- Our dictionary of alternative medicine covers topics that have been identified as being related to alternative
medicine (CAM); wellness, or
are about an alternative position on health, healing, and/or illness.
- Our dictionary of alternative medicine is a comprehensive work on the branches of alternative medicine, alternative
treatment methods, as well as the people and the terms and concepts commonly referenced in the field of complementary
and alternative medicine.
- Our dictionary of alternative medicine provides a lot of useful information.
- Our dictionary of alternative medicine builds upon the work started by the GNU Free Documentation Project
on Alternative Medicine.
- You can find what you are looking for by either manually scrolling through our dictionary, or by using our
Google site search command.
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Dictionary of Alternative Medicine - O
- Obesity
- Okinawan diet - This is the traditional diet of
Okinawa, Japan which was made popular as the key to longevity by the bestseller The Okinawa Program. Many consider
it as the basis for the Japanese food pyramid.
- Organic food
- Orgonomy is the science of cosmic life energy founded
by the physician Wilhelm Reich. It makes the claim that there is a way of deactivating nuclear radiation or at least controlling its most devastating effects.
- Leonard Orr - developed Rebirthing.
- Orthomolecular medicine refers to the
regular consumption of vitamin supplements. Originally,
it referred only to the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts
of nutritional supplements. And, was limited to the correction of biochemical abnormalities.
- Orthopathy started in 1802 in the US and developed
into the natural
hygiene movement.
- Osteopathy "is a form of conventional medicine
that, in part, emphasizes diseases arising in the musculoskeletal
system. There is an underlying belief that all of the body's systems work together, and disturbances in one
system may affect function elsewhere in the body. Some osteopathic physicians practice osteopathic
manipulation, a full-body system of hands-on techniques to alleviate pain, restore function, and promote health
and well-being." [NCCAM].
- Ovo-lacto vegetarian
Dictionary of Alternative Medicine - P
- Pain
- Palliative care is any form of medical care
or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress rather
than providing a cure. It is especially refers to complementary
medicine that improves the quality of life by reducing or eliminating pain.
- Daniel Palmer - founded chiropractic
medicine.
- Linus Pauling - established a new discipline called
orthomolecular medicine and promoted the
use of Vitamin C to prevent cancer.
- Physical education
- Physical exercise
- Physical fitness is activity performed in order
to develop or maintain physical fitness or endurance and muscular strength, which is pursued by people interested
in wellness.
- Physical strength is pursued by people interested
in wellness.
- Physical therapy as an alternative therapy
is used for palliative care. It refers to a group of healing practices that include massage, stretching,
ultrasound, electrostimulation, heat and cold applications, and muscle strengthening.
- Pilates - Pilates is the latest exercise fad in the wellness movement. Six basic
principles apply to every Pilates exercise: breath, concentration, control, centering, precision, and flow. Pilates,
incorporating elements of both dance and yoga,
emphasizes movement and core abdominal strength. And, is often performed in a group setting on mats or with special
Pilates equipment.
- Placebo effect - When a patient benefits from
alternative medical treatment, the benefit can be accounted for by a number of different factors: the placebo effect,
the treatment itself, or from a combination of both. Hence, the placebo effect is really only a problem when conducting
research, because when a patient benefits from it, it is obviously a positive factor that aids a patient's recovery.
Alternative medicine strives to capitalize on this effect, while medical doctors generally consider the placebo
effect only to be a negative factor that should be minimized during treatment.
- Plum blossom is the name of both a tool (also called
"Seven Star") and a technique in traditional
Chinese medicine, as well as a metaphor used by several different Chinese
martial arts.
- PNF stretching refers to stretching
techniques in which a muscle group is passively stretched, then is contracted isometrically against resistance
while in the stretched position, and then is passively stretched again. This form of stretching usually employs
the use of a partner.
- Power yoga is a modernized version of ashtanga
yoga. This version of yoga supposedly
builds core strength and endurance, as well as flexibility.
- Pranic healing is a form of energy
healing that is rooted in Vedic culture.
Pranic healing uses the energy of prana, or life force, which
practitioners believe promotes healing.
- Prayer - People often pray for their own health, or pray
for others to recover from some illness.
- Vincent Priessnitz - developed a system of
water-cures.
