Alternative medicine is a type of medicine that believes in capability of the body to heal it self naturally and holistically. It advises people to change their lifestyle to prevent illness, as much as curing it. The biggest difference between traditional medicine and alternative medicine is the way they view the human body system. While traditional medicine looks at the body as a collective group of various systems and organs, alternative medicine views body, mind and soul as complete. There are many alternative medicine courses taught in various institutes. There are five main types of alternative medicine courses as follows:
1.) Alternative Medical Systems: These are a type of alternative medicine courses that are a whole set of theories as well as practices. Most of these are ancient and were discovered before much before the conventional medicine practices. These include many famous practices like Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathic medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine and so.
2.) Mind-Body Interventions: These types of alternative medicine courses teach how to encourage mind of a person to affect the ailment in the body. There are some methods in this that were earlier alternative but have turned into mainstream now. Some that are still alternative include Dance therapy, Hypnotherapy, Yoga, Meditation, Biofeedback therapy, Music therapy and such others.
3.) Biologically-Based Therapies: Basically, these include alternative medicine courses that train an aspiring practitioner about the various natural resources that have the power to heal. These include many herbal plants, foods as well as vitamins. Some common practices in which a student can specialize include Dietary supplements, Herbal products and etc.
4.) Manipulative and Body-Based Products: These include the study of such products that manipulate or control movements in one or more body parts. The various methods under this include Acupressure, Chiropractic, Massage therapy, Reflexology, Osteopathy, and also Rolfing.
5.) Energy Therapies: This is a form of alternative medicine courses that makes use of energy fields. It is further subdivided into biofield therapies and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies. Biofield therapies are those that affect the various energies surrounding our body and penetrating it. These therapies involve applying pressure on these energy fields by placing hands in or around them. Some of these include Reiki and Therapeutic Touch. Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies involve practices to affect the electromagnetic fields surrounding the body, like pulsed fields and magnetic fields.
One of the best centers for studying alternative medicine is India. There are many alternative medicine courses in India like Acupuncture, Naturopathy, Yoga and Massage, Reiki, Acupressure, Magneto therapy in various institutes. These institutes offer degree, diploma and even post graduation programs in the same. Most of these also provide distance learning now, which enables a student to get alternative medicine diploma online and also alternative medicine degree online in the various alternative medicine courses in India.
