What is Alternative Therapy

Alternative Therapy and Medicine

In many Western cultures, alternative therapy defines any type of treatment that does not comply with standard medical practices and is therefore used as an alternative to the more traditional conventional or allopathic medicine.
Whilst not without their critics Alternative Therapies or Medicine have seen a continuing growth in popularity and use of these therapies. Although many of these

therapies can trace their origins back to ancient Chinese and Indian medicines. Since the gradual introduction of these therapies to the Western World we have seen the introduction of many new forms and developements. Some of the forms thought of as alternative therapies are:- massage, nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, aromatherapy, naturopathy, chiropractic, ayurveda, homeopathy and acupuncture.etc.

Alternative Therapists
Because Alternative and Complementary therapies often overlap Therapists will often be known as CAM Therapists (Complementary and Alternative Therapists)
Many Therapists will have taken suitable training and courses but not all are mandatory or statutory
Currently, two CAM professions are subject to statutory regulation - chiropractic and osteopathy. The statutory regulatory body for chiropractic is the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) and the statutory regulatory body for osteopathy is the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC).

Other useful bodies are:-

British Acupuncture Council:
www.acupuncture.org.uk

Society of Homeopaths:
www.homeopathy-soh.org

Reiki Council:
www.reikicouncil.org.uk

General information about the role of complementary and alternative medicine in the NHS can be found on the Department of Health’s website: www.dh.gov.uk

Other sources include:

King's Fund: http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/

Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council: http://www.cnhc.org.uk/pages/index.cfm

You can use the Find a Therapist link to view suitable practitioners near you
We also have some interesting and informative articles & notes with a Complementary Therapy theme on our Therapy Articles page.
Find books about Complementary and Alternative medicine on our Books Page and there are sections for Products , Gifts and Courses related to Complementary Therapies.

If you are a Alternative Therapist or Medicine provider you can use our website to advertise your business in your local area ------ Submit a listing