Trick or Treatment—The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine (Electronic book text)

Anybody considering alternative medicine as a mode of treatment, including all the therapies that follow, should take into account five pieces of advice. First, if you are thinking of using any form of alternative therapy for a particular condition, then we strongly recommend that you first consult and inform your GP — the treatment that you have chosen might interfere with any ongoing conventional therapies. Second, do not stop your conventional treatment unless your doctor advises that this is sensible. Third, bear in mind that alternative therapies can be expensive, particularly if they involve long-term consultations, so make sure that there is evidence to support the efficacy of a therapy before investing significant sums of money in its claimed benefits. Fourth, all therapies can generate placebo effects, but this alone is not enough to justify their use. Fifth, remember that every treatment carries risks, so make sure that the risks are outweighed by the benefits.

Included in this section are our evaluations of:

Alexander Technique

Alternative Diagnostic Techniques

Alternative Diets

Alternative Exercise Therapies

Alternative Gadgets

Anthroposophic Medicine

Aromatherapy

Ayurvedic Tradition

Bach Flower Remedies

Cellular Therapy

Chelation Therapy

Colonic Irrigation

Craniosacral Therapy (or Cranial Osteopathy)

Crystal Therapy

Cupping

Detox

Ear Candles

Feldenkrais Method

Feng Shui

Food Supplements

Hypnotherapy

Leech Therapy

Magnet Therapy

Massage Therapy

Meditation

Naturopathy

Neural Therapy

Orthomolecular Medicine

Osteopathy

Oxygen Therapy

Reflexology

Reiki

Relaxation Therapies

Shiatsu

Spiritual Healing

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Alexander Technique

A process of relearning correct postural balance and coordination of body movements.

Background

Fredrick M. Alexander was an Australian actor whose career was threatened by a recurring loss of voice. Doctors were unable to diagnose any problem with his throat, but Alexander noticed that his silence was linked to his poor posture. In the early twentieth century he developed a cure for his problem which focused on relearning correct posture.

Alexander teachers encourage their patients to move with the head leading and the spine following. These patterns of movement and posture are rehearsed repeatedly with a view to creating new motor pathways and improving posture, coordination and balance. Essentially, the mind is taught to modulate the autonomic nervous system through regular, supervised exercises.

The Alexander technique quickly became popular with performing artists. It was then noted that, apparently, it was also useful for a wider range of medical conditions. Today Alexander teachers claim that it is effective for treating asthma, chronic pain, anxiety and other illnesses.

Alexander teachers instruct their clients in a series of one-hour exercise sessions. They guide the process of relearning simple postures and body movements through a gentle, hands-on approach. As plenty of repetition is needed, 30–100 such sessions are usually required to master the technique. This obviously demands a considerable level of commitment from the client, in terms of both time and money.

What is the evidence?

Very little research has so far been conducted on the Alexander technique. Some promising findings have emerged in terms of improvement of respiratory function, reduction of anxiety, reduction of disability in Parkinson’s disease, and improvement of chronic back pain. However, for none of these conditions is the evidence sufficient to claim that the Alexander technique is of proven effectiveness. There are no serious risks associated with this method.

Conclusion

Alexander technique is not well researched, so the evidence is not conclusive. It might generate benefit for some health problems, provided patients are sufficiently committed and wealthy.

Alternative Diagnostic Techniques

Diagnostic methods not used in conventional medicine but employed by practitioners of alternative medicine.

Background

Before administering a treatment, alternative therapists will often assess the patient’s condition using a variety of diagnostic techniques. Some of these are entirely conventional, but others are not. Some of the more unusual diagnostic techniques are specific to a particular therapy. These are therefore discussed in the relevant sections of this book. The following list includes many of those diagnostic methods that are used in several disciplines: