by Mona Gallagher

Created on: November 19, 2008   Last Updated: January 21, 2009

Ancient practitioners of medicine couldn't ring up a local pharmacy for medication for patients, so they used natural oils, flowers, and earth elements to cure common ailments. Each culture and society had their medical systems, herbal formulas, and methods for cures and pain relief. What we now call alternative medicine was once known as conventional medicine.

There were no clinical studies available to show how well the medicines worked in ancient times, but today new studies are ongoing and conducted to provide needed information for complementary medicines.

Complementary medicine and alternative medicine are terms that often are used interchangeably, but there is a difference: complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine while alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. When patients choose to treat cancer with herbs instead of surgery, it's known as alternative medicine.

Do complementary medicine systems work?

Europe gave us the homeopathic system, China gave us the whole medical system including acupuncture, and India produced the Ayurveda system. All included the use of herbs, massage, and diet and some included meditation.

Medical studies test the efficacy of complementary medicines. This is a step forward for patients and doctors alike in the ability to offer treatments based on patient preference. Presently, many traditional physicians and medical professionals shy away from natural treatments with herbs and body manipulation. Documented medical studies may help break that barrier.

Results of medical study for Ginkgo:

In a recent press release, and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a major study called GEM found that Ginkgo was not effective in prevention of dementia or Alzheimer's disease in older people. This study was conducted over an 8-year period with 3069 participants and in 4 different sites.

While the study was disappointing on the effectiveness of Ginkgo, the study provided insight and understanding about Alzheimer's that will help in the fight to combat the disease and find treatments, therapies and/or a cure.

Without looking at the details of the controlled study, it's difficult to assess efficacy from a holistic point of view where the practitioner takes an individual medical history and needs approach versus a controlled study that prescribes set therapies for set symptoms.

Acupuncture Study:

Acupuncture is gaining wide recognition for help with chronic pain, nicotine addiction,

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