Alternative Medicine Gaining Foothold In America

Too many times, when a person visits a doctor it seems that the physician is rushing to make a quick diagnosis. Then, almost invariably, the doctor hands the patient a prescription for some pharmaceutical treatment. In the last ten years or so, however, there has been a dramatic upsurge in treatments the medical community has deemed as alternative medicine. Some also label this philosophy as complementary or integrative medicine, as the treatments generally coincide with long-established and successful procedures. Marijuana Dispensary

Physicians and researchers are really beginning to understand the links between the body and mind, and accepting the potential of alternative therapies and preventative measures. More holistic approaches are being embraced, or at least incorporated into a patient's otherwise traditional care, and the results are very positive. Marijuana Dispensary News

In the Roaring Fork Valley, alternative medical practices have become much more mainstream in recent years. People tend to have a more holistic approach to life in general, and they are more aware of all of their options for medical treatment and prevention. They also don't accept the fact that some pill is going to soothe all of their ills. Less traditional health providers like chiropractors have had a long, successful history here, so it is not surprising that residents are quick to embrace other alternative techniques. Marijuana Edibles

Most alternative or integrative medicine clinics treat the whole patient, rather than just focusing on symptoms. They also concentrate on the psychological, spiritual, even social and environmental aspects of an illness or disease in an attempt to discover all of the contributing factors. While a traditional doctor may order MRI scans, blood tests and invasive surgery, an integrative medicine practitioner may advocate those things along with yoga, medical marijuana, chiropractic care and herbal supplementation. Marijuana Effects

A few clinics throughout the valley are beginning to practice energy healing, an approach that includes massage and manipulation of magnetic fields, lights, and sound waves. The practice also entails more esoteric therapies that involve putative energy like contact healing where the healer channels energy into the patient, restoring balance and biomechanics. Marijuana Medical

Critics point to myriad products marketed as alternative or holistic supplements that turn out to be essentially snake oil. They cite exaggerated claims and lack of positive evidence as proofs that alternative medicine is often no more than quackery. Proponents, however, counter that quite often traditional approaches are not efficacious, and doctors limit potentially better treatments simply because the modalities are not widely taught or based on centuries-old knowledge rather than modern, ostensibly smarter, science. Marijuana Vaporizer

The main point of alternative medicine is perhaps to bridge the gap between health care provider and patient so that the partnership can find ways to improve patient health. Even among very traditional doctors, there has been an acknowledgment of the mind-body connection and the interaction between the brain and the immune system. Most practitioners point to the breeding of a positive outlook, however that is accomplished, as a key to the success of disease treatment and prevention.

Alternative medicine should not thought of as some arcane approach to healing that just entails strange herbs and weird metaphysical ritual. It is alternative medicine that tells us drinking a glass of red wine each day is great for our hearts, that eating dark chocolate lowers antioxidant levels, and it is what has brought toxins and hormones in our food to the debate.