Some Great Mainstream Alternative Health Options

There are many mainstream alternative health options available to help heal and cope with various issues. Many doctors have now begun to incorporate or recommend these services to their patients.

The medical establishment has been slow to accept anything outside of the normal paradigm of invasive and drug-related treatments, but they are coming around.

Evidence for diagnostics, treatments and procedures which have existed for decades (and longer) is just too overwhelming to dismiss.

More and more dollars are being spent on scientific research into many areas of alternative health these days. The data tends to support what many of us have intuitively known all along.

Most Recognized Mainstream Alternative Health Modalities

Many doctors are very comfortable with allowing, and even recommending herbs and supplements to their patients these days. 

Herbal remedies have existed practically as long as the human race, and many are being aggressively studied these days. Science is finding out that what our ancestors knew still applies today.

Another great adjunct to conventional treatment that is finding its way into referrals is chiropractic. The manipulation of the joints of the body, both spinal and extremity, is now even covered by most insurance companies!

Other Body-Based Approaches

Various forms of massage therapy, from Eselan to Sports Massage and Cranio-sacral therapy have been wholly embraced by more forward-thinking physicians. 

Beyond the benefits of pain reduction and general well-being, many of these modalities have true medical benefits.

Nutrition as well as the content of the food we eat has become a political as well as medical hot point. Medical practitioners are becoming aware that a single course in nutrition during the 8 or more long years of schooling is simply not enough.

Food based approaches to health are becoming demanded by greater and greater numbers of people as our governmental agencies have gotten more aggressive in their regulatory and legislative attempts.

New Alternative Health Paradigms We've Adopted

The idea behind homeopathy is ancient, and mentioned in medical texts from centuries ago. Doctors for the most part are still not convinced that it could work (let alone does!), but patients are.

Naturopathy mainly incorporates herbal and dietary preparations, and is a licensed occupation these days. More and more people are opting for these services.

Naprapathy combines the best of both naturopathy and osteopathic medicine into a comprehensive system of care and treatment.

Useful for just about everything from losing weight and quitting smoking to reduction/elimination of pain, is the area of hypnosis. While there are still many misconceptions about this mainstream alternative health option, it is growing in acceptance everywhere.

Many doctors and some insurance companies are now on board with hypnosis as a valuable adjunct to current treatment protocols.

Functional Medicine

While functional medicine has been around forever in reality, it hasn't really had an official name. Now it does. It combines the best of all the information, technology and modalities we have available. It also has a strong emphasis on what the patient can do for themselves through nutrition, lifestyle and other ideas.

One of its best features comes from educating and guiding people, who then become empowered to choose their level of participation in their own healing.

Oriental Medicine is Gaining Ground

Chinese and Japanese medicine have lent much to the mainstream alternative health movement. Both systems have aspects that are now on the medical radar, as well as in our living-rooms and on our computers. 

The Indian system of Ayurvedic medicine is also quite popular, with books and classes popping up almost daily! Derivatives of the mainly dietary portion of this system, such as macrobiotics are also becoming quite popular.