Misplaced Pages

Glossary of alternative medicine: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 12:52, 23 June 2014 editBon courage (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users66,214 edits tidy← Previous edit Latest revision as of 13:59, 27 November 2020 edit undoChristian75 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers114,715 edits {{R from merge}} 
(18 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
#REDIRECT ]
{{Fringe theories}}
{{medref}}
{{Refimprove|date=November 2008}}


{{R from merge}}
This is a glossary for terms and concepts being used in '']'' a large category of practices that fall outside the scope of conventional medicine.

<!--INFOBOX --SCROLL DOWN SEVERAL LINES FOR TEXT OF ARTICLE -->
<div style="float:right;margin:0 0 1em 1em;">
{| border=0
|-
!
|}
</div>
<div style="width:350px;margin:0 0 0em 0em;">
{| border=0
|-
!
{{compact ToC|side=yes|top=yes|num=no}}
|}
</div>
<!--//END OF INFOBOX-->
__NOTOC__
==A==
* ''']''' is the practice of inserting very thin needles in specific acupuncture points or combinations of points on the body.<ref>{{cite web |url =http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture |title=Acupuncture |website =U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) |accessdate =6 February 2014}}</ref>
* '''Alternative Medical Systems''' is the name of a ] classification for those forms of alternative medicine that are built upon a "complete system of ideas and practice" such as ] or ].<ref name="NCCAM" />
* ''']''' is a form of re-education used principally to correct faulty habits such as bad posture, tension, bad breathing and speech defects. It is also a means of helping people to become more aware of themselves, less bound by sheer mechanical habit, and to develop more control of their reactions and behaviour. It is a re-educational process and Alexander teachers regard those they teach as pupils who must co-operate and should not see themselves as merely passive patients. Although it is not a treatment for specific conditions, many different kinds of disorders often disappear in the re-educational process.<ref>Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine & Self-Help. Malcom Hulke, Rider & Co</ref>
* ''']''' was invented in the early twentieth century by ] and ]. Practitioners supplement ] ideas with conventional therapies and ] remedies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.steinerhealth.org/about/anthroposophical-medicine/ |title =Anthroposopical Medicine |website =Rudolph Steiner Health Center |accessdate =6 February 2014}}</ref>
* ''']''' is the process of developing treatments according to anthroposophic theories. Anthroposophic medicinal products are primarily used within anthroposophic medicine.
* ''']''' is the use of ]s and other aromatic compounds, primarily to affect mood.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nccam.nih.gov/health/aromatherapy |title =Aromatherapy |website =U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) |accessdate =6 February 2014}}</ref>
* ''']''' is a form of therapy aimed at children with alleged 'attachment disorders', usually fostered or adopted children. It is substantially based on outdated notions of suppressed rage due to early adverse experiences. Traditionally it uses a variety of confrontational and physically coercive techniques of which the most common form is holding therapy, accompanied by parenting methods which emphasize obedience. Following implication in a number of child death and maltreatment cases in the USA there has been a recent move away from coercion by some leading theorists and practitioners. It is largely unvalidated.<ref name="Chaffin">{{cite journal |author=Chaffin M |title=Report of the APSAC task force on attachment therapy, reactive attachment disorder, and attachment problems |journal=Child Maltreat |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=76–89 |year=2006 |pmid=16382093 |doi=10.1177/1077559505283699 |author-separator=, |author2=Hanson R |author3=Saunders BE |display-authors=3 |last4=Nichols |first4=T |last5=Barnett |first5=D |last6=Zeanah |first6=C |last7=Berliner |first7=L |last8=Egeland |first8=B |last9=Newman |first9=E}}</ref>
* ''']''' is a system of holistic healing that originated 5000 years in India.. It means "science of life" or "knowledge of living". Therapies include herbal and mineral remedies, massage, yoga and breathing exercises. It is widely practiced in India and is becoming more popular in the West.

