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Types of Alternative Medicine

Numerous styles and types of alternative medicine exist. They are all based on their own theories for the best way to maintain or return the body to perfect health. These will be discussed below.

Mind-body techniques are a form of alternative medicine that focuses on the connection between the mind and body. The theory behind these techniques is that they are working to help put the mind and body back in sync with each other. The belief is that by putting them back in sync, then the mind will be better able to control the body. The other belief is that making the mind able to control the body means that it can tell the body how to heal itself when it is sick or hurt. This means that outside substances would not be needed to help the body heal. Some mind-body techniques include doing yoga, meditating, and doing Tai Chi. There aren't any risk factors for practicing mind-body techniques. Research has shown that there are many benefits of doing mind-body techniques.

Yoga is a mind-body technique

The biologically based practices are based on the theory that the body can be healed based on what is put into it. One of the beliefs is that the body can get or stay healthy by simply eating certain foods while avoiding other foods. Another belief is that a person can determine what is out of balance as far as natural chemicals in the body, and replacing those will return the body to health. The other belief is that the body can be healed using plant compounds rather than manufactured chemical compounds. Some examples of biologically based practices are a restricted diet, the use of botanicals, and taking naturally occurring dietary supplements. The main risk here comes in with the dietary supplements. They are not actually dosed the way manufactured medicines are. This means a person can end up taking too much of a supplement and make the condition of the body worse.

Whole medical systems are total systems for treating the body that are based on their own set of beliefs about the body and disease. Each whole medical system is based on different beliefs and there is no one set of beliefs for whole medical systems in general. For instance, there is one whole medical system that is based on the belief that like cures like while another whole medical system is based on the belief that diseases only happen because there is an imbalance in the body's life force. The main risk factors here are that these whole medical systems are usually trying to address something that cannot be measured or observed so they may not be as effective as other treatments would be. A few examples of whole medical systems are naturopathy, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Manipulative and Body-Based Practices are practices of making changes to the body by putting it in different positions or manipulating it externally. The belief is that the manipulations or other changes made to the body will help to make built-up toxins leave the body. The other belief is that it will cause the body's energy to increase and this will facilitate healing. The main risk here is that some of the manipulations could be done incorrectly and a person can get injured. Some of the practices can also cause bruising to occur. Some examples of manipulative and body-based practices include reflexology, cupping, and chiropractic care.

Energy therapies are the therapies based on changing or influencing the universal life force believed to be in and surrounding the body. The belief is that by manipulating the life force in and surrounding the body, that the energy inside the body will shift and the body will be healed. The other belief is that external energy sources can be used to change the body and heal it. There also is a belief that there are biofields or energy fields around the body, that can be changed to cause healing. There are minimal risk factors with these therapies since very little contact, if any, happens to the body. Some examples include reiki, magnets, and Qi gong.

Since there are so many techniques and practices to choose from for alternative medicine, it may be difficult for a person to decide which one is right for them. It may help to know a little bit of information about a handful of them. Some choices include:

Acupuncture is a type of energy therapy

Alternative medicine, or complementary medicine is any practice of medicine that doesn't fall under the umbrella of traditional medicine. It started in the 18th century with homeopathy, which believes that more dilute substances help a person heal better and now involves many different styles and types. The types are as follows:

Acupuncture is the use of very fine needles to heal the body. Chiropractic care is the manipulation of the spine to heal the body. Naturopathy is using the body's natural ability to heal itself. Biofeedback is the use of an electronic device to teach the mind how to control the body.

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Alternative Medicine Types & Examples | What is Alternative ...

Complementary and alternative healthcare and medical practices (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. The list of practices that are considered as CAM changes continually as CAM practices and therapies that are proven safe and effective become accepted as the mainstream healthcare practices. Today, CAM practices may be grouped within five major domains: alternative medical systems, mind-body interventions, biologically-based treatments, manipulative and body-based methods and energy therapies.

TCM is a system of healing that dates back to 200 B.C. in written form. China, Korea, Japan, India and Vietnam have all developed their own unique versions of traditional medicine. Alternative medicine is commonly categorized together with complementary medicine under the umbrella term complementary and alternative medicine. Complementary medicine refers to therapies that complement traditional western (or allopathic) medicine and is used together with conventional medicine, and alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. Alternative medicine refers to therapeutic approaches taken in place of traditional medicine and used to treat or ameliorate disease. Integrative medicine refers to combining complementary treatments with conventional care. The basic philosophy of complementary and alternative medicine include holistic care, which focuses on treating a human being as a whole person.

Examples of complementary and alternative medicine healing systems include Ayurveda, which originated in India more than 5,000 years ago, emphasizes a unique cure per individual circumstances. It incorporates treatments including yoga, meditation, massage, diet and herbs; Homeopathy uses minute doses of a substance that causes symptoms to stimulate the bodys self-healing response. Naturopathy focuses on non-invasive treatments to help your body do its own healing. Ancient medicines (complementary and alternative medicine treatments) include Chinese, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian and Tibetan practices.

Conventional medicine relies on methods proved to be safe and effective with carefully designed trials and research. But, many complementary and alternative treatments lack solid research on which to base sound decisions. The dangers and possible benefits of many complementary and alternative treatments remain unproved.

While the whole medical systems differ in their philosophical approaches to the prevention and treatment of disease, they share a number of common elements. These systems are based on the belief that ones body has the power to heal itself. Healing often involves marshalling multiple techniques that involve the mind, body and spirit. Treatment is often individualized and dependent on the presenting symptoms.

Basic principles of integrative medicine include a partnership between the patient and the practitioner in the healing process, the appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the bodys innate healing response, the consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness and disease, including mind, spirit and community as well as body, a philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative medicine uncritically, recognition that good medicine should be based in good science, inquiry driven and open to new paradigms, the use of natural, less invasive interventions whenever possible, the broader concepts of promotion of health and the prevention of illness as well as the treatment of disease. Studies are underway to determine the safety and usefulness of many CAM practices. As research continues, many of the answers about whether these treatments are safe or effective will become clearer.

The use of alternative medicine appears to be increasing. A 1998 study showed that the use of alternative medicine in the USA had risen from 33.8% in 1990 to 42.1% in 1997 [1]. The most common CAM therapies used in the USA in 2002 were prayer (45.2%), herbalism (18.9%), breathing meditation (11.6%), meditation (7.6%), chiropractic medicine (7.5%), yoga (5.1%), body work (5.0%), diet-based therapy (3.5%), progressive relaxation (3.0%), mega-vitamin therapy (2.8%) and visualization (2.1%) [2, 3]. In the United Kingdom, limited data seem to support the idea that CAM use in the United Kingdom is high and is increasing.

Increasing numbers of medical colleges have started offering courses in alternative medicine. Accredited Naturopathic colleges and universities are increasing in number and popularity in the USA. They offer the most complete medical training in complimentary medicines that is available today [4, 5]. In Britain, no conventional medical schools offer courses that teach the clinical practice of alternative medicine. However, alternative medicine is taught in several unconventional schools as part of their curriculum. Teaching is based mostly on theory and understanding of alternative medicine, with emphasis on being able to communicate with alternative medicine specialists.

Naturopathy (naturopathic medicine) is a whole medical system that has its roots in Germany. It was developed further in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, where today it is part of CAM. Naturopathy aims to support the bodys ability to heal itself through the use of dietary and lifestyle changes together with CAM therapies such as herbs, massage and joint manipulation. Naturopathy is a whole medical system. It views disease as a manifestation of alterations in the processes by which the body naturally heals itself and emphasizes health restoration rather than disease treatment. Naturopathic physicians employ an array of healing practices, including diet and clinical nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, spinal and soft-tissue manipulation, physical therapies involving electric currents, ultrasound and light therapy, therapeutic counseling and pharmacology. Today, naturopathy is practiced in a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

The acupuncture is being practiced for relief or the prevention of pain and for various other health conditions. Preclinical studies have documented acupunctures effects, but they have not been able to fully explain how acupuncture works within the framework of the western system of medicine.

Ayurveda, which literally means the science of life, is a natural healing system developed in India. It is a comprehensive system of medicine that places equal emphasis on the body, mind and spirit, and strives to restore the innate harmony of the individual. Some of the primary Ayurvedic treatments include diet, exercise, meditation, herbs, massage, exposure to sunlight, and controlled breathing, Ayurvedic medications have the potential to be toxic. Most Ayurvedic medications consist of combinations of herbs and other medicines, so it can be challenging to know which ones are having an effect and why.

