word lists

Alternative Medicine Terms: Therapies, Disciplines, Techniques

Also see Dictionary of Metaphysical Healthcare

acupressure - Massage therapy technique using acupuncture points (see meridians) to release tension and promote relaxation and healing; shiatsu.
acupuncture - Chinese practice of puncturing the body with needles at specific points along meridians to relieve pain and cure disease. see meridian list.
- qi or chi - pronounced "chee": Energy present in living organisms supposedly stimulated and redirected with acupuncture needles.
- qi gong - pronounced "chee-kung": a Chinese exercise intended to stimulate and balance the flow of qi.
Alexander technique^SM - Body alignment and coordination through efficient movement and stress release; named for Frederick Matthias Alexander. see additional information.
allergy elimination therapy - Traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic, applied kinesiology, acupressure; also see Nambudripad allergy elimination technique.
allopathy - A system of medical practice making use of all measures proved of value in treatment of disease; i.e., conventional (Western) medicine exclusive of homeopathic practices.
applied kinesiology - Involves principals of anatomy and mechanics in human movement.
aroma massage - Combining massage with aromatherapy or massaging skin with fragrant oils.
aromatherapy - The use of fragrant substances, e.g., essential oils, to alter mood, improve appearance or health.
Aston-Patterning® - A method of body alignment or movement reeducation.
Ayurveda / Ayurvedic medicine - Ancient Hindu medical system of classifying and treating somatic types for optimal health and functioning; popularized in the U.S. by Deepak Chopra, M.D. Additional information

doshas: three biological humors governing functional aspects of the body—vata, pitta, and kapha.
palliation: the process of balancing the bodily doshas.
pancha karma: internal purifying techniques.
rasayana: tonification or rejuvenation, i.e., a physiologic tuneup
satvajaya: mental hygiene and spiritual healing
shaman: the process of balancing the bodily doshas
shodon: the process of cleansing and detoxifying

bee venom therapy - Used to treat osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia
bioenergetic therapy - Based on the premise that the mind and body influence each other; therefore, combines work with the mind and body to help resolve emotional problems and promote physical well-being.
biofeedback - Employs instrument stress readings and training of bodily systems to control pain and tension.
biological dentistry - Uses nontoxic materials for dental work.
body work - Physical therapy, healing, or relaxation treatments based on a particular system such as yoga, Alexander, Reiki, acupressure, Rolfing, etc.
Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy^SM - A form of therapy built on trigger points.
chelation therapy - The removal of heavy metals from the bloodstream by means of a chelate, e.g., EDTA.
craniosacral therapy - A form of body work used to evaluate and enhance brain and spinal cord function to promote natural healing.
dance and movement therapies - Therapeutic tool for expression and healing.
deep tissue massage - Employs slow strokes and direct pressure or friction across the grain of the muscles, thus affecting deeper layers of the body; used to relieve muscle tension.
empathology
Feldenkrais® - System of exploration and adjustment of movement patterns for flexibility, coordination, and dynamic posture. Two approaches:
- Awareness through Touch®
- Functional Integration®
feng shui - Chinese practice of changing home or work environments to promote health; used to direct qi.
guasha (or gua-sha) therapy - Skin scraping after application of oil.
hatha yoga - System of physical exercises for the control and perfection of the body that constitutes one of the four chief Hindu disciplines.
HBOT - Acronym: hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hellerwork - Movement awareness technique developed by Joseph Heller, aerospace engineer. Additional information.
hemoirradiation - A therapy which involves removing blood from the body, irradiating it with ultraviolet (UV) light, and then reinjecting it; also called photophoresis, photoluminescence, ultraviolet blood irradiation (UBI), and extracorporeal blood irradiation. Additional information.
holistic medicine - Healing philosophy that treats the individual as a whole instead of treating symptom by symptom.
homeopathy - System of treating disease by administering minute quantities of drugs which if given to a healthy person in larger doses would result in symptoms similar to those of the disease.
- succuss - to shake; a homeopathic procedure for medication mixing.
hydrotherapy - Treatment with either hot or cold water to stimulate health; saunas, hot tubs, compresses, etc.
hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
iridology - Method of diagnosing illness based on the premise that organs have corresponding locations to the iris.
jin shin jyutsu - Acupressure-style massage developed in Japan.
light therapy

PUVA - Acronym: psoralen ultraviolet-A
PUVA light therapy

McKenzie exercises
massage therapy
myofacial therapy
Nambudripad allergy elimination technique
NAET - acronym: Nambudripad allergy elimination technique
naturopathy
neural therapy
neurolinguistic programming
neuromuscular reeducation (NMR)
NMR - Acronym: neuromuscular reeducation
orthomolecular medicine
osteopathic manipulation
osteopathy
Pfrimmer deep muscle therapy
photo-oxidation (photox) therapy - Involves hemoirradiation of blood to which oxygen has been added. Additional information.
photox therapy - photo-oxidation therapy
- hemo-oxidation therapy - photo-oxidation therapy
photoluminescence - hemoirradiation
photophoresis - hemoirradiation
polarity therapy
reflexology - Massage of specific areas of the foot, or sometimes the hand, to treat ailments or relieve stress elsewhere in the body.
Regen flexion exercises
Rolfing® - Physical therapy system that emphasizes realignment of the body's internal dynamics through stretching of connective tissue and deep massage. Additional information.
- Rolfers® - Those trained in Rolfing.
SHEN therapy - Releasing painful emotions through use of light hand placements; SHEN is an acronym for specific human energy nexus.
shiatsu - Japanese massage that involves bodily points and meridians responsive to pressure; acupressure.
soma neuromuscular integration
syntonic optometry - Involves application of colored light directly into the eyes to augment the brain's control centers.
Therapeutic Touch® - contempory energy-healing system based on the premise that the healing force of the therapist affects the patient's recovery and cure.
Touch for Health® - Consists of kinesiology and the Chinese five-element meridian theory.
Trager® or Trager psychophysical integration - Movement reeducation system; see Feldenkrais.

Mentastics® - Term meaning "mental gymnastics" coined and trademarked by Dr. Trager.

UBI - Acronym: ultraviolet blood irradiation
UBIT - Acronym: ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy
ultraviolet blood irradiation - hemoirradiation
watsu (water shiatsu) - Massage in body temperature water.
yoga - Among the oldest health systems practiced; uses postures, breathing exercises and meditation; also part of Ayurvedic medicine

Disclaimer: MT Desk strives for accuracy and to the best of our ability, the information presented has been verified and presented using proper capitalization. Many herbal product labels employ all-caps or initial-caps form, and many web-based and published herbal guides do as well. We suggest consulting with your client or service regarding capitalization form preferred for these products.

References consulted:

Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing by G. Null, Ph.D. [ISBN 1-57566-258-2], 1998
Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, 2nd ed., by M. Murray, N.D., and J. Pizzorno, N.D. [ISBN 0-7615-1157-1], 1998
The Green Pharmacy by J.A. Duke, Ph.D. [ISBN 0-87596-316-1], 1997

Additional suggested references:

Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide by the Burton Goldberg Group [ISBN: 0963633430], 1994