- Professionalized modalities - A professional used in this context is referring to a person engaging in a given
activity as a source of livelihood or as a career. It is a provider-based
therapy where someone who is knowledgeable about a specific alternative
health therapy provides care or gives advice about its use. It refers to all doctor
- patient relationships where the professional is functioning in the role of a doctor, whether licensed or
not. The professional is providing some type of treatment or therapy which the patient cannot perform on themselves.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation - "This
therapy involves the successive tensing and relaxing of each of the 15 major muscle groups. Performed lying down,
one generally begins with the head and progresses downward, tensing each muscle as tightly as possible for a count
of 5 to 10 and then releasing it completely. often combined with deep
breathing, progressive relaxations is particularly useful for reducing stress, relieving tension, and inducing
sleep." (See CDC Advance Data Report below.)
- Psychosocial
interventions coves a variety of non-drug techniques designed to
enhance the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms that
are designed to impact thepsychological and social
factors of health. Unfortunately, there are no webpages out there that present a present a good overview of these topics.
Dictionary of Alternative Medicine - Q
- Qi, or chi,
is a fundamental concept of Chinese culture, most often
defined as air, breath, life force, or spiritual energy that they believe is a part of everything that exists.
- Qi gong "is a component of traditional
Chinese medicine that combines movement, meditation, and regulation of breathing to enhance the flow of qi
(an ancient term given to what is believed to be vital energy) in the body, improve blood circulation, and enhance
immune function." [NCCAM]. People interested in wellness practice the slow, flowing,
rhythmical movements of Qi gong which is very similar to Tai
Chi.
- A quack is a person who pretends to be a physician,
or sells fraudulent health care products or treatment.
- Quackery
Dictionary of Alternative Medicine - R
- Theron Randolph - father of modern allergy
medicine, founder of environmental medicine
- Doris Rapp - protege of Randolph, pediatric environmental
medicine practitioner and author of books on pediatric
allergies.
- Raw foodist
- Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
- Rebirthing
- Wilhelm Reich - founder of Orgonomy.
- Reiki "is a Japanese
word representing Universal Life Energy. Reiki
is based on the belief that when spiritual energy is channeled through a Reiki practitioner, the patient's spirit
is healed, which in turn heals the physical body." [NCCAM].
- Relaxation techniques cover the most basic
Western ways of coping with stress.
- Stretching
is a type of exercise that you engage in order to relieve joint stiffness, improve your mobility, and increase
your muscular range-of-motion. (See also Stretching)
- Visualization, or guided imagery, "involves
a series of relaxation techniques followed
by the visualization of detailed images, usually calm and peaceful in nature. If used for treatment, the client
may visualize his/her body as healthy, strong, and free of the specific problem or condition. Sessions, conducted
in groups or one-on-one, are typically 20-30 minutes and may be practiced several times a week. Guided
imagery has been advocated for a number of chronic conditions, including headaches,
stress, high
blood pressure, and anxiety." (See CDC Advance
Data Report below.)
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation - "This
therapy involves the successive tensing and relaxing of each of the 15 major muscle groups. Performed lying down,
one generally begins with the head and progresses downward, tensing each muscle as tightly as possible for a count
of 5 to 10 and then releasing it completely. often combined with deep
breathing, progressive relaxations is particularly useful for reducing stress, relieving tension, and inducing
sleep." (See CDC Advance Data Report below.)
- Reflexology studies the relationship of the reflex
areas in the feet, hands and the ears to the rest of the body so that these areas can be worked on with the fingers
and thumbs in a manner that practitioners believe will have a beneficial effect on some other part of the body.
- Reiki, or energy
healing therapy, "helps the body's ability to heal itself through the flow and focusing of healing
energy (Reiki means universal healing energy).
During treatment, this healing energy is channeled through the hands of a practitioner into the client's body to
restore a normal energy balance and health. Energy healing therapy has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments
and health problems and is often used in conjunction with other alternative and conventional medical treatments."
(See CDC Advance Data Report below.)
- Richard Russell - (1687 – 1759) was an eighteenth century British doctor who encouraged his patients to use what was later called the water cure.
- Arnold Rikli - a lay practitioner who added the
use of air and sunlight to the water-cure. He is known
for having said: "Water is good; air is better, but light is best of all."
- Ida Rolf - founder of Rolfing.
- Rolfing is a form of deep-tissue, structurally oriented
body work that was created by Ida
Rolf. It is employed primarily to help reduce stress
and ease mobility, address posture problems, and reduce musculoskeletal and back
pain.
- Running
Dictionary of Alternative Medicine - S
- The San Jiao or triple
burner is an organ found only in traditional
Chinese medical theory, and with no tangible existence. It is a concept of Qi
flow and fluid metabolism.
