic- Chiropractic care or adjustments are quite popular in the world of modern medicine. The chiropractors use specialized techniques to manipulate the spine through controlled force, especially by the hands. Chiropractic adjustments are done to restore mobility and loosening of the muscles, which in turn allows the tissues to heal on their own.

Alternative Medicine has caught international attention due to its exciting benefits. In Rochester, NY, alternative medicine is greatly accepted by many citizens. If you are based out in Rochester, NY, you can find a therapist online and start the treatment, soon!

Advanced Benefits of Acupuncture - How does Acupuncture Improve the GI Conditions

So far acupuncture has proved to be a great alternative as well as complementary medicine. Medical practitioners all over the world recommend this therapy to the patients when conventional Western medicine fails to deliver satisfactory results. Acupuncture is thus a familiar term in the world of medical science. Now it is used for a variety of disorders including gastrointestinal (GI) disorders as well.

Acupuncture for GI Disorders

If you want to go for acupuncture treatment you should understand that there is no particular way of doing the treatment. The acupuncturist will perform the treatment in different ways for different diseases. Different stomach disorders like acid reflux, bloating and indigestion require attention differently.

Gastro-esophageal reflux is a common disorder caused when the lower esophagus gets exposed to refluxed gastric contents time and again. It affects different patients differently. Some patients just have symptoms while others do not show any symptoms but endoscopic evidence of mucosal damage. The symptoms include bleeding, stricture or columnar epithelial transformation of the lower esophagus. Conventional Western medicine suggests surgery and drugs.

Gastritis is another disorder which causes irritation, inflammation, or erosion of the inner stomach lining. It can be acute or chronic. This disorder is caused due to chronic vomiting, excessive consumption of alcohol, stress, or usage of certain drugs. The symptoms vary among individuals. While some patients may not show any symptoms at all, other show symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and bloating, loss of appetite, indigestion, and blood in the stool. Treatment according to conventional Western medicine includes drug therapy.

How Acupuncture Can Help

Acupuncture is found to be highly effective in Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. It can help in gastrointestinal disorders by:

• Stimulating cranial areas that are responsible for gastric perception.
• Altering acid secretion, and visceral pain
• Enhancing delayed gastric vacancy
• Decreasing inflammation by increasing the release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors
• Enhancing nitric oxide and vasoactive intestinal peptide in plasma, gastric mucosal, and bulb tissues.

Acupuncture is now recommended by doctors around the globe. If you are a resident of Rochester, NY, and want Acupuncture for GI Conditions in Rochester NY, find a reputed acupuncturist in the local Yellow Pages or ask your friends for referrals. Acupuncture will give you results you never thought before.