Other traditional medical systems have been developed by Native American, Aboriginal, African, Middle-Eastern, Tibetan, Central and South American cultures.

Homeopathy is a system of medical theory and practice. Its founder, German physician Samuel Christian Hahnemann (17551843), hypothesized that one can select therapies on the basis of how closely symptoms produced by a remedy match the symptoms of the patients disease. He called this the principle of similars. Since homeopathy is administered in minute or potentially non-existent material dosages, there is an a priori skepticism in the scientific community about its efficacy [69].

Traditional oriental medicine emphasizes the proper balance or disturbances of qi (pronounced chi), or vital energy, in health and disease, respectively. Traditional oriental medicine consists of a group of techniques and methods, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, oriental massage and qi gong (a form of energy therapy described more fully below).

Naturopathy (naturopathic medicine) is a whole medical system that has its roots in Germany. It was affect bodily function and symptoms. Only a subset of mind-body interventions is considered CAM. Many that have a well-documented theoretical basis, for example, patient education and cognitive-behavioral approaches are now considered mainstream. On the other hand, meditation, certain uses of hypnosis, dance, music and art therapy and prayer and mental healing are categorized as complementary and alternative.

Biofeedback is a type of mind-body therapy. Using feedback from a variety of monitoring procedures and equipment, a biofeedback specialist will try to teach you to control certain involuntary body responses, such as: brain activity, blood pressure, muscle tension and heart rate. Biofeedback has been shown to be helpful in treating several medical conditions, including asthma, Raynauds disease, irritable bowel syndrome, incontinence, headaches, cardiac arrhythmias, high blood pressure, epilepsy, etc.

The term meditation refers to a variety of techniques or practices intended to focus or control attention. Most of them are rooted in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years.

People have used prayer and other spiritual practices for their own and others health concerns for thousands of years. Scientific investigation of these practices has begun quite recently, however, to better understand whether they work; if so, how; and for what diseases/conditions and populations. Many Americans are using prayer and other spiritual practices. Prayer is the therapy most commonly used among all the CAM therapies.

Manipulative and body-based practices include methods that are based on manipulation and/or the movement of the body. For example, chiropractors focus on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function, and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health, using manipulative therapy as an integral treatment tool. Massage therapists manipulate the soft tissues of the body to normalize those tissues.

Energy therapies focus either on energy fields originating within the body (biofields) or those from other sources (electromagnetic fields). Biofield therapies are intended to affect the energy fields, whose existence is not yet experimentally proven, that surround and penetrate the human body. Some forms of energy therapy manipulate biofields by applying pressure and/or manipulating the body by placing the hands in, or through, these fields. Examples include Qi gong, Reiki, Prana and Therapeutic Touch. Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies involve the unconventional use of electromagnetic fields, such as pulsed fields, magnetic fields or alternating current or direct current fields, to, for example, treat asthma or cancer, or manage pain and migraine headaches.

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness. Hypnotherapy has the potential to help relieve the symptoms of a wide variety of diseases and conditions. It can be used independently or along with other treatments.

Natural and biologically-based practices, interventions and products refer to the use of dietary supplements and include herbal, special dietary, orthomolecular and individual biological therapies. Examples include botanicals, animal-derived extracts, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, proteins and prebiotics, Thousands of studies of various dietary supplements have been performed. However, no single supplement has been proven effective in a compelling way.

In India, which is the home of several alternative systems of medicines, Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy are licenced by the government, despite the lack of reputable scientific evidence. Naturopathy will also be licensed soon because several universities now offer bachelors degrees in it. Other activities such as Panchakarma and massage therapy related to Ayurveda are also licensed by the government now [10].

About half the general population in developed countries uses CAM [10]. A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, found that in 2002, 36% of Americans used some form of alternative therapy in the past 12 months, 50% in a lifetimea category that included yoga, meditation, herbal treatments and the Atkins diet. The majority of individuals (54.9%) used CAM in conjunction with conventional medicine. Most people use CAM to treat and/or prevent musculoskeletal conditions or other conditions associated with chronic or recurring pain. Women were more likely than men to use CAM. The largest sex differential is seen in the use of mind-body therapies including prayer specifically for health reasons [2, 3]. If prayer was counted as an alternative therapy, the figure rose to 62.1%. 25% of people who use CAM do so because a medical professional suggested it [11]. A British telephone survey by the BBC of 1,209 adults in 1998 shows that around 20% of adults in Britain had used alternative medicine in the past 12 months.

Advocates of alternative medicine hold that the various alternative treatment methods are effective in treating a wide range of major and minor medical conditions, and contend that recently published research (Michalsen, 2003; Gonsalkorale, 2003; Berga, 2003) proves the effectiveness of specific alternative treatments [69].

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) applies the scientific method to medical practice, and aims for the ideal that healthcare professionals should make conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in their everyday practice. Although advocates of alternative medicine acknowledge that the placebo effect may play a role in the benefits that some receive from alternative therapies, they point out that this does not diminish their validity. They believe that alternative medicine may provide health benefits through patient empowerment, by offering more choices to the public. Researchers who judge treatments using the scientific method are concerned by this viewpoint, since it fails to address the possible inefficacy of alternative treatments.

As long as alternative treatments are used alongside conventional treatments, the majority of medical doctors find most forms of complementary medicine acceptable. Consistent with previous studies, the CDC recently reported that the majority of individuals in the United States (i.e., 54.9%) used CAM in conjunction with conventional medicine.

The issue of alternative medicine interfering with conventional medical practices is minimized when it is turned to only after conventional treatments have been exhausted. Many patients feel that alternative medicine may help in coping with chronic illnesses for which conventional medicine offers no cure, only management. Classifying treatments need to be based on the objectively verifiable criteria of the scientific method evidence-based medicine, i.e. scientifically proven evidence of efficacy (or lack thereof), and not on the changing curricula of various medical schools or social sphere of usage [12].

Since many alternative remedies have recently found their way into the medical mainstream, there cannot be two kinds of medicine - conventional and alternative. There is only medicine that has been adequately tested and medicine that has not, medicine that works and medicine that may or may not work. Once a treatment has been tested rigorously, it no longer matters whether it was considered alternative at the outset. If it is found to be reasonably safe and effective, it will be accepted [13].

It is argued that there is no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data or unproven medicine, for which scientific evidence is lacking. Whether a therapeutic practice is Eastern or Western, is unconventional or mainstream, or involves mind-body techniques or molecular genetics is largely irrelevant except for historical purposes and cultural interest. As believers in science and evidence, we must focus on fundamental issuesnamely, the patient, the target disease or condition, the proposed or practiced treatment, and the need for convincing data on safety and therapeutic efficacy [14]. The Cochrane Collaboration [15] and Edzard Ernst [16] agree that all treatments, whether mainstream or alternative, ought to be held to standards of the scientific method.

Many forms of alternative medicine are rejected by conventional medicine because the efficacy of the treatments has not been demonstrated through double-blind randomized controlled trials; in contrast, conventional drugs reach the market only after such trials have proved their efficacy. A person may attribute symptomatic relief to an otherwise ineffective therapy due to the placebo effect, the natural recovery from or the cyclical nature of an illness (the regression fallacy), or the possibility that the person never originally had a true illness [17]. CAM proponents point out this may also apply in cases where conventional treatments have been used. To this, CAM critics point out that this does not account for conventional medical success in double blind clinical trials.

People should be free to choose whatever method of healthcare they want, but stipulate that people must be informed as to the safety and efficacy of whatever method they choose. People who choose alternative medicine may think they are choosing a safe, effective medicine, while they may only be getting quack remedies. Grapefruit seed extract is an example of quackery when multiple studies demonstrate its universal antimicrobial effect is due to synthetic antimicrobial contamination [18, 19].

Those who have had success with one alternative therapy for a minor ailment may be convinced of its efficacy and persuaded to extrapolate that success to some other alternative therapy for a more serious, possibly life-threatening illness. For this reason, critics contend that therapies that rely on the placebo effect to define success are very dangerous. Scientifically unsupported health practices can lead individuals to forgo effective treatments and this can be referred to as opportunity cost. Individuals who spend large amounts of time and money on ineffective treatments may be left with precious little of either, and may forfeit the opportunity to obtain treatments that could be more helpful. More research must be undertaken to prove the effectiveness of complimentary therapies before they can be incorporated in formal medical practice. Sufficient evidence is required for biological or clinical plausibility in order to justify the investment of time and energy in exploring the merits of alternative medicine. After all, human life is precious and no chances can be taken to comprise the health of any individual.

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Complementary and Alternative Healthcare: Is it Evidence-based?

Last year, when CNN journalist Chris Cuomo was recovering from COVID-19, he endorsed all sorts of homeopathy and alternatives to medicine. It's no surprise, he is married to an influencer who just happens to sell those placebos to other wealthy, white elites. He's not alone. A surprising number of celebrities have spouses that promote nonsense.(1)

For decades, the woo market has been mostly wealthy, white Baby Boomers who believe that science, from biotech to medicine, is a vast corporate conspiracy.(2) Their alternative-medicine-practitioner-in chief, President Bill Clinton, not only signed a bad law exempting supplements and potions from real FDA oversight, his re-branded National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was able to siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money that could have gone to real science and health research.(3)

New Age beliefs that medicine is unnecessary or, worse, harmful, became so prevalent during the Obama years it even got its own name - conspirituality. They believe that Ancient Wisdom holds all the answers and some mysterious force can be harnessed, kind of like The Force in "Star Wars" before George Lucas flipped it from being a universal energy to those blessed with particular genes. All that is holding it back is corporations lobbying government to suppress herbs and crystals ... because Big Pharma can't control those.

Derek Beres has a Conspirituality podcast, and you can follow him on Twitter to get his sensible, and often hilarious, takes on anti-science wacktivism by the left and right. Picture links to Twitter, all rights are held by parties in the photo.

Though I have known about it for a decade, most don't know the term. Now, ABC is covering it, and they used to do a lot of work carrying water for anti-science activists. Even "Rolling Stone", arguably the official magazine of aging Baby Boomers, is on Team Science these days. They call out Kimberly Van Der Beek, wife of James, star of the highly-regarded "Dawson's Creek"(4) show, for her consorting with known ant-vaccine activists, something they would not have done a year ago because the demographic was overwhelmingly rich progressives in places like Austin, San Francisco, and Manhattan. As you might expect from a conspirituality believer, in place of medicine she sells and endorses whatever folk medicine (then traditional medicine, which became alternative medicine, which became complementary medicine, which became holistic, which became integrative) is called these days. "Wellness" or something else meaningless.

When we finally got California, the US home of the anti-vaccine movement, to stop 'wave of the hand' exemptions from vaccines - they cause autism, rich celebrities, Van Der Beek included, claimed - for kids, she joined others in claiming government could not tell parents they could not deny their kids medicine. And then she joined every other progressive anti-science fad of the last 10 years.

She claimed, while COVID-19 vaccines were in development, that she had a family history of medical issues with vaccines when she was promoting another conspirituality advocate that sold nonsense like colloidal silver. As the article notes, she sides with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in his belief that non-ionizing radiation is dangerous and cell phones put us at risk - but only new 5G ones. When rapper DMX died from, somewhat predictably, cocaine, she instead claimed it was from the COVID-19 vaccine.

I am writing about her because I read an article detailing her many crimes against science but she is not alone. Novak Djokovic is in the news for blasting COVID-19 vaccine requirements but less-discussed is that he is part of the conspirituality movement. It is a newer name but it is the same anti-science mentality, shared by the same people, that has been around for decades. Neil Young is not some new beacon of science, he opposes it just as he always has, but a big part of conspirituality is socio-political activism masking itself as based on evidence. And Young getting endorsements from science twitter participants who don't know better shows that politics truly makes strange bedfellows.

NOTES:

(1) Plenty of women also have loved ones with qualities they like while staring into space when the men in their lives promote gibberish. Like women in the lives of Aaron Rodgers and RFK, Jr.

(2) Obviously, population level statistics don't determine anything meaningful about an individual any more than BMI does. That Brooklyn bearded hipster doofus with the shoulder cat you personally know may be pro-vaccine.

(3) What has it gotten us? After wasting billions in funding, we still know acupuncture doesn't work, but everyone in real medicine knew that for free.

(4) You may not have watched that show, I wasn't their demographic either, but if you watched Van Der Beek in "Don't Trust The B---- In Apt. 23" and did not find him hilarious, you are going to fail one of those Google image captcha tests where they make you pick all of the cars three times in a row.

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Conspirituality Is Finally Getting Called Out For What It Is - Anti-Science Cranks And Alternative Medicine Hucksters - Science 2.0

KNOXVILLE When clients step into Knoxville Therapeutic Massage, theyre met with a peaceful atmosphere of soft music, warm lighting and gentle smiles.

The calming environment stands in stark contrast with owner Sherry Luedtkes previous workplaces: the fast-paced halls of hospitals and somber bedsides of hospice homes.

For twenty five years, Luedtke experienced healing and modern medicine first-hand as a nurse.

I did all different kinds [of nursing], but what I noticed was that there were certain people who just drop through the cracks, she said.

With growing children, Luedtkes passion for healing and helping others never faltered, but she knew that the stressful and difficult life of nursing was not the path for her.

After 25 years of nursing, I kept pushing myself because I had to do it, I had to do it, she said. I just got so depressed and it was hard. It was hard, hard, hard work. I just hit a wall.

In that time, Luedkte came to an important realization that would change the direction of her life: there were people that the healthcare system was letting fall through the cracks, and she was going to help them.

People would come in, it was a lot of women, she said, and they would say Im sick, Im sick. We would run labs and tests and everything else but we would find nothing and so these people would just be sent away. They would be told its all in your head. I thought, this is weird. Why is this certain population failing?

Luedtke decided to leave nursing and pursue massage therapy, inspired in part by a past department leader who offered massages to the nurses. When the massages lifted her headaches, Luedtke was intrigued.

Then, seven years ago, Knoxville Therapeutic Massage was born.

I just discovered that human touch is just what you need, she said. People just need human touch and then you get better. The body will heal itself if you do things for it. And it doesnt have to be modern medicine, it can be alternative medicine.

A licensed massage therapist, Luedtke offers several services in 30-, 60-, or 90-minute sessions.

A few of the services offered include cranial sacral therapy, a gentle massage promoting the flow of cerebral spinal fluid to decrease pain; barefoot deep tissue and prenatal massage.

While there has been little scientific research providing evidence backing the credibility of therapeutic massage, Luedtke said that the different services can help clients with stress reduction, headache relief, lowering blood pressure and stimulating a sense of wellbeing.

In this world, its not all scientific. Its a lot of anecdotal, so I had to adjust there, She said. I had to adjust and kind of just trust. You have to kind of just trust.

Though she had to unlearn some things from her nursing career, Luedtke said that her experience in the healthcare field has given her a unique perspective from which she approaches her job.

Luedtke works with the client to set a goal and a treatment plan, taking into mind the clients medical history. She personalizes each session to the client, combining types of massage to maximize benefits.

Whatever the client needs is what I perform, she said. She said that truly listening to her clients in a way that modern medicine doesnt always, allows her to combat the clients pain looking at their body as a whole rather than as parts.

Part of it is, youve gotta hear the person. They just need to be heard, she said.

And her medical background helps her do just that. Having worked as a hospice nurse, Luedtke said that she has a unique understanding of pain.

In nursing, we learned all kinds of pains, she said. That, I believe, is what helped me the most; understanding pain, types of pain.

When putting together a care plan, Luedtke looks at the body as a whole, physical and mental. Instead of addressing only one problem area, her approach looks at the role each part of the body plays in its healing.

In alternative care, the whole body goes back together, she said. In medicine, we separate the body. We separate the heart, the lungs, the kidney and the liver and the doctor takes care of that organ. We gotta bring them back together. Here, I dont assess systems, I assess the whole.

She considers her work a combination of modern, chiropractic and alternative medicines.

I address the whole person, the body and the mind, she said.

From aging gracefully to loosening aching muscles and releasing grief, Luedke said that she has seen massage therapy transform people even those who walked in questioning the practice.

It works, she said. Massage therapy, it heals so much.

Spirituality is an important part of the process, and Luedtke said that the patient plays just as large of a role in their healing as she does.

Im just the facilitator, she said. All I do is facilitate the body. The person on the table is doing the work because theyre the ones asking for help, theyre the ones getting better.

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Knoxville Therapeutic Massage an alternative approach to healing - Oskaloosa Herald

Biofield therapies are a range of alternative healing practices. Practitioners say that they use energy fields to restore balance and health. The most common biofield therapies are Reiki and therapeutic touch.

There is little scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of biofield therapies, but they are popular types of complementary and alternative medicine. It seems that many people find these therapies helpful for managing pain, stress, and symptoms of several health conditions.

