The Rise of Alternative Medicine: How It’s Shaping Modern Healthcare
In an age overwhelmed by stress and constant noise, many are rediscovering a quiet sense of peace. Simple therapies are offering unexpectedly profound healing for both mind and body.
Alternative medicine has been present and practiced for hundreds, even thousands of years. The terms “alternative medicine” or “alternative therapies” are used to describe medicines or healing methods that are not conventional, mainstream treatments and have not been scientifically validated. They are all viewed as complementary and alternative therapies.
These terms encompass alternative treatment methods that focus on activating the body’s self-healing capabilities and balancing the elements within a person. Although there is currently insufficient scientific evidence according to the system of evidence-based medicine, the medical community today flexibly combines conventional treatments with alternative medicine, depending on the patient’s symptoms and circumstances, in order to achieve optimal effectiveness.
MIND-BODY THERAPY
Science has acknowledged the connection between the mind and the body. In the treatment process, positive mental and emotional health significantly contributes to the patient’s better recovery prospects.
Mind-Body Therapy methods include:
Meditation
Tibetan Singing Bowls
Biofeedback
Hypnosis
BODY-BASED THERAPY
Procedures that act upon a part or the whole body can help restore health and heal affected areas, as all parts of the body are intimately connected.
Body-Based Therapy methods include:
Yoga
Facial Diagnosis/Therapy/ Facial Accupressure
Massage
Reflexology (Acupressure)
Chiropractic Therapy (Spinal Manipulation)
Aikido or Tai Chi
BIOLOGICAL THERAPY
This involves using herbal medicines or foods to improve health or provide treatment.
Biological Therapy methods include:
Botanical
Nutrition Suplement
Dietary Regimens or Diets
BIOFIELD THERAPY
Some theories suggest that external energy sources from various entities directly influence human health. This therapy supports the body in receiving external energy to aid in natural health recovery.
Biofield Therapy methods include:
Therapeutic touch
Electromagnetic therapy
Reiki
Qigong
WHOLE MEDICINE SYSTEMS
These are medical systems that have been developed over hundreds of years, based on a combination of beliefs and practices.
Whole Medicine Systems include:
Traditional Medicine: Conventional Traditional Medicine in Vietnam includes both Vietnamese Traditional Medicine (known popularly as thuốc nam) and Chinese Traditional Medicine (known as thuốc bắc), both of which originated over 2000 years ago.
Ayurveda (Ayurvedic medicine): This system has existed for over 3000 years in India, based on the hypothesis that every person is made up of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether (or space). The way these elements combine determines how the body functions.
Homeopathic Medicine: Originating in Germany approximately 200 years ago.
Naturopathic Medicine: This is a non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical therapy that combines the use of herbs, natural and organic products or nutrition, a healthy lifestyle with balanced routines, daily physical activity, and dietary adjustments.
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE & EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
Evidence-based Medicine has undergone a process of rigorous research and clinical trials, which leads to the establishment of highly effective and optimally safe treatment protocols.
Alternative Medicine may lack abundant or reliable data, and there is often little scientific evidence to support it. Despite this, Alternative Medicine has been applied for thousands of years in healthcare and disease treatment, bringing effective results in Asian countries like China, Japan, India, Vietnam, etc., as well as in some European nations.
Herbal medicines and botanicals can also cause side effects, drug interactions, and poisoning if the dosage is incorrect. Harmful substances like lead and mercury are sometimes not listed on the labels of certain natural products. The natural source needs third-party verification regarding its purity and consistent effectiveness.
The choice of seeking therapy with Alternative Medicine or treatment with Evidence-based Medicine should always involve professional consultation with a medical doctor. Every treatment method carries potential risks, so we still need to examine the supporting evidence, the risks, the potential side effects, as well as the ethics of the practitioner.