- John Scheel - coined the word "naturopathy"
in 1895.
- Scientism refers to the attitude and method of the
typical natural scientist.
- Julian Scott - modern pediatric acupuncture
expert from England
- Helmut W. Schimmel - founded functional
medicine in Germany.
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Seasonal depression experienced during winter, which is believed to be due to inadequate levels of sunshine.
- Self-care modalities - For people interested in wellness, self-care modalities are
forms of CAM that an individual can perform by themselves, even if they need to be trained to do so. These cover
techniques that can be self-taught with the aid of books or instructional videos, or can be learned from an experienced
practitioner. Although some initial training is needed, once these techniques are learned, you will need no additional
outside assistance unless you want to improve your skills.
- Self-hypnosis
- Shaman
- Shamanism
- Herbert Shelton - founded the Natural
Hygiene movement.
- Joel Shew - introduced the European system of Hydrotherapy
to the United States.
- Shiatsu refers to the use of fingers and palms of one's
hands to apply pressure to Shiatsu points throughout
the body for the purpose of correcting the imbalances of the body, and for maintaining and promoting health.
- Bernie Siegel - American MD and author who promotes
cultivating one's attitude toward healing.
- Sinusitis
- Somapractic
- Sonopuncture
- Spa - For people interested in wellness,
a health spa covers treatments with water.
- Spontaneous healing - Refers to patients
with some hopeless condition that suddenly and miraculously recover for reasons that defy medical explanation.
- Rudolf Steiner - founded anthroposophy
- Andrew Still - founded osteopathy.
- Stress is the chronic feelings of anxiety
brought on by the demands of modern life. Stress is our psychological and emotional reactions. And, it is basically
an overreaction to the demands of our environment.
- Stress management - People interested in wellness develop coping strategies
for dealing with the stresses of modern life. They use many ways to cope with stressors. The most sensible ways
are learning not to overreact to the stressors in your life by exercising self-control, relaxation
techniques such as meditation,
physical exercise, music
therapy, visualization and body
work (or massage therapy).
- Stretching
is a type of exercise that you engage in order to relieve joint stiffness, improve your mobility, and increase
your muscular range-of-motion. (See also Stretching)
- Support groups
- Syndrome X (metabolic)
Dictionary of Alternative Medicine - T
- Richard Tan - modern popular charismatic acupuncture
teacher
- Tai Chi is a form of Chinese
exercise called moving meditation or the art of creating energy. People interested in wellness
repeat a fixed routine of slow and deliberate movements that help to develop mental focus and concentration. Tai
chi can be divided into the long form and the short form. The long form has 108 forms and the short form has 48
forms. (See also Qi gong)
- Tao
- Taoism
- Tension headache
- Therapeutic nihilism is skepticism regarding
the therapeutic value of drugs or medical treatment voiced by physicians.
- Therapeutic Touch "is derived from an
ancient technique called laying-on of hands.
It is based on the premise that it is the healing force
of the therapist that affects the patient's recovery; healing is promoted when the body's energies are in balance;
and, by passing their hands over the patient, healers can identify energy imbalances." [NCCAM].
- Tibetan eye chart
- Thalassotherapy is the therapeutic and prophylactic
application of sea water, mud, algae, and sand. Its therapeutic effect is believed to be based on the tonic effect
of the climate and on the physical and the chemical content of the sea water.
- Therapeutic Touch
- Samuel Thompson - founded Thomsonianism.
- Thomsonianism -- A form of herbalism
in use during the 19th century in the US.
- Tongue diagnosis
- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
"is the current name for an ancient system of health care from China. TCM is based on a concept of balanced
Qi (pronounced "chee"), or vital energy, that is believed
to flow throughout the body. Qi is proposed to regulate a person's spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance
and to be influenced by the opposing forces of yin (negative energy) and yang (positive energy). Disease is proposed
to result from the flow of qi being disrupted and yin and
yang becoming imbalanced. Among the components of TCM are herbal and nutritional
therapy, restorative physical exercises, meditation, acupuncture, and remedial
massage." [NCCAM].
- 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:
- Russell Trall - founded the New York College of
Hygieo-Therapy.
- Traditional medicine
- Traditional Tibetan medicine
- Transcendental meditation
- Trigger point
- Tui Na
References
- Barnes P, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin R. CDC Advance Data Report #343. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Use Among Adults: United States, 2002. May 27, 2004.
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