Alternative medicine provides relief in several conditions where conventional therapies do not present the desired results. Nowadays even healthy people are turning to alternate therapies such as yoga and acupuncture for managing their overall health in a holistic manner. According to reports, as many as four out of 10 people in the US use some type of alternative medicine. Let us look at five of the most well known forms of alternative medicine.
Yoga:
Apart from providing physical fitness, Yoga has many other health benefits as well. In numerous studies, it has been found that Yoga lowers stress levels, controls blood pressure and symptoms of diabetes. It is also seen that Yoga is beneficial in reducing back pain, inflammation and asthma symptoms. As per reports, around seven percent of US people practice Yoga with its popularity increasing every day all over the world.
Ayurveda:
In Ayurveda, diet, massage, herbs, meditation and breathing are used to treat various ailments and re-establish equilibrium in the body. The main aim here is to maintain healthy life energy and lack of it causes many illnesses. It is a safe medical practice, which also increases your focus and boosts memory.
Massage:
Massage is an effective way of reduce muscle pain as well as tension. In some University studies, it has been found that massage therapy results in better immune functions in many HIV patients. Benefits have also been seen in fibromyalgia pain after certain number of massage sessions. Athletes report speedy recovery as well as reduction in muscle soreness after a good massage therapy.
Herbal Medicines
Herbal medicines have a proven track record of helping to cure many known health problems. Fish oil is known to lower chances of heart diseases and is also useful in treating depression as well as arthritis. Similarly, Garlic reduces possibility of heart diseases or cancer and assists in lowering cholesterol. Ginseng also has proven positive effects on patients experiencing depression.
Acupuncture
History of acupuncture dates back to more than a couple of thousand years and it originated mainly in China as well as other Asian countries. In this form of treatment, energy flow (also known as chi) in the body is managed using small needles on around four hundred points in a patient's body. This way acupuncture directs 'chi' for curing different medical conditions. Apart from Asian countries, this form of treatment is now gaining popularity in other parts of the world and about three million people use this procedure in the US only.