==B==
* ''']''' is related to the visual acuity. It is based on the belief that errors in visual accommodation are due to mental strain, and that vision may be improved by appropriate relaxation techniques.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.seeing.org/ |website = Seeing The Bates Method |title =Bates Method |accessdate = 6 February 2014}}</ref>
* '''Biologically based therapies''' is an NCCAM classification for alternative treatments that use substances found in nature and/or some other natural therapy such as ] or ].<ref name="NCCAM" />
* ''']''' is a technique that teaches you to become aware of a normally automatic bodily function, such as heart rate, and how to control it. This can can be helpful for a variety of conditions.
* The ''']''' of health is a conceptual model of illness that excludes psychological and social factors and includes only biological factors in an attempt to understand a person's illness. According to this model, health constitutes the freedom from disease, pain, or defect, thus making the normal human condition health. The model's focus on the physical processes, such as the ], the ] and the ] of a disease, does not take into account the role of social factors or individual subjectivity. The model also overlooks the fact that the diagnosis (that will affect treatment of the patient) is a result of negotiation between doctor and patient.<ref>Annandale, ''The Sociology of Health and Medicine: A Critical Introduction'', Polity Press, 1998</ref>
* ''']''' is any therapeutic, healing, or personal development work that involves some form of touching, energetic work, or the physical manipulation of a practically oriented physical and somatic understanding of the body.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.minddisorders.com/A-Br/Bodywork-therapies.html |title = Bodywork Therapies |website =Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders |accessdate=6 February 2014}}</ref>

==C==
* '''CAM''' is an ] for ], a large range of treatments and theories on the nature of health and illness, many of them unrelated, which have in common that they are not commonly employed by the conventional medical establishment.
* ''']''' is the use of chelating agents such as EDTA to remove heavy metals from the body. While in conventional medicine, chelation therapy is used only to treat heavy metal poisoning, some alternative practitioners advocate the use of chelation therapy to treat coronary artery disease.
* '''Chinese medicine''' – the group of philosophies embodied by ] are, more accurately, referred to as ] Medicine with roots in many different ]n countries. This millennia-old Asian medical tradition works to bring balance to the body through ], ], Eastern ], diet; and lifestyle changes such as ] and ].
* ''']''' is a manual therapy involving the manipulation of the ] to restore proper, motion, biomechanics, and nerve flow from the brain to the body.
* ''']''' a religious movement founded by ] (1821–1910) which augments and modifies ] with her own ideas. Christian Scientists believe the material world is an illusion and so illness too is not real, but an "error" which can be corrected with special kinds of prayer, and not by medicine.
* ''']''' is an ] practice asserting that light can be used to stimulate ] for the purpose of balancing energy in the body and promoting healing and better health. It is also called color light acupuncture in North America. It is a form of ].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cocilovo|first=A|year=1999|title=Colored light therapy: overview of its history, theory, recent developments and clinical applications combined with acupuncture|journal=Am J Acupunct|volume=27|issue=1–2|pages=71–83|pmid=10513100}}</ref>
* ''']''' refers to treatments that are used ''alongside'' ("complementary to") ].
* ''']''' uses the different colours and their energy frequencies to correct psychological or physical imbalances. Also known as ''Chromotherapy''.
* ''']''' (or CST) is a pseudoscientific treatment devised by John Upledger in the 1970s. A CST practitioner will massage a patient's scalp in the belief that the precise positioning of their cranial bones can have a profound impact on their health. However, there is no evidence this therapy is effective for the treatment of any disease.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Craniosacral therapy
|publisher=]
|url=http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/manualhealingandphysicaltouch/craniosacral-therapy
|date=December 2012
|accessdate=August 2013}}</ref>

==D==
* '''Diet-based therapies''' use a variety of ] in order to improve health and longevity, to control weight, as well as to treat specific health conditions like high ].<!-- Hide these for now: {{Div col|3}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] (], ])
{{Div col end}}-->
* The ''']''' was developed around 1500 and claims that a plant's physical appearance reveals its medical value. The Doctrine of Signatures is often associated with ] ].

==E==
* ''']''' was a nineteenth-century system of medicine used in North America that treated diseases by the application of single herbal remedies to effect specific cures of certain signs and symptoms.
* ''']''' is the name of a ]<ref name="NCCAM" /> classification, for alternative treatments that involve the use of veritable (i.e., that which can be measured) and putative (i.e., that which have yet to be measured) energy fields.<ref></ref><!-- Hide this for now: It can include:
{{Div col|3}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* Eden Energy Medicine – approach developed by Donna Eden<ref>Feinstein, PhD, Eden: Six Pillars of Energy Medicine: Clinical Strengths of a Complementary Paradigm , accessed 1/27/08; also </ref>
{{Div col end}}
* Exercise-based therapy uses a variety of traditional forms of physical movement, in order to improve health and longevity, to increase, lengthen & tone muscle mass, gain flexibility, as well as to treat specific health conditions and to relieve stress. It can include:
{{Div col|3}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* Some forms of ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{Div col end}}-->

==F==
* ''']''' is an educational system centered on movement, aiming to expand and refine the use of the self through awareness.
* ''']''' is regarded by some as a sub-category of ] which uses homeopathic dilutions of flowers. This practice was begun by ] with the ] but is now practiced much more widely.
* ''']''' is the collection of procedures traditionally used for treatment of illness and injury, aid to childbirth, and maintenance of wellness.

==G==
* ''']''', named for ], recommended hard mattresses, open bedroom windows, chastity, cold showers, loose clothing, pure water and vigorous exercise.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}

==H==
* ''']''' is the practice of making or prescribing herbal remedies for ]s.
* ''']''' is any medicine or method of treatment that is aggressive or daring in a dangerously ill patient. It generally includes the pre-scientific treatments of 18th-century doctors, such as ].
* ''']''' is the study and advocacy of wholeness in ], ], ], or any other area of life.
* ''']''' is the external use of water in the medical treatment of disease, such as through the use of baths, the application of hot and cold compresses or sheet packs, and shower sprays. These applications typically use water as a medium for delivery of heat and cold to the body, capitalising on the thermoregulatory properties of the body for therapeutic effect.<ref name=textbookofmedicalphysiology11thed>{{cite book |title=Textbook of Medical Physiology |last1=Guyton |first1=Arthur C.|authorlink=Arthur Guyton |year=2006 |edition=11th|author2=Hall, John E.|publisher=Elsevier Saunders|location=Philadelphia|isbn=0-7216-0240-1}}</ref><ref name="KozierErb&Olivieri">{{Cite journal |last1=Kozier |first1=Barbara |last2=Erb |first2=Glenora |last3=Olivieri | first3=Rita| year=1991 |title=Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process and Practice |edition=4th |publication-place=Redwood City, California |publisher=Addison-Wesley |pages=1335–1336 |postscript= <!--None--> |isbn= 0-201-09202-6}}</ref><ref name="Thrash&Thrash">{{Cite book| last1= Thrash| first1=Agatha|author2=Calvin Thrash |title = Home Remedies: Hydrotherapy, Massage, Charcoal and Other Simple Treatments| publisher= Thrash Publications| year= 1981| location= Seale, Alabama|isbn=0-942658-02-7}}</ref>
* ''']''' is a technique that taps into a person's subconscious by inducing a light trance state. The practitioner will guide the person using visualisation, breathing and relaxation to help them overcome habits such as smoking or deal with fears, obsessions and emotional disorders.

==I==
* ''']''' as defined by ] combines conventional medical treatments and ] treatments for which there is some claimed scientific evidence of their safety and effectiveness.<ref name="NCCAM">U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. </ref> Integrative medicine also adopts the term "integrative health" which incorporates mental, spiritual and community wellness with personal health.<ref>California Institute of Integral Studies. (2009). ''Integrative Health Studies Program Guide: Glossary of Terms''. San Francisco: California Institute of Integral Studies.</ref>
* ''']''' (also known as iridodiagnosis<ref name="Cline">Cline D; Hofstetter HW; Griffin JR. ''Dictionary of Visual Science''. 4th ed. Butterworth-Heinemann, Boston 1997. ISBN 0-7506-9895-0</ref>) is an ] technique whose proponents believe that patterns, colors, and other characteristics of the ] can be examined to determine information about a patient's ] health. Practitioners match their observations to ''iris charts'' which divide the iris into zones corresponding to specific parts of the human body.

==L==
* ''']''' is a movement the goal of which is to live longer through intervention, and to increase maximum lifespan or average lifespan, especially in mammals. Researchers of life extension are a subclass of biogerontologists known as "biomedical gerontologists". ''See also the'' ].
* ''']''' is the particular attitudes, habits, or behaviors associated with an individual.
* ''']''' are diseases that appear to increase in frequency as countries become more industrialized and people live longer.

