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Internist infectious disease

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Alternative medical systems

Alexey Portnov, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024

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Alternative medical systems are complete systems of diagnosis and practice.

Types of additional and alternative therapies

trusted-source [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]

Selected therapies

Alternative medical systems	Description
Ayurveda (Ayurveda)	The traditional medical system of India, which appeared more than 4000 years ago, uses herbs, massage, yoga and therapeutic cleansing to restore the balance of body and nature. It is based on the balance of 3 physical qualities (doshas): cotton wool, pitta and cafe
Homeopathy	Emerged in Germany in the late 1700s, homeopathy is a medical system based on the law of the like: a substance that, when given in large doses, triggers a set of symptoms, can be supposed to cure the same symptoms when given in small doses
Naturopathy	Based on the healing ability of nature, this system uses a combination of therapies, including acupuncture, recommendations, exercise therapy, herbal therapy, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, natural childbirth, good nutrition, physical medicine and stress management
Traditional Chinese Medicine	Emerged in China more than 2,000 years ago, this system uses acupuncture, herbs, massage and meditative exercises (ki gong) to restore the balance of body and nature. It is based on the 8 principles of yin and yang, which manifest in the body as heat and cold, internal and external, deficiency and excess

Methods of body and mind

Biological feedback	To provide information about physiological signals (for example, BP, muscle activity) and training patients to regulate these processes through a deliberate intention, mechanical devices
Managed Images	For relaxation and healing of injuries and wounds (for example, cancer, psychological trauma), mental images are used. Images can excite any of the five senses and be self-directed or guided by the practitioner of the method
Hypnotherapy	Patients enter a state of careful and concentrated concentration. They are absorbed in images that are caused by a hypnotherapist and may not be fully aware - without being unconscious - where they are; they, as a rule, do not register their feelings as part of their consciousness
Meditation	Meditation is the deliberate self-regulation of attention or a systematic mental focus on certain aspects of internal or external experience. Most meditation techniques appeared in a religious or spiritual context; their ultimate goal was some kind of spiritual growth, personal transformation or transcendental experience. However, some practitioners suggest that, like medical intervention, meditation can be effective regardless of a person's cultural or religious experience
Relaxation methods	These methods are specifically designed to identify the psychophysiological state of hyperexcitation. They can be aimed at reducing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and BP, weakening muscle tension, slowing down metabolic processes or changing the wave activity of the brain

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