Alternative Medicine Directory
Directory of Alternative Therapies Is your chi off balance? Here's how to find a professional who can help
Preventive in nature and gentler than drugs or surgery, alternative medicine starts with the notion that the body is naturally inclined to be healthy and has the capacity to heal itself when given supportive therapies like herbs and exercise.
To help you find out more about alternative health therapies mentioned in this month's Natural Remedies section, here's what you need to know.
ACUPUNCTURE
Practiced in Asia for more than 3,000 years, acupuncture holds that good health results from the unobstructed flow of vital energy (chi) through the body's energy channels. Blocked chi causes disease and pain; by inserting special needles into meridians (acupoints) a practitioner helps correct the imbalance.
American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (323) 937-5514; www.medicalacupuncture.org
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors employ acupuncture, acupressure, herbs, diet and exercise (qigong) to keep chi moving and the body healthy. TCM doctors are called oriental medical doctors (O.M.D.) or doctors of oriental medicine (D.O.M.).
American Association of Oriental Medicine (610) 266-1433; www.aaom.org
HERBALISM
Herbalism is the therapeutic use of plants, which contain various chemicals that can be tapped as pain relievers, hormone balancers, calmers, energizers, sleep aids, stomach soothers and overall body tonics.
American Herbalist Guild (435) 722-8434 www.healthy.net/herbalists
HOMEOPATHY
Based on the theory that "like cures like," homeopathy employs diluted plant, animal and mineral substances that cause symptoms of a certain illness in one who is healthy in order to stimulate the body's natural defenses to heal those same symptoms in one who is ill. A homeopath will take a detailed medical history (including physical and emotional symptoms) from a client, then tailor remedies to heal all of his or her symptoms.
National Center for Homeopathy (703) 548-7790; www.homeopathic.org
MASSAGE THERAPY
This hands-on body therapy goes by many names--Swedish, shiatsu, trigger point, neuromuscular--but each style has the same aim: to relieve muscle soreness that results from injury or stress.
American Massage Therapy Association (847) 864-0123; www.amtamassage.org
REIKI
Imported from Japan, Reiki is part of a larger category of energy healing techniques (including Therapeutic Touch and polarity therapy). This style of energy work involves laying hands on or above parts of the body that correspond to the major organs and energy centers, such as the heart or adrenal glands.
The International Association of Reiki Professionals (781) 729-3530; www.iarp.org
COPYRIGHT 1999 Sabot Publishing
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