Chinese Medicine: One of the oldest forms of holistic medicine. This complete system seeks to balance the flow of life force energy or qi through the use of acupuncture, herbs, massage therapy, exercise and food therapy.

(See also: Chinese Medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

holistic medicine:

1. Alternative medicine.
2. That form of alternative medicine which focuses on
1. personal accountability for one's health;
2. the human body's ability to heal itself; and
3. balancing the body, mind, and spirit with the environment.

Holistic medicine includes among others acupuncture, biofeedback, faith healing, folk medicine, meditation, yoga etc.

(See also: Holistic medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Asian medicine: Group of Eastern methods that includes acupuncture, panchakarma, and shiatsu.

(See also: Asian medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Alternative medicine: This term was originally coined to describe health care approaches not taught in medical schools. It has been replaced with “complementary medicine” since Americans rarely use these approaches to the exclusion of Western, conventional medicine. Integrative medicine refers to the proactive, deliberate combination of conventional and complementary therapies.

(See also: Alternative medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Medicine as it is practiced now is rooted in various traditions, but developed mainly in the late 18th and early 19th century in Germany (Rudolf Virchow) and France (Jean-Martin Charcot, Claude Bernard and others). The new, "scientific" medicine replaced earlier Western traditions of medicine, mostly based on the "four humours" and other pre-modern theories. The focal points of development of clinical medicine shifted to the United Kingdom and the USA by the early 1900s (Sir William Osler, Harvey Cushing). Evidence-based medicine is t ...

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Medicine, Medicine - History of medicine, Medicine - Practice of medicine, Medicine - Healthcare delivery systems, Medicine - Patient-doctor relationship, Medicine - Clinical skills, Medicine - Settings where medical care is delivered, Medicine - Branches of medicine, Medicine - Basic sciences, Medicine - Diagnostic specialties, Medicine - Clinical disciplines, Medicine - Interdisciplinary fields, Medicine - Medical education, Medicine - Medical devices, Medicine - Legal restrictions, Medicine - Criticism

Read more here: » Medicine: Encyclopedia II - Medicine - History of medicine

anthroposophical medicine (anthroposophically-extended medicine, anthroposophical therapeutics): Medical phase of anthroposophy, the occult philosophy of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Anthroposophical medicine, a extension of practical medicine, encompasses curative eurythmy. According to anthroposophy, the human organism consists of a physical body, a vegetal etheric body, an animalistic astral or soul body, and an ego or spirit. Anthroposophical remedies smooth the interaction of these components.

(See also: Anthroposophical medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Coyote Medicine (half-breed medicine): Mode of doctoring developed by Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D., Ph.D., author of Coyote Medicine (Scribner, 1997). Therein, Mehl-Madrona states: I have always believed I have a mission on earth.

Coyote Medicine borrows from modern medicine, modern psychology, and Native American shamanism. Its theory posits chakras. (Simon & Schuster shortly published the aforementioned book as the paperback Coyote Medicine: Lessons from Native American Healing.)

(See also: Coyote Medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Chinese medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM): Ancient holistic system whose basics include herbology, nutrition, and the concepts of acupuncture meridians, the Five Elements (Five Phases), and yin and yang.

Traditional Chinese Medicine theory posits both Organs (the Triple Burner, for example) and Substances (such as Shen, or Spirit) for which scientific evidence is absent. Variations and hybrids of Chinese medicine include Korean medicine, Tibetan medicine, and Vietnamese traditional medicine.

Chinese medicine probably originated about 2,000 years ago, but it became dogmatic and stagnated for centuries; overall its development has been slow. It probably stems from shamanism. The basis of Chinese medicine is Taoism, a religion according to which spirits (shen) inhabit the human body and take care of its functions. The foundational text of Chinese medicine - known as the Classic of Internal Medicine, the Huangdi Neijing, the Inner Classic, the Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor, the Neiching, the Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor's Classic, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon - was completed by the first century C.E.

(See also: Chinese medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Naturopathy is based on six tenets or principles [1][2]: "The healing power of nature" "Identify and treat the cause" "First do no harm" "Treat the whole person" "The physician as teacher" "Prevention" Naturopathic medicine - The healing power of nature. The healing power of nature, has two aspects: (1) basically the body has the ability to heal itself and it is the naturopathic doctor's role to facilitate this natural process, and (2)nature ...

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Naturopathic medicine, Naturopathic medicine - History of naturopathic medicine, Naturopathic medicine - Naturopathic physicians and traditional naturopaths, Naturopathic medicine - Naturopathic physicians, Naturopathic medicine - Traditional naturopaths, Naturopathic medicine - The Principles of Naturopathic Medicine, Naturopathic medicine - The healing power of nature, Naturopathic medicine - Identify and treat the cause, Naturopathic medicine - First do no harm, Naturopathic medicine - Treat the whole person, Naturopathic medicine - The physician as teacher, Naturopathic medicine - Prevention, Naturopathic medicine - Regulation in North America, Naturopathic medicine - Regulation in the United Kingdom, Naturopathic medicine - Scope of practice, Naturopathic medicine - Criticism

Read more here: » Naturopathic medicine: Encyclopedia II - Naturopathic medicine - The Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

Integrative Medicine: Unlike conventional doctors, integrative medical practitioners take a holistic approach to healing. Rather than treating symptoms, these practitioners seek out the root of the problem and may use a combination of conventional and alternative therapies in order to restore the body to optimum health.

