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Revolutionary. A waste of time. Effective. Useless. These are just some of the words used in the argument about Alternative Medicine. What do we know about it, exactly? Why is it called 'Alternative' medicine? This article aims to delve into the world of alternative medicine and reveal the facts, and the fiction that surround it.

What is Alternative medicine?

In a sense, it is the 'alternative approach to healing and health.' It is called alternative because it is outside the establishment of mainstream medicine. Alternative medicine has many sub-therapies, which include:

1. Acupuncture: the treatment of illness with needles. A method that originates from China that involves inserting needles into the skin where the flow of energy is thought to be blocked.
2. Homeopathy: A complementary disease treatment system in which a patient is given minute doses of a natural drug, that in larger doses would produce symptoms of the disease itself. Created by a Dr. Samuel Hahnemann on the assumption that like can be cured by like.
3. Aromatherapy: The treatment of ailments using plant oils. The oils are extracted from the plant and are used to alleviate physical and psychological disorders, usually through massage or inhalation.
4. Chiropractic: A system based on the theory that illness is caused by the misalignment of the bones that disrupts nerve functions, especially by the spine.
5. Massage: The most accepted form of alternative medicine, simply because it is not just used to cure illness. It can be used simply for relaxation. Massage works by the rubbing or kneading of the muscles.
6. Reflexology: A form of Massage in which pressure is applied to certain parts of the feet and hands, said to correspond to other parts of the body, and consequently heal.

Who uses Alternative Medicine?
Originally, it was mainly eastern cultures that developed and used alternative medicine as a form of treatment for illness. Recently however, public interest in various aspects of oriental medicine (especially acupuncture) has grown steadily in western cultures, where 'mechanical' medicine prevails.

Oriental medicine has it's basis set on Daoism, a school of thought that dates back to ancient times. Daoists claim that there is movement that occurs between two poles, the yin and the yang. It is believed that the energy or vibration between these poles is the activating force behind all biological phenomena. The various treatments used, such as acupuncture, aims to restore the balance of the yin and

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