Alternative Medicine :: essays papers

selection Medicine passim recorded history, people of various cultures founder relied on what horse opera checkup practitioners today call choice medicine. The term ersatz medicine covers a broad range of healing philosophies,approaches, and therapies. It generally describes those treatments and wellness c ar practices that argon outside mainstream Western wellness c ar.People exercise these treatments and therapies in a variety of ways. Alternativetherapies used alone are often referred to as alternative when used incombination with otherwise alternative therapies, or in addition to conventionaltherapies they are referred to as complementary. Some therapies are faroutside the realm of accepted Western medical examination guess and practice, but some,like chiropractic treatments, are nowadays realised in mainstream medicine.Worldwide, and an estimated ten to thirty percentage of human health care isdelivered by conventional, biomedically oriented practitioners ( palm of r ehearse). The remaining 70 to ninety percent ranges from self-careaccording to folk principles, to care given in an organized health caresystem based on alternative therapies (Fields of Practice). many another(prenominal) cultureshave folk medicine traditions that involve the use of ingrafts and jellproducts. In ancient cultures, people methodically store information onherbs and developed well-defined herbal pharmacopoeias. Indeed, well intothe ordinal century a great deal of the pharmacology of scientific medicine wasderived from the herbal perception of native peoples. Many drugs commonly usedtoday are of herbal origin one-quarter of the prescription drug drugs dispensedby community pharmacies in the coupled States contain at least one activeingredient derived from plant material (Fields of Practice).Twenty years ago, few physicians would have advised affected roles to support folicacid to prevent birth defects, vitamin E to crowd a whole heart, orvitamin C to bolst er their immune systems. except today, doctor and patientalike know of the lifesaving benefits of these vitamins. Twenty years ago,acupuncture, guide imagery, and therapeutic soupcon were considered outrightquackery. Now, however, in clinics and hospitals around the country,non-traditional therapies are gaining wider borrowing as testimonials andstudies root success using them to treat such inveterate maladies as jeopardizepain and arthritis.The number of people availing themselves of these alternative therapies isstaggering. In 1991 about sap million Americans make four hundred and cardinal million visits to practitioners of these types of alternativemedicine more than the estimated three hundred and 88 millionvisits made to general practitioners that year (Apostolides). The U.S.Department of Education has original more than 20 acupuncture schoolsand more than thirty medical schools now offer courses in acupuncture(Lombardo Smith). As the number of Western medical institu tions researchingalternative therapies increases, the authenticity of at least some alternativetherapies go out also increase.Alternative Medicine essays papersAlternative MedicineThroughout recorded history, people of various cultures have relied on whatWestern medical practitioners today call alternative medicine. The termalternative medicine covers a broad range of healing philosophies,approaches, and therapies. It generally describes those treatments andhealth care practices that are outside mainstream Western health care.People use these treatments and therapies in a variety of ways. Alternativetherapies used alone are often referred to as alternative when used incombination with other alternative therapies, or in addition to conventionaltherapies they are referred to as complementary. Some therapies are faroutside the realm of accepted Western medical theory and practice, but some,like chiropractic treatments, are now established in mainstream medicine.Worldwide, only an e stimated ten to thirty percent of human health care isdelivered by conventional, biomedically oriented practitioners (Fields ofPractice). The remaining seventy to ninety percent ranges from self-careaccording to folk principles, to care given in an organized health caresystem based on alternative therapies (Fields of Practice). Many cultureshave folk medicine traditions that include the use of plants and plantproducts. In ancient cultures, people methodically collected information onherbs and developed well-defined herbal pharmacopoeias. Indeed, well intothe twentieth century much of the pharmacology of scientific medicine wasderived from the herbal lore of native peoples. Many drugs commonly usedtoday are of herbal origin one-quarter of the prescription drugs dispensedby community pharmacies in the United States contain at least one activeingredient derived from plant material (Fields of Practice).Twenty years ago, few physicians would have advised patients to take folicacid to pre vent birth defects, vitamin E to promote a healthy heart, orvitamin C to bolster their immune systems. Yet today, doctor and patientalike know of the lifesaving benefits of these vitamins. Twenty years ago,acupuncture, guided imagery, and therapeutic touch were considered outrightquackery. Now, however, in clinics and hospitals around the country,non-traditional therapies are gaining wider acceptance as testimonials andstudies report success using them to treat such chronic maladies as backpain and arthritis.The number of people availing themselves of these alternative therapies isstaggering. In 1991 about twenty-one million Americans made four hundred andtwenty-five million visits to practitioners of these types of alternativemedicine more than the estimated three hundred and eighty-eight millionvisits made to general practitioners that year (Apostolides). The U.S.Department of Education has accredited more than twenty acupuncture schoolsand more than thirty medical schools now off er courses in acupuncture(Lombardo Smith). As the number of Western medical institutions researchingalternative therapies increases, the legitimacy of at least some alternativetherapies will also increase.