A World History of Alternative Medicine

If you're interested in the history of alternative medicine philosophies currently practiced in the United States, you may be surprised to learn that several of these techniques have rich, lengthy histories. Complementary alternative medicine is rooted in tried and true medical theories that have been used around the world for years. Alternative healing practices may be new to the United States, but most of these practices are not new in other parts of the world.

History of Ayurveda
Ayurvedic medicine is about five thousand years old. This medical system originated in India and has been a major influence on Chinese and Greek medicine. Ayurveda combines lifestyle and dietary modifications to stimulate or pacify each of the three doshas (constitutions) in search for balance, which will allow the body to properly self-care and self-heal.

History of Acupuncture
The practice of acupuncture is over 5,000 years old. This practice originates in Asia. Whereas sharp stones, bamboo sticks and fish bones were once used to stimulate the points along the energy meridians of the body, fine needles are not used for this purpose. Acupuncture is based on the Asian foundational idea that energy forces run through the body on established channels, or meridians. Properly flowing energy stimulates self-healing and self-care, while blocked energy creates health complications.

History of Homeopathy
Homeopathic medicine has its roots in the philosophies of Samuel Hahnemann, a doctor who practiced medicine in the 1780s. This doctor began the practice of homeopathy when he discovered that a tree bark used to treat malaria actually caused the same symptoms of malaria in healthy people, causing him to consider the idea that like could heal like. He began experimenting with the idea that substances that caused symptoms in healthy people might cure those same symptoms in diseases people, spurring the origins of homeopathic dilution remedies, where substances that cause specific symptoms in healthy people are diluted and then administered to sick people in hopes of stimulating healing.

History of Naturopathy
Naturopathy has been practiced in one form or another for all of recorded history. Herbs, plants, dietary changes and the use of natural substances to sustain and support health has been a practice used throughout history. However, the formal practice of naturopathy as a science was established in the 18th century healing practices. In Germany, hydrotherapy gained popularity as nature cure became popular in Austria in the 18th century. The first American school of naturopathy was established in 1902, but allopathic medicine overtook naturopathic medicine in the 1920s. Popularity of naturopathy resurged in the 1960s.

History of Chiropractic Medicine
Daniel David Palmer established chiropractic medicine as a form of medicine in 1895. He stumbled upon the premise of chiropractic medicine - that the skeletal system must be properly aligned for optimal health - when he encountered a deaf janitor. The janitor explained that he had enjoyed perfect hearing until one day when he bent over and heard a popping sound in his back. When D.D. Palmer palpated the janitor's spine, he found the misaligned vertebrae, manipulated the spine and the man's hearing returned to normal again. This prompted the beginnings of Palmer's theories on skeletal alignment, laying the foundation for chiropractic medicine as we now know it.