Alternative Medicine

Introduction:
Alternative medicine is any practice that is put forward having the healing effects of
medicine,but doesnot originate from evidence gathered using scientific method,it is
not part of biomedicine,or is contradicted by scientific evidence or established
science.It consists of wide range of health care practices,products and
therapies,ranging from being biologically plausible but not well tested,to being
directly contradicted by evidence and science,or even harmful or toxic.examples
include new and traditional medicine practices such as
homeopathy,naturopathy,chiropractic,energy medicine,various forms of
acupuncture,traditional Chinese medicine,ayurvedic medicine and Christian faith
healing.the treatments are those that are not part of science based healthcare
system and are not clearly backed by scientific evidence.

Types:
Alternative medicine may be classified by their cultural origins or by the type of
beliefs upon which they are based.Different cultures may have their own unique
traditional or belief based practices developed recently over thousands of years,and
specific practices or entire systems of practices.

Unscientific belief system

1.Homeopathy:
Homeopathy is a system developed in a belief that a substance causes the
symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in sick people.It
was developed before knowledge of atoms and molecules and of basic
chemistry,which shows that repeated dilution as practiced in homeopathy produces
only water and that homeopathy is scientifically implausible.homeopathy is
considered quackery in the medical community.

2.Naturopathic medicine:
Naturopathic medicine is based on belief that the body heals itself using
supernatural vital energy that guides bodily processes,a view in conflict with the
paradigm of evidence based medicine.many naturopaths have opposed
vaccination,and scientific evidence doesnot support claims that naturopathic
medicine can cure cancer or any other disease.

Traditional ethnic systems

1.Traditional Chinese medicine:

Traditional Chinese medicine is a combination of traditional practices and beliefs

developed over a thousand of years in china,together with modifications made by
communist party.common practices include herbal medicine,acupuncture(insertion
of needles in the body at specified points),massage(tui na),exercise(qigong),and
dietary therapy.

2.Ayurvedic medicine:
Ayurvedic medicine is a traditional medicine of india.Ayurveda believes in the
existence of three elemental substances,the doshas(called vata,pitta and kapha)and
states that balance of the doshas result in health,while imbalance results in
disease.Ayurveda stresses use of plant-based medicines and treatments,with some
animal products,and added minerals,including sulphur,arsenic,lead,copper sulphate.

Efficacy:
Alternative therapies lack requisite scientific validation,and their effectiveness is
either unproved or disproved.many of claims regarding efficacy are
controversial,since research on them is frequently of low quality and
methodologically flawed.

Conflicts of interest:
Some commentators have said that special consideration must be given to the issue
of conflict of interest in alternative medicine.Edzard Ernst has said most researchers
into alternative medicine are at risk of inidirectional bias because of generally
uncritical belief in their chosen subject.

Appeal:
Physicians who practice complementary medicine usually discuss and advise
patients as to available complementary therapies.patients often express interest in
mind-body complementary therapies because they offer a non-drug approach to
treating some health conditions.some mind-body techniques such as cognitivebehavioral therapy were considered complementary medicine,but are now a part of
conventional medicine in united states.