by Ron Kennedy, M.D. (For an appointment with Dr. Kennedy in Santa Rosa, CA, write to nexus@sonic.net)

Alternative Medicine

"Alternative Medicine" is a very broad term which can include many disciplines. However, it should be distinguished from alternatives to medicine. Alternative medicine is practiced by actual physicians who have graduated from medical school and had specialty training and then discovered and applied effective methods of treatment which were not learned during their training years. Alternatives to medicine include an extremely wide array of methods of treatment, some of which are outright fraudulent and others which may be effective and may also have been adopted by open-minded doctors. An example of an outright fraudulent alternative to medicine is "psychic surgery." An example of an effective method of treatment adopted by many doctors includes acupuncture and homeopathy.

Types of Valid Alternative Medicine

Acupressure and Acupuncture ( Public )

Anti-aging and Longevity Medicine ( Public )

Applied Kinesiology ( Public )

Auriculotherapy ( Public )

Ayurvedic Medicine ( Public )

Bio-oxidative Medicine ( Public )

Biofeedback ( Public )

Biological and Mercury-free Dentistry ( Public )

Chelation Therapy (Intravenous with EDTA) ( Public )

Colon Therapy ( Public )

Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria ( Public )

Craniosacral Therapy ( Public )

Detoxification ( Public )

Diet Therapy ( Public )

Energy Medicine ( Public )

Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP) ( Public )

Environmental Medicine ( Public )

Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization (EPD) ( Public )

Enzyme Therapy ( Public )

Herbal Medicine ( Public )

Holistic Medicine ( Public )

Homeopathy ( Public )

Hydrotherapy ( Public )

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) ( Public )

Hyperthermia ( Public )

Hypnotherapy ( Public )

Intravenous Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy (IV H2O2) ( Public )

Juice Fasting Therapy ( Public )

Magnetic Field Therapy ( Public )

Meditation ( Public )

Metabolic Medicine ( Public )

Mind / Body Medicine ( Public )

Natural Cancer Therapies ( Public )

Neural Therapy ( Public )

Nutritional Medicine ( Public )

Orthomolecular Medicine ( Public )

Orthomolecular Psychiatry ( Public )

Photoluminescent Therapy (Ultraviolet Light Therapy) (UBI, UBVI) ( Public )

Prolotherapy in The Treatment of Neck and Back Pain and Other Joint Instability Syndromes ( Public )

Reflexology ( Public )

Sclerotherapy ( Public )

Traditional Chinese Medicine ( Public )

Treatment of Yeast Syndrome ( Public )

Please see this related article:
Alternative Doctors