Holistic medicine is very different from conventional where symptoms are treated with medications to either stimulate or suppress bodily functions. Holistic medicine, however, looks at the body as a harmonious unit. It strives to bring the body back into balance. So when a patient comes in with a disease, holistic practitioners evaluate the underlying cause, correct it, so that the person is well again and may not need any medication for the problem.

Homeopathic remedies may actually be more effective than conventional treatments without having horrible side effects. Traditional medicine is designed to stimulate, kill, or inhibit. Homeopathic medications contain diluted substances and hit has been shown in research that these meds may reverse disease.

Acupuncture is about energy flow through the body in the form of chi. There are 12 meridiens and energy flows through them. The blockages of energy are alleviated through acupuncture.

Herbs can bring the body back into balance through normalization, rather than traditional medications which can promote imbalance.

Homeopathic remedies are often termed alternative medicines or techniques. However, as they become more mainstream, the term alternative will start shifting to conventional. Grouped together they are known as CAM, which is complementary and alternative medicine, with the boundaries between mainstream and CAM medicine becoming more blurred every year.

Holistic medicine, integrated medicine, alternative medicine, are all terms that refer to treatments that are non-conventional. Some people mistakenly assume this means they do not work. This is a falsehood. There is plenty of research to back up treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, and reiki for instance.

Research has shown that alternative medicine in developed countries like the US is growing steadily and is now well over 40% utilization. Most individuals using alternative and complementary medicine choose to treat themselves, however, fifteen percent sought out treatment from a licensed holistic doctor.

Over 37% of US hospitals are offering holistic treatments, which is more than ever. There are a lot of traditional medical providers who criticize holistic medicine since for a lot of it there have not been big studies done. The research is mostly anecdotal, which is not Level I scientific evidence. This does not mean it’s “snake oil”, it just means more research is necessary for a significant amount of the alternative treatments.

For now, the incidence of alternative, holistic, and complementary therapies is on the steady rise. If it was all hocus pocus, would this be occurring so consistently?

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