Alternative Medicine

1345 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Benefits of complementary therapies essay

Joseph Addison once said, “Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the mind as to the body.” Mr. Addison is making a good point. Think about it. When you think or act in a positive manner, do you not actually feel better? Holding the door open for someone can even make you feel like a good human being, for at least a second or two. Being cheerful will not only make you feel better mentally but can also help you physically. Laughing for example, helps release chemicals in your brain that makes a person physically feel well. These chemicals are called endorphins and when released they help increase pain resistance in the body (Gorman, James).Who needs to pay for antidepressants when we can already produce our own happiness just by turning on the television and watching a comedic movie of our choice? In the same way, complementary and alternative medicine specialized practitioners find ways in which to restore health by using safe and natural remedies to treat all aspects, physical and mental, of their patient. Many doctors and patients may not recognize the benefits of alternative medicine, but the increase in their popularity is indisputable. Alternative methods have been around for centuries and people continue to use them. Why would people continually use something that is ineffective for such a long time? There must be some benefit to these methods. Alternative medicine has been proven to be effective in many cases, and should be further researched and accepted in our healthcare system to better inform the patients who choose to use them.
Alternative methods first began in Europe and the United States in the late 1700s, and by the 1850’s Americans could choose from a number of different treatments. Hyd...

... middle of paper ...

...eatments once and for all!

Works Cited

Calabro, Sara. "Alternative Medicine Pros and Cons." EverydayHealth.com. Everyday Health, 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
Debas, Haile T. "Complementary and Alternative Medicine." Complementary and Alternative Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 June 0000. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
Fitzgerald, Kelly. "Alternative Medicine Use High Among Pediatric Patients." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
Gorman, James. "Scientists Hint at Why Laughter Feels So Good." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, Sept. 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 213.
Verma, Seema. "Alternative Medicines: Pros and Cons." Alternative Medicines: Pros and Cons. Web. 13 Dec. 2013
Whorton, James, MD. "The Alternative Fix." PBS. PBS, Web. 11 Dec. 2013
"Integrative Medicine." US News. U.S.News & World Report, Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Folk Medicine in Appalachia

    3265 Words  | 7 Pages

    Mathews, Holly F. "Introduction: A Regional Approach and Multidisciplinary Persepctive." Herbal and Magical Medicine: Traditional Healing Today. Ed. James Kirkland, Holly F. Mathews, C. W. Sullivan, III, and Karen Baldwin. Durham: Duke UP, 1992. 1-13. Print.

    Read More

  • Hydropathy Essay

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the nineteenth century a variety of alternative medical traditions became popular in the United States. There was a shift in how people began to view their physical, mental, and emotional health. A type of alternative medicine that quickly became popular in the United States and Europe was the tradition of hygeiotherapy. This form of treatment included hydropathy a type of water-cure treatment and combined that with exercise, dietary reform, sexual restraint, and any behaviors that were viewed as unhealthy.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    In today’s world, many people assume that the latest medical technology and treatments are always the best option. However, all over the world, different techniques for curing diseases and aliments are being used. These methods fall under the category of complementary and alternative medicine.

    Read More

  • Homeopathy Medicine

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homeopathy medicine is a self-healing alternative medicine developed in 1790 by German physician and chemist Samuel Hahnemann. Homeopathy medicine aims to treat the whole body and not just the symptoms. Homeopathy medicine was very popular throughout the united states during the early 1900 but began to die out after the civil war. Homeopathy medicine is approximately 200 years old, though it is believed to have originated in 400 B.C through Hippocrates. However, Samuel Hahnemann gave this medical practice a name in the late 1700s and developed three principles for Homeopathy medicine that still stands today. Homeopathy medicine was developed in the late 1700s, which saw a period of unhygienic and brutal medical techniques. Samuel a physician

    Read More

  • Negative Essay: A Day Of Acupuncture

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nowadays, complementary alternative medicine is very popular in the United States. It is widely used by adults and children. National health statistic reports done in 2007 shows that 38.3% of adults and 11.8% of children use some form of alternative medicine (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). But why is this happening? Why is it becoming so popular? Why are more people turning to it? Many times, this is because conventional medicine has not work and they want to try an alternative. That is the case of the author of this paper.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of Homeopathy

    1986 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many different uses of alternative medicine and that can be used in a variety of situations. Some people may be skeptical of alternative medicine since they are not aware of the facts and statistics. By homeopathy becoming more popular people will not be as skeptical. “Despite the successes of many alternative therapies, the phrase "alternative medicine" has not acquired a completely respectable air. To many, especially doctors trained in conventional medicine, "alternative therapies" seem unscientific and dangerous” (Badertscher). As the author shows that although alternative medicine may seem skeptical to people, there are many reasons to prove that alternative medicine is an overall better solution. Badertscher also explains the many benefits to his view of alternative medicine of seeking to work with the body 's own natural healing processes” (Badertscher). For example, a person may suffer from chronic back pain may decide to go to a chiropractor instead of using medication such as oxycodone. In this Badertscher shows the benefit that using the body’s natural healing does and that it puts the person in control of their

    Read More

  • Acupuncture Essay

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    For many centuries, humanity has been on an eternal quest for cures and treatments for many chronic conditions. At the present time, conventional medicine is mostly performed by doctors and other health care professionals, with the extensive use of pharmaceutical drugs, surgery or radiation treatments for disease treatment. Conversely, even though not as popular, complementary and alternative medicine and treatment options are slowly gaining popularity and becoming an addition to traditional medicine.

