Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine, also called complementary medicine, is a name for a variety of treatments that have not been widely accepted by the majority of doctors in the Western World. Alternative medicine offers pain relief, but there isn’t enough evidence to draw any conclusion as to the long-term effectiveness of many treatments.
Common alternative treatments appear to reduce pain by increasing relaxation and decreasing stress. These include:
- Meditation: an inwardly focused practice for relaxing the body and calming the mind
- Reflexology: a treatment with the philosophy that, by applying pressure to certain places on the hands or feet, blood circulation is improved, the body relaxes and organs and glands become balanced
- Yoga: physical and mental exercises designed to help achieve the goal of living with good health and peace of mind
- Hypnotherapy: the treatment of disease by inducing a trance-like sleep
- Acupuncture: a practice adapted from Chinese medicine in which certain body areas are pierced with fine needles
Last updated: 24 Apr 2009
Some alternative medicines appear to reduce pain by increasing relaxation and decreasing stress
