Complementary, Integrative, and Alternative Therapies

Complementary health approaches, or CHAs, are non-medical therapies that can be used alone or together with traditional medical care. When CHAs and traditional medical care are combined, it’s called integrative medicine. Most CHAs can be categorized as either mind and body therapies or natural products.

Okay, so, mind and body therapies are practices where patients use their mind to impact body functions, with the goal of lessening undesirable physical and emotional symptoms, like pain or anxiety.

Meditation is a type of therapy where patients decrease their attention on extraneous stimuli and focus on a sensation, like their breathing, or repeating a word, sound, or positive phrase. The goal is to bring about a restful state, promote a mind-body connection, and improve emotional and physical wellness.

Next, guided imagery involves assisting patients to create a positive image in their mind, like thinking of a peaceful scenario such as sitting on the beach or walking in a forest.

With biofeedback, patients receive specialized training to enhance awareness of their mind-body connection while learning to control certain physiological functions that typically occur involuntarily like pain, anxiety, and headaches. For instance, a patient’s respiratory rate and depth is monitored by placing electrodes on the skin to observe their physical responses. With practice, patients can use physical and mental techniques to bring about the desired physical changes

Now, acupuncture, which is a component Chinese medicine, uses fine needles inserted into certain parts of the body to balance the flow of energy to help with problems like pain, nausea, anxiety, and depression.

There’s also chiropractic therapy, where a patient’s spine is manipulated to bring it into proper alignment and relieve pain. It is often used in conjunction with other therapies like application of ice or heat, as well as massage, which involves soft tissue manipulation, including kneading and vibration, to promote comfort and reduce tension. In addition, your patient may practice yoga, which combines controlled breathing, holding postures, and mental focus to promote overall physical and mental health.

There are also creative outlets like music therapy, such as listening to or playing music, or art therapy, like painting and drawing, which can help patients express their feelings or distract from uncomfortable symptoms. Lastly, dance therapy is a practice that promotes the use of conscious and unconscious body movement to connect the mind and body to support physical and psychosocial health.