- Alternative Systems of
Medical Practice
- Manual Healing
Overview
Touch and manipulation, with the hands,
have been in use in health and medical practice since the beginning of medical
care. Physicians’ hands were once their most important diagnostic and
therapeutic tool. Today, however, many medical and health practitioners tend
to retreat from physical contact with the patient, distanced by diagnostic
equipment and legal and time constraints.
Manual healing methods are based on the
understanding that dysfunction of a part of the body often affects secondarily
the function of other discreet, not necessarily directly connected, body
parts. Consequently, theories and processes have been developed for correcting
secondary dysfunctions by manipulating soft tissues or realigning body parts.
Overcoming misalignments and manipulating soft tissues bring the parts back to
optimal function, and the body returns to health.
Osteopathic
Medicine
One of the earliest U.S. healthcare
systems to use manual healing methods was osteopathic medicine. In 1993 more
than 32,000 American-educated and -licensed D.O.s were practicing in the
United States. More than 60 percent of osteopathic physicians are involved in
primary care — family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, and
obstetrics-gynecology. An extensive body of work supports the use of
osteopathic techniques for musculoskeletal and nonmusculoskeletal problems.
Nearly all osteopathically oriented research has been funded from the private
sector.
Chiropractic
Science
Chiropractic science is concerned with
investigating the relationship between structure (primarily of the spine) and
function (primarily of the nervous system) of the human body to restore and
preserve health. Chiropractic medicine applies such knowledge to diagnosing
and treating structural dysfunctions that can affect the nervous system.
Chiropractic physicians use manual procedures and interventions, not surgical
or chemotherapeutic ones. In 1993, more than 45,000 licensed chiropractors
were practicing in the United States.
Chiropractic specialty areas are
extremely pertinent to other medical specialties, such as radiology,
orthopedics, neurology, and sports medicine. Current chiropractic research
interests include back and other pain, somatovisceral disorders, and
reliability studies.
Massage
Therapy
Massage therapy, one of the oldest
methods in healthcare practice, is the scientific manipulation of the soft
body tissues to return those tissues to their normal state. Massage consists
of a group of manual techniques that include applying fixed or movable
pressure and holding and causing the body to move. Primarily the hands are
used, but sometimes forearms, elbows, and feet are used also. These techniques
can affect the musculoskeletal, circulatory-lymphatic, and nervous systems.
Massage therapy encompasses the concept of vis medicatrix naturae — helping
the body heal itself — and is aimed at achieving or increasing health and
well-being. Touch is the fundamental medium of massage therapy.
Massage therapists are licensed by 25
States, the District of Columbia, and several localities. Most States require
500 or more hours of education from a recognized school program and a
licensing examination. Massage therapy techniques include Swedish massage,
deep-tissue massage, sports massage, neuromuscular massage, and manual lymph
drainage. Other physical healing methods include reflexology, zone therapy,
tuina, acupressure, Rolfing, Trager, Feldenkrais method and Alexander
technique.
Biofield
Therapeutics
Biofield therapeutics — laying on of
hands — is also a very old form of healing. The earliest Eastern references
are in the Huang Ti Nei Ching Su Wen (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of
Internal Medicine), dated between 2,500 and 5,000 years ago. The underlying
rationales cluster around two views: first, that the healing force comes from
a source other than the practitioner — God, the cosmos, or another
supernatural entity — and second, that a human biofield directed, modified,
or amplified in some way by the practitioner is the operative mechanism.
During biofield treatment, the
practitioner places hands directly on or near the patient’s body to improve
general health or treat a specific dysfunction. Treatment sessions may take
from 20 minutes to an hour or more; a series of sessions is often needed to
treat some disorders. There is consensus among practitioners that the biofield
permeates the physical body and extends outward for several inches. Extension
of the external biofield depends on the person’s emotional state and health.
Biofield practitioners have a holistic focus. About 50,000 practitioners
provide 18 million sessions annually in the United States.
At least three forms of biofield
therapeutics are used in medical care inpatient and outpatient settings:
healing touch, therapeutic touch, and SHEN therapy. No generally accepted
theory accounts for the effect of these therapies.
National Institutes of Health
Disclaimer: The NIH cautions users
not to seek the therapies described on these pages without the consultation of a
licensed healthcare provider. Inclusion of a treatment or resource on the NCCAM
Web site does not imply endorsement by the NCCAM, the NIH, or the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS).
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