Data from a 2012 National Health Interview survey found that more 3.7 million people in the United States had tried energy healing therapy. And more than 1.6 million adults had seen a practitioner at least once in the past year.

This article looks at common types of biofield therapy, how they work, and when a person might try this approach.

According to practitioners, biofield therapies stimulate a healing response by affecting subtle energy fields that surround the human body. No scientific research has confirmed the existence of these energy fields.

Examples of biofield therapies include:

Biofield therapies aim to change a persons energy field to bring about healing. This may may involve the:

The therapies differ in their approaches, but a practitioner usually uses their hands to alter and redirect an individuals energy flow, or biofield.

The idea is that the body is naturally capable of healing itself, though this may take time. Practitioners believe that biofield therapies enhance the natural healing process and improve the bodys ability to heal itself.

Proponents believe that a person has good health when their energy flows freely throughout their body. If energy becomes blocked or unbalanced, this contributes to illnesses and mental health conditions. The aim of these therapies is to unblock energy fields and restore a healthy flow.

During a biofield therapy session, the client lies on a massage table fully clothed, and the practitioner uses their hands to assess the clients energy field. They then send energy to the client through their hands. They may place their hands on the clients body or transmit the energy without touching them.

Little scientific evidence suggests that biofield therapy is effective. But people may use it to help with:

Advocates say that biofield therapy can improve physical, mental, and emotional health. A person may use it to support their wellness and prevent health problems or treat current concerns. Some people have it alongside traditional treatments.

Experts remain unsure how effective these therapies are, although there is some evidence to support their benefits.

A 2016 review found that Therapeutic Touch may help people with cancer. Recipients reported benefits such as improved mood, well-being, and vitality, as well as reduced pain, nausea, anxiety, and fatigue. The researchers acknowledged that many of these findings were statistically insignificant.

Therapeutic Touch may also reduce pain and improve function in people with knee osteoarthritis. Research in older adults suggests that it may reduce pain, worry, and restlessness, and increase appetite and sleep quality.

This usually involves a practitioner delivering healing energy through touch. The client typically lies on a massage table fully clothed. Some practitioners also offer distance Reiki, performed virtually.

A small 2015 study included 18 participants undergoing cancer treatment. The researchers assigned the participants into either a control group or a test group who received 30-minute sessions of distance Reiki for 5 days, alongside their standard medical care. The test group reported significantly less pain, anxiety, and fatigue than the control group. One limitation, however, was the small size of this study.

A 2018 study included 60 individuals with herniated disks. The aim was to test whether Reiki or standard physiotherapy was more effective at easing lower back pain. The treatments appeared equally effective, but Reiki was less costly and sometimes had faster results.

Prana means life force in Sanskrit. Pranic healing aims to balance and harmonize the body in order to heal it.

In a 2018 study, researchers studied the effects of Pranic healing in 52 participants with mild-to-moderate depression. The participants received either Pranic or mock healing for 20 minutes once a week for 4 weeks, alongside their antidepressant medications.

The team found a 100% improvement in depression among those who received Pranic healing, compared with 69.2% in the mock group.

A 2015 review looked at the effects of a range of biofield therapies. It found that the strongest evidence of effectiveness concerned cancer symptoms and pain. Although evidence was scarce, it was also promising for arthritis, dementia, and heart disease. The team recommended that researchers conduct further clinical trials of these therapies to better understand the potential benefits.

Because biofield therapies are not invasive, there are few potential risks.

As there is continually more research into biofield therapies, hospitals and other facilities increasingly adopt them and other complementary therapies to support conventional treatments.

Anyone interested in biofield therapies who is currently receiving medical treatment should ask a healthcare professional about any potential risks.

Advocates of biofield therapies believe that each person is surrounded by an energy field, and blockages in the flow of energy can result in illness. Practitioners biofield therapies manipulate this energy to restore or promote health.

No scientific evidence suggests that energy fields exist, and so far, there is little evidence that these therapies are effective.

Some studies indicate that biofield therapies may reduce pain and anxiety and improve sleep quality, appetite, and well-being. Further studies on a larger scale are necessary to support these findings.

A person may be interested in biofield therapies because they pose minimal risks and some find them to be valuable additions to a treatment plan.

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Biofield therapy: Definition, how it works, benefits, and more - Medical News Today