==M==
* ''']''' is a diet based on whole grains and cereals, and unprocessed vegetables and fruits. Refined and processed foods and most animal products are avoided. It aims to bring a balance of yin and yang within the body.
* '''Manipulative and body-based methods''' is the name of a ] classification, for alternative treatments that are based on manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts of the body.<ref name="NCCAM" /><!-- HIDE THIS FOR NOW: It can include:
{{Div col|3}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* Somatics
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{Div col end}}-->
* ''']''' (MLD) is a type of gentle massage which is believed by proponents to encourage the natural circulation of the lymph through the body.
* The ] idea says that the causes, development, and outcomes of an illness are determined as much from the interaction of psychological and social factors as they are due to the biological factors of health. Many mind-body therapists take the definition of "mind-body connection" further and state that the ''root cause'' of illness is actually in the mind and spirit, and that for complete and permanent eradication of an illness, the cause must be addressed and cure focused there.
* ''']''' is the name of a ] classification, that covers a variety of techniques designed to enhance the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms.<!-- HIDE THIS FOR NOW: It can include:
{{Div col|3}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]s
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{Div col end}}-->
* ''']''' is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of moxa or mugwort, a small, spongy herb, near the body to promote healing. It has been practised throughout Asia for thousands of years.

==N==
* '''Nature cure''' is the progenitor of ] in Europe. It postulates that all disease is due to violations of nature's laws, and that true healing consists in a return to natural habits.
* ''']''' is an eclectic self-care system of natural therapies that purports to build and restore health by working with the natural recuperative powers of the human body.
* ''']''' is the eclectic practice of Naturopathic Doctors (N.D.) using many different natural therapies as treatment. The original method of treatment of Naturopathy was the water cure.
* ''']''' is the treatment method used by advocates of natural health.
* '''NCCAM classifications''' – The ], or NCCAM, has classified complementary and alternative therapies into five different categories, or domains:<ref name="NCCAM" />
** ]
** ]
** ]
** ]
** ]

==P==
* ''']''' is a system of gentle exercise that builds muscle strength and flexibility. The controlled movements engage both body and mind and are designed to improve posture and agility and help to prevent injury.
* ''']''' is a Sanskrit word which means "life force", a universal energy which flows throughout the body. In Aryuvedic medicine it is the vital energy that animates life. In Chinese medicine it is known as Qi. The exercises and breathing techniques performed in yoga are designed to enhance and balance the flow of prana.

==Q==
* ] or Chi in traditional Chinese Medicine is the universal life force that flows through and permeates all life. The correct balance and flow of Qi is essential to health and well being.

* ] is an exercise aspect of Chinese medicine. Qigong is mostly taught for health maintenance purposes, but there are also some who teach it, especially in China, for therapeutic interventions. There are hundreds of different schools, and it is also an adjunct training of many ] martial arts.

==R==
* ] is a form of treatment developed by Mikao Usui in Japan around 1922. Practitioners use their hands on or above the patient in order to control, increase or open up a postulated energy, "ki", in the body. Training is usually through short courses, after which one can become certified as a "Reiki master".
* ]

== S ==
* ]
* ], or ], looks at the dynamic systems of the human body as part of an integrated whole, incorporating biochemical, physiological, and environment interactions that sustain life. Systems medicine draws on theories from ], ] and ] when developing a comprehensive approach that considers an individual’s health in light of their ], behavior and the external environment.<ref>{{cite web|last1= Ayyadurai |first1= VA Shiva| last2= Chopra|first2= Deepak| url= http://systemshealth.com |title=Systems Health: The Future of Medicine}}</ref><ref name=Chopra>{{cite web|url=http://www.chopra.com/systemshealth-shiva|title=Systems Health - Dr. VA Shiva Ayyadurai| accessdate=11 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1= Federoff |first1= Howard| last2= Gostin|first2= Lawrence O.| url= http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=184479 |title=Evolving from Reductionism to Holism: Is There a Future for Systems Medicine?| journal= Journal of the American Medical Association|volume= 302|issue=9 |year=2009| pages=994–996 | doi=10.1001/jama.2009.1264}}</ref>

