Alternative therapies have been described as one of the ranges of systems of healing or treating disease not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in Europe and America. Sometimes alternative therapy practices are based on belief systems. Alternative therapies usually incorporate spiritual, metaphysical and religious foundations, sometime untested practices or newly developed approaches to healing are also included. Alternative therapy is generally safe and effective. Conventional practitioners have adopted it and it is no longer considered as alternative therapy. Alternative therapies are commonly categorized together with complementary medicine under the term 'complementary and alternative medicine' (CAM for short).



Some critics say that some of the fields of alternative therapy are not scientific. Jurisdictions also differ concerning the legality of the branches of alternative therapy. Numerous supporters of alternative therapy strongly disagree with the limitations extended by the government agencies that approve medical treatments. India, home of several alternative systems of medicines, has already recognized many of the alternative therapies. Many people make use of conventional medicine for diagnosis, while turning actually to alternative therapies. The studies show that most people use alternative therapies with conventional medicines. Increasing numbers of medical colleges' world over have begun offering courses in alternative medicine. The most common CAM therapies used were the prayer, herbalism, breathing meditation, meditation, chiropractic medicine, yoga, body work, diet-based therapy, progressive relaxation, mega-vitamin therapy and Visualization.

The practice of using complementary medicine collectively with conventional medicine is known as integrative medicine. Alternative therapies include herbal medicine, Chinese medicine, chiropractic, naturopathy, osteopathy, acupuncture, homeopathy, reflexology, aromatherapy, Alexander technique, Bach and other flower remedies, massage, hypnotherapy, shiatsu, ayurvedic medicine, nutritional medicine, yoga, anthroposophical medicine, spiritual healing, iridology, kinesiology, meditation and others.

It is advisable for patients to inform their doctor when they are using alternative therapies, because some treatments may interact with conventional medical treatments, and such possible clash should be investigated in the interest of the patient. However, many patients are usually unwilling to share this information with their doctors since they fear it will hurt their doctor-patient relationship. However not informing their conventional doctor can sometimes cause harm.

Many critics of alternative therapy claim that people have been hurt or killed directly from various alternative therapies or the subsequent avoidance of conventional medicine which they consider unnecessary.

It may be very surprising to learn that many of the prescription drugs are now being tagged as dangerous for human health, there is a big problem posed by people's attitude in using the alternative remedies, the problem is not in those remedies themselves, but in the way people like to use them to address their health challenges.

In other words people generally come to the alternative therapy searching for that magic pill to cure them with a snap of finger, as the conventional prescription drugs do not offer cure usually, instead they only help to suppress the symptoms for the time being. Vast majority of chronic diseases are caused by the lifestyle adapted by the patients themselves. Usually patients are asking for a magic herb to cure their symptom. If they have pain, they want a pill that will eliminate the pain. The problem with patients is that they fail to recognize the internal cause of their pain, or they fail to take ownership of their role in creating the disease they are expressing.

This is extremely frustrating for practitioners of alternative therapies. Because therapists want to help patients, but most patients really aren't looking for long-term solutions or the cure, what they're actually looking for is short-term masking of their symptoms, using products that they can call natural.

There is a huge challenge before the therapist and that is educating patients. However, most patients aren't looking to be educated. They don't want to change their lifestyle, and they don't want to have to do anything that's too uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Alternative medicine is not better than conventional medicine if the patient treats it as a temporary cover up for a set of symptoms that they have created in their life through their reluctance to change that lead to long term health goals.

Alternative therapies really can do wonders for you, if you turn to them whole heartedly and follow them religiously for a long term cure of your problems. One more thing to be certain of is proper accreditation of the therapist but this does not always guarantee the expertise.