(See also: Integrative Medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Naturopathic Medicine: A comprehensive practice that includes techniques from multiple modalities. Naturopathy is based on the belief that one’s body has a unique equilibrium. An unhealthy lifestyle disrupts this delicate balance and can lead to illness. Naturopaths see themselves as teachers. Their role is to educate patients to take responsibility over lifestyle, diet and habits.

(See also: Naturopathic Medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Nutritional Medicine: Practitioners use diet and vitamin/mineral supplements to help the body fight illness and injury and maintain overall health and longevity. The underlying philosophy suggests that the modern diet lacks some essential nutritional elements.

(See also: Nutritional Medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Ayurvedic Medicine: Practiced in India for the last 5,000 years. The underlying philosophy of this medicine is that people have one of three metabolic types: vata (ether/space and air), pitta (fire and water), and kapha (water and earth). Courses of treatment are designed based on these types in order to bring the patient into a mind, body, and spirit balance. Treatments may include massage, yoga, herbal tonics, sweat baths, and medicated enemas.

(See also: Ayurvedic Medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Medicine Cards: Divination system that draws from Aztec, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Iroquois, Mayan, Seneca, and Yaqui traditions. It features cards that depict power animals. One of its aims is to teach the healing medicine of animals. Another is to show how to heal the body, emotions, mind, and spirit.

(See also: Medicine Cards, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Comfortable Medicine (Kai Igaku, Medicina Agradable, Pleasant Medicine): A health system of Japanese origin. It encompasses herbal treatment, the Life Energy Test, Sotai, and urine therapy.

(See also: Comfortable Medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Working together as an interdisciplinary team, many highly trained health professionals besides medical practitioners are involved in the delivery of modern health care. Some examples include: nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and bioengineers. The scope and sciences underpinning human medicine overlap many other fields. Dentistry and psychology, while separate disciplines from medicine, are sometimes also considered medical fields. Physician assistants ...

See also:

Medicine, Medicine - History of medicine, Medicine - Practice of medicine, Medicine - Healthcare delivery systems, Medicine - Patient-doctor relationship, Medicine - Clinical skills, Medicine - Settings where medical care is delivered, Medicine - Branches of medicine, Medicine - Basic sciences, Medicine - Diagnostic specialties, Medicine - Clinical disciplines, Medicine - Interdisciplinary fields, Medicine - Medical education, Medicine - Medical devices, Medicine - Legal restrictions, Medicine - Criticism

Read more here: » Medicine: Encyclopedia II - Medicine - Branches of medicine

Uighur medicine: Medical tradition of the Uighurs, the Turkic inhabitants of Xinjiang (Xinjiang Uygur), an autonomous region of westernmost China. It is a combination of Ayurveda, TCM, and Unani.

(See also: Uighur medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Oriental medicine: In general, the use of acupuncture, Chinese herbal combinations, diet, and emotional changes with the aim of eliminating problems with meridians (invisible energy pathways).

(See also: Oriental medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Oriental traditional medicine , Oriental medicine , Oriental traditional medicine, Traditional oriental medicine, Traditional oriental medicines:

A system of traditional medicine which is based on the customs, beliefs and practices of the Oriental people.

(See also: Oriental traditional medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Chinese medicine: originated over 3,000 years ago, but it became dogmatic and stagnated for centuries; overall its development has been slow. It probably stems from shamanism. The basis of Chinese medicine is Taoism, a religion according to which spirits (shen) inhabit the human body and take care of its functions.

The foundational text of Chinese medicine - known as the Classic of Internal Medicine, the Huangdi Neijing, the Inner Classic, the Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor, the Neiching, the Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor's Classic, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon - was completed by the first century C.E.

(See also: Chinese medicine, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

orthomolecular medicine (orthomolecular nutritional medicine, orthomolecular therapy): An approach to therapy whose centerpiece is megavitamin therapy. Orthomolecular medicine encompasses hair analysis, orthomolecular nutrition (a form of megavitamin therapy), and orthomolecular psychiatry. Linus Carl Pauling, Ph.D. (1901-1994), coined the word orthomolecular. The prefix ortho- means straight, and the implicit meaning of orthomolecular is to straighten (correct) concentrations of specific molecules. The primary principle of orthomolecular medicine is that nutrition is the foremost consideration in diagnosis and treatment. Its focus is normalizing the balance of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and similar substances in the body.

(See also: Orthomolecular medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

orthomolecular medicine (orthomolecular nutritional medicine, orthomolecular therapy): An approach to therapy whose centerpiece is megavitamin therapy.

Orthomolecular medicine encompasses hair analysis, orthomolecular nutrition (a form of megavitamin therapy), and orthomolecular psychiatry. Linus Carl Pauling, Ph.D. (1901-1994), coined the word orthomolecular.

The prefix ortho- means straight, and the implicit meaning of orthomolecular is to straighten (correct) concentrations of specific molecules. The primary principle of orthomolecular medicine is that nutrition is the foremost consideration in diagnosis and treatment. Its focus is normalizing the balance of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and similar substances in the body.

(See also: Orthomolecular medicine, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)