    Read More

  • Healing And Western Medicine: Ethnographic Study

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ross defines and differentiates between the terms healing and curing. She recognizes the fact that healing and curing are very intertwined and it can be hard to distinguish between the two terms. There are differences between the definitions in scholarly and general settings. She references an ethnographic study of healing versus curing conducted by anthropologists Andrew Strathern and Pamela Stewart in 1999 with native groups in New Guinea. The results of the study looked at how energy used by the different types of tribal healers to either cure or heal a patient. Eastern medicine focuses on how energy interacts with the healing process in connection within the mind. Whereas Western medicine is focused on the mind and the body separately. The practice is considered a holistic approach to finding cures. According to Ross (2013), healing is more a therapeutic process targeting the whole body and specific illness including emotional, mental, and social aspects in the treatment. The act of curing is a pragmatic approach that focuses on removing the problem all together. The life experiences of a person playing into how well certain treatments will heal or cure what is ailing them. These aspects can not be defined with textbook definitions. The interaction that the healing process has with energy is a variable in the success rate. Uncontrolled emotions can have a greater impact on the inside the body than a person can realize. The exploration of energy interaction within the body can be used for greater analysis of health care systems. (21-22). Are Western healthcare facilities purposely “curing” patients just so that they return are few years later? Is Western Medicine built upon a negative feedback loop? The terminolo...

    Read More

  • Genetic Information vs Privacy

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    Easthope, G., 2005. Alternative Medicines. In: Germov, ed. An Introduction to Health Sociology. Melbourne :Oxford University Press, pp. 332-348.

    Read More

  • Complementary and Alternative Therapies and Nursing Practice

    2454 Words  | 5 Pages

    Complementary and alternative therapies are relatively new and essential options in health care, they help to increase the quality of life of patients and provide them with numerous possibilities to ensure growth of their health, beyond current medicine. Recently, these therapies, such as massage therapy and acupuncture, have become more prevalent in research. Consequently, their substitution with standard medicine in the healthcare system has been supported by the literature. The literature that supports these methods has explored why complementary therapies are needed, the different and distinct features of each therapy, and they also examine the education and knowledge those implementing the services must have. To accurately analyze if complementary and alternative therapies are valuable to the health care system, this paper will aim to learn why they are becoming predominant and why nurses should use these therapies’ to assist in improving the health of individuals. To determine the main attributes of these therapies, a variety of resources that extensively discuss complementary and alternative therapies will be examined and the paper will also examine the benefits and weaknesses they have on improving health. Lastly, this paper will aim to determine if these services should be implemented by nurses as alternative options for their patients, as nurses should have substantial knowledge pertaining to implementing these therapies.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thecbtclinic.com. (2017). Pros & Cons of CBT Therapy | The CBT Therapy Clinic – Nottingham – West Bridgford. [online] Available at: http://www.thecbtclinic.com/pros-cons-of-cbt-therapy [Accessed 8 Jun. 2017].

    Read More

  • Laughter Improves Health

    2966 Words  | 6 Pages

    There have been many theories over the years as to why we laugh. Freud suggested that during laughter, you discharge pent-up psychic energies. In a theory by V.S. Ramachandran, we laugh to alert others in the social group that an anomaly, whatever it is we are laughing at, is inconsequential. For example, if someone falls and is not hurt, we laugh to signal to others that the person is all right. The theories vary greatly, but there are so many attributes to the phenomenon o...

    Read More

  • Laughter Therapy Essay

    1465 Words  | 3 Pages

    Therefore, laughter therapy can be a series of cognitive-behavioural therapies that helps to make physical, psychological, and social relationships healthy and ultimately improves the quality of life (Ko and Youn 2011). It has taken a very long time for laughter to become a recognized medical therapy. Dr. William Fry of Stanford University School of Medicine developed a theory of laughter therapy, and found that humour and laughter produced natural painkillers in pituitary, such as endorphins, improved blood circulation, and decreased stress (Fry and Salameh

    Read More

  • Alternative Medicines for Animals: Herbs and Acupuncture

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    In recent years, the exposure of pill-peddling pharmaceutical companies and the dangers- such as the various toxins and the risk of dependence- that their manufactured drugs pose on the body has turned more and more people of the western world back to basics for their health care. Richard L. Nahin from the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states that according to the institute’s latest research, "It's clear that millions of Americans every year are turning to complementary and alternative medicine."

    Read More

  • Comparing Modern and Alternative Medicines

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    In summary, sick people should prefer alternative medicine instead of modern medicine. In this way, they all protect themselves from all the side effects of drugs and chemicals; they treat all body not only the disease and make their psychologies better. Also, traditional medicine has applied on patients centuries ago so it is easy for people to trust this method. Modern medicine has improved now but it will not as useful and efficient as alternative medicine.

    Read More

More about Alternative Medicine

Open Document