==T==
* ] – the use of ] as a form of therapy.<ref name="ShorterOxfordEnglishDictionaryp3225">{{cite book | first= | last= | year=2007 | edition=6th | title=]| editor=Angus Stevenson |chapter=Definition of Thalasso therapy |volume=2: N-Z| publisher=Oxford University Press| location=Oxford|page=3225|isbn=978-0-19-920687-2}} Note: Thalasso therapy is a sub-definition under the listing for Thalasso.</ref> Thalassotherapy was popular in ] during the second half of the eighteenth century, with Doctor ] credited as playing a significant role in its popularity.<ref name="Gray2006">{{cite book | title=Designing the Seaside: Architecture, Society and Nature|url=http://books.google.com/?id=5B69CiXKjgQC&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=1769+%22Sea+Water+in+the+Diseases+of+the+Glands.+%22&q=Russell |last=Gray|first=Fred| edition= |year=2006| publisher=Reaktion Books|location=London| pages=46–47|accessdate=8 December 2009|isbn=1-86189-274-8}}</ref>
* Therapeutic music – music played live at the bedside of persons who are faced with physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges, generally in the person’s home, a hospice or in a clinical setting.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}
* ] (TCM) is a system of health care which is based on the ] notion of harmony and balance inside the human body as well as harmony between the body and its outside environment. TCM can include or address the following components:
{{Div col|3}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{Div col end}}
* Traditional Japanese medicine – Pre-Western Japanese medicine was strongly influenced by traditional Chinese medicine and is often seen as a sub-category of TCM. It includes the following practices:
** ]
** ]

==U==
* ]
* ] is a specialized branch of alternative medicine, including any sort of oral or external application of urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, see ].

==W==
* ] in the therapeutic sense is a course of medical treatment by ].<ref name="ShorterOxfordEnglishDictionaryp3586">{{cite book | first= | last= | year=2007 | edition=6th | title=]| editor=Angus Stevenson |chapter=Definition of Water Cure |volume=2: N–Z| publisher=Oxford University Press| location=Oxford|page=3586|isbn=978-0-19-920687-2}} Note: Definition is under the general listing for water (noun), alphabetically in the sub-listing for phrases. This section begins on p.3585, but the definition for Water Cure is found in the top part of the first column on p.3586. The phrases are in alphabetical order, so it's just a matter of going down the list.</ref> In the nineteenth century, the term "Water Cure" was used synonymously with "hydropathy", which itself is the 19th century term for hydrotherapy.<ref name="HydropathyinBritannica1910">{{cite book| title=The Encyclopaedia Britannica| url=http://www.archive.org/stream/encyclopdiabrit18chisgoog#page/n184/mode/1up |author=Unsigned article| chapter=Hydropathy| editor=…|volume=XIV| year=1910| publisher=The Encyclopaedia Britannica Company| location= London |isbn=| pages=165–166|accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref><ref name="Watercuredef1913">{{Cite web| title=Water cure definition per Webster's 1913 dictionary | url=http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?resource=Webster%27s&word=water+cure&use1913=on&use1828=on| dateformat=|accessdate=6 December 2009}}</ref> Conceptually, water cures include a broad range of practices – essentially any therapeutic uses of water. See ] and ] for further discussion and links.
* ] has been used in CAM contexts since ] began using the phrase "high level wellness" in the 1950s, based on a series of lectures at a Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington, VA.<ref name="pmid13661471">{{cite journal |author=DUNN HL |title=High-Level Wellness for Man and Society |journal=Am J Public Health Nations Health |volume=49 |issue=6 |pages=786–92 |year=1959 |pmid=13661471 |doi= 10.2105/AJPH.49.6.786|format=Scanned & PDF |pmc=1372807}}</ref> Wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind-body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being.

==Y==
* ] is a diverse and ancient East Indian practise. There are many different styles and schools of yoga. It is generally a combination of breathing exercises, physical postures, and ], that calms the nervous system and balances body, mind, and spirit. It is thought to prevent specific diseases and maladies by relaxing the body, deepening respiration and calming the mind. Yoga has been used to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve flexibility, concentration, sleep, and digestion. It has also been used as supplementary therapy for such diverse conditions as ], ], ], and ].

==See also==
* ]
* ]
* ]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glossary Of Alternative Medicine}}
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 13:59, 27 November 2020

Redirect to:

  • From a merge: This is a redirect from a page that was merged into another page. This redirect was kept in order to preserve the edit history of this page after its content was merged into the content of the target page. Please do not remove the tag that generates this text (unless the need to recreate content on this page has been demonstrated) or delete this page.