Many Mexicans use treatments that are not part of traditional or conventional medicine. These treatments can be called complementary, integrative or alternative.
Alternative medicine is used together with conventional medicine. For example, acupuncture can alleviate the side effects of cancer treatment. When doctors or hospitals provide both types of care together and in a coordinated manner, it is called integral medicine. When it is not used together with conventional medicine it is called alternative.
The benefits of these non-traditional treatments may sound promising. However, researchers do not know the safety of many alternative medicine treatments or know if they work well. Studies are being carried out to determine the safety and usefulness of many of these practices.
To reduce the risks of non-traditional treatment:
- Talk to your doctor. These treatments can interact with certain medications
- Find out what scientific studies say
- Choose professionals with great care
- Tell your doctor or professional all the treatments you are using
The expression " alternative medicine " It can evoke images of bitter infusions of medicinal plants, cataplasms, mantras or meditation sessions. In fact, both the remedies elaborated based on medicinal plants such as meditation, and many other treatments, are encompassed under the epigraph of " alternative medicine and alternative ".
Although there is no strict definition of alternative medicine, it usually includes those healing practices that is not part of traditional medicine - that is, any practice that is not taught in the medical faculties or that is not frequently used in the consultations of doctors titled or in hospitals.
However, in the USA. The borders of alternative medicine change constantly as different types of treatments are more accepted by doctors and more requested by patients. A reduced amount of practices (such as hypnosis) that 20 years ago was considered a nonsense are now used as a conjuvant treatment to traditional medicine. So, is there any practice of alternative medicine that could go well to your family?