How Can Americans Incorporate Nontraditional Care Strategies To Improve Their Health?
More Americans today than ever before are investigating the benefits of nontraditional care. In one recent year more than 38 percent of American adults used some form of alternative medicine. The field of nontraditional therapies is diverse. The benefits are hotly contested. Moving forward more research is needed to determine the true efficacy of many of these practices.
Some of the disciplines included in nontraditional care include:
- acupuncture
- acupressure
- Reiki
- homeopathy
- naturopathy
- chiropractic
- biofeedback
- aromatherapy
- ayurvedic medicine
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- balneotherapy
- reflexology
Alternative practices may not always exclude traditional/conventional Western medical techniques. For example nontraditional treatments can sometimes work along with mainstream measures in a combination of practices.
Complementary Treatment
The term “complementary therapy” includes forms of nontraditional care used together with conventional medicine. People sometimes try such treatment(s) to relieve symptoms or side effects while they are undergoing standard/conventional treatment to address the actual diagnosis. For example, cancer patients might use nontraditional care for pain relief. At the same time they could be using conventional oncology protocol for treatment of the disease.
Alternative Treatment
Other individuals may decide to pursue so-called “alternative therapy” approaches. In this case the nontraditional care measure would be used alone in lieu of all standard or allopathic treatment.
Integrative Treatment
“Integrative therapy” is generally understood to incorporate nontraditional care into mainstream health protocols. This approach may include different combinations of alternative, complementary and standard treatments. Each treatment needs to be individualized on a case-by-case basis.
Caution
It is essential to tell your conventional healthcare provider(s) about any/all nontraditional care or complementary health approaches you are using or considering. In conclusion always be certain to give your medical team a full picture of everything that you are currently doing or planning to do to manage your health. This disclosure then will help ensure coordinated and safe care for your best outcome overall.