The public is not always well-informed about alternative medicine. Skeptics of its proven effectiveness still regard it as “voodoo,” “hocus pocus,” or “New Age junk.” What the skeptics don’t know is that what today we refer to as alternative medicine was once practiced by every early civilization in the world. The ancient Romans didn’t have penicillin, but they did have herbal medicines and nutritional supplements to help treat infection, both of which are examples of what we refer to today as alternative medicine. What is considered as alternative today was considered traditional among the ancient peoples.

Two Examples of Alternative Medicine

Aromatherapy is a common example of alternative medicine. Many people regard aromatherapy as simply something made from essential oils that smells good. Yet today, aromatherapy is taught to medical students in France. Aromatherapists believe that our body’s health depends upon our five senses, with an emphasis on smell as a healing sense. Aromatherapy, as an example of alternative medicine, uses 100% pure essential oils extracted from plants, leaves, bark and stems. These oils, when inhaled, have a beneficial effect upon our stress level and helps us relax, as an antiseptic that eliminates air-bourne viruses and bacteria, as an energizer that invigorates our tired bodies, and as an aphrodisiac to eliminate sexual dysfunction or interest. Aromatherapy is an excellent example of alternative medicine since it originated thousands ago in ancient Egypt and India.

Animal-Assisted Therapy is another example of alternative medicine. Once thought of as a nice pastime, but not really helpful to patients who were physically or emotionally distressed, AAT is gaining in popularity as medical researchers painstakingly verify that interacting with a loving, accepting, and non-judgmental animal such as a dog, cat, horse or rabbit decreases blood pressure, helps ease pain, anxiety and depression, calms acute psychiatric patients, decreases the loneliness of the elderly, and helps patients improve their self-esteem.

As an example of alternative medicine that is rapidly gaining validity, AAT is commonly used with autistic and delinquent children; therapy horses are specially trained to be gentle and affectionate. Autistic children benefit from AAT with therapy horses as a means of helping them learn to interact with the horse, trust the horse, and decrease extra-kinetic movements such as rocking, head-banging, and striking others. Delinquent youths who are placed in a ranch-style group home learn to care for the horse by providing food and water, cleaning the horse’s stall, and riding the horse with focus and concentration. Through this example of alternative medicine, children who were once considered to be incorrigible learn responsibility, trust, and confidence.

There are many other examples of alternative medicine such as acupuncture, homeopathy and herbal preparations. What was once old is being renewed again in today’s world.

Bookmark to: