Alternative medical doctors often use acupuncture.
According to the National Institute of Health, there are four major categories of alternative medicine. They include practices that are biologically based, energy medicine, manipulative and body-based practices, and mind-body medicine. Practitioners who utilize healing techniques which have developed outside the Western-model of medical theory include alternative doctors in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda. In the West, Homeopaths and Naturopathic doctors rely on healing approaches that diverge from standard medicine.
Homeopaths
The field of homeopathy was established by a German physician named Samuel Hahnenmann. During the 1800's, immigrant doctors from Europe introduced homeopathy to the United States. Homeopathic doctors regard illness as the body's attempt to heal itself, and try to investigate the underlying causes of a symptom.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), homeopathic doctors diagnose patients based on a classificatory system called "constitutional types," which are based on factors such as an individual's physical appearance, temperament and emotional history. Homeopathic doctors stimulate the body's natural ability to heal itself by administering low doses of herbs and minerals.
Ayurvedic Doctors
Aurveda, based on a Sanskrit term, it is an indigenous healing system that is more than 5,000 years old, and is widely practiced in India and surrounding regions like Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Indigenous Medicine in Sri Lanka helps to preserve and develop Ayurveda by training highly qualified Ayurvedic doctors.
In Ayurveda, a doctor diagnoses patients based on their individual constitution using a classificatory system called "doshas." Ayurvedic doctors treat the whole person rather than the symptoms of a disease, by prescribing lifestyle and dietary changes. Ayurvedic doctors prescribe healing herbs that are known for restoring balance and well-being to individuals with chronic health problems. In the United States, licensed practitioners in fields like naturopathy, nutrition, massage therapy and acupuncture who receive Ayurvedic training at institutions that are accredited by the National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine (NIAM) can practice as Ayurvedic doctors. In Sri Lanka, Ayurveda is a highly esteemed indigenous healing system that is supported by the national government.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been widely practiced in China for the past 3000 years, and has grown rapidly in other parts of the world. Unlike Western medicine, which has a biochemical approach to treating illness in humans, TCM differs fundamentally by having an energetic orientation to the human body and its connection with the universe.
According to the "Classics of Traditional Chinese Medicine," illness occurs in individuals due to the imbalance or stagnation of their qi or life force. TCM doctors use various treatments to restore the proper flow of qi in a patient by using therapies like acupuncture, herbal medicine and qigong exercises.
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