Complementary medicine (translated from English means "complementary medicine") - all varieties of alternative therapeutic directions that are used in he althcare practice along with a variety of official traditional methods.
Basic concepts
There are many synonymous concepts that characterize complementary medicine, many of which are often based on contrasting it with conservative medicine. For example, conventional and non-conventional, official and alternative, non-traditional and traditional, etc. It should be noted that such a rigid division is not observed in all countries. For example, in the United States, alternative and complementary medicine is one of the areas of he althcare that does not compete with conventional medicine, but only complements it. At the same time, complementary medicine is practiced by doctors simultaneously with conventional medicine. Legislatively, such directions are considered equivalent. In most countries, complementary medicineis allowed, but has no government support.
What's the difference?
Its main difference is the emphasis on the patient's internal forces, which are actively fighting this or that disease. This is understood as the concentration, mobilization and redistribution of the internal resources and capabilities of the body, which cannot be used and activated with the help of traditional therapeutic agents. The most common areas are Tibetan and Chinese traditional medicine, Ayurveda.
Complementary Medicine Methods
There are many methods and directions of such medicine. These include:
- alternative systems;
- biological therapy;
- holistic approaches;
- energy practices;
- spiritual practices;
- body-oriented practices.
In our country today there are many centers and clinics of complementary medicine that specialize in treating patients with alternative methods. As a rule, these are organizations whose main goal is to provide people with medical care using modern technologies of physiological, functional and manual medicine, with the organization of family doctor services, and various cosmetology areas. Such a clinic can work with patients with chronic and congenital diseases, conduct rehabilitation activities, etc. At the same time, various non-traditional massage techniques, yoga,he alth recovery programs of Thai, Tibetan and other medicine.
Oriental medicine, developed in ancient times in India, China, Tibet, strikes Europeans with its consistency, completeness and effectiveness, although it operates with concepts that are difficult for the European mind to perceive. This medicine is more than 5000 years old, based on the self-regulation of a living organism. The concept of "medicine" in the East is defined as "the science of he alth", and in the West as "the science of disease". In the East, the doctor is first and foremost a he alth care teacher.
Association
There is also the International Professional Medical Association of Complementary Medicine, bringing together specialists, healers and psychologists, which was formed to coordinate the activities of doctors working professionally in the field of traditional traditional medicine and other related professions, improving the means and methods of their work. In addition, the goal is to bring together professionally related public organizations from around the world to better use their creative and scientific potential.
Principles
Practical experience in the use of certain methods of complementary medicine simultaneously with traditional therapy indicates that with such a combined approach, the range of rehabilitation and treatment possibilities is significantly expanded. At the same time, the patient always has additional opportunities and hope for achieving a good result.therapy using the internal resources of the body.
Especially high results in recovery are achieved during the correct combination of the means and methods of classical and complementary medicine, using various directions and methods of activating internal reserves.
It is for this reason that the so-called integrated approach to the treatment of many complex diseases, including cancer, has recently become very popular in the West.
Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a complex of various he alth systems and practices, products and methods that are not currently considered part of or used in traditional medicine. However, there is still no scientific evidence of how these systems work.
Thus, the main principle of alternative medicine is the activation of the patient's internal reserve forces to eliminate the disease, as well as the use of a variety of physiological and biological effects on his body of internal and external factors.
Dignity
Alternative (complementary) medicine impresses with the rejection of the use of drugs, surgical methods and various complex technologies. Those people who seek to improve their he alth highly appreciate the "naturalness" of the means and methods used by alternative healers (healing herbs, normalization of lifestyle, massage, diet, psychotherapy). With a significant increase in prices for medicalMaintenance such methods are very economical. The main advantage of such medicine is its naturalness, low cost, the use of only natural products, substances and methods of healing.
Flaws
However, complementary medicine also has disadvantages, and there are many of them. First of all, this is an unconfirmed effect from its use, and in some cases harm. This happens, for example, when a patient with a serious illness ignores the prescriptions of official medicine and seeks help from healers and herbalists while the disease progresses and takes on a neglected character. At the same time, it is important to remember that alternative medicine is primarily complementary, not mainstream medicine.
