Definition
Alternative medicine is used to describe medical treatments that are used instead of traditional (mainstream) therapies. Some people also refer to it as “integrative,” or “complementary” medicine.
According to a 2010 study, 22% of Blacks who used alternative medicine in the past year were treating a specific condition. Alternative medical systems, manipulative and body-based therapies, as well as folk medicine, prayer, biofeedback, and energy/Reiki were used most often.
Another study in 2011, found the use of alternative medicine to be highly prevalent among Blacks with rheumatoid arthritis. Among patients who had RA for more than two years, 96% had engaged in alternative medicine activities, 99% had undergone alternative treatments, and 51% had gone to alternative medicine providers.
Alternative treatments
Acupuncture
This is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that uses needles to stimulate specific points around the body. The person who performs this therapy (an acupuncturist) sticks thin, sterile needles into your skin. Acupuncture is designed to help your body’s natural healing process kick in. Studies show that acupuncture can be effective in treating a number of conditions, like neck and back pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, insomnia, infertility, and more.
Chiropractic Medicine
This practice focuses on the body’s structure, specifically the spine, and how it functions. A trained chiropractor will use different techniques to adjust your spine or other parts of your body so that they’re in proper form or alignment.
The goal of chiropractic medicine is to ease pain, improve body function, and help your body heal itself naturally.
Chiropractic medicine can be helpful in treating the lower back, headaches, neck pain, joint problems in your upper and lower body, and disorders caused by whiplash.
Energy Therapies
These focus on the energy fields many people believe exist in and around the body. Included in this category are: