Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine is a broad term that applies to many forms of therapies. It is frequently grouped or associated with other terms such as holistic medicine, complementary medicine or integrative medicine.

Alternative Medicine is getting more and more popular as clinical studies are evaluating and reporting its effectiveness and as patients are getting more and more frustrated with conventional western medicine.

Some of the modalities of Alternative Medicine that we practice at CARE Wellness Center in Margate, Fl include:

  1. Acupuncture
  2. Herbal Medicine
  3. Chiropractic
  4. Reiki

Just as mainstream medicine has a fairly consistent approach to illness, so does alternative medicine, which is based on six fundamental principles:

The Healing Power of Nature

The body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent: nature heals through the response of the life force. The physician’s role is to facilitate and augment this process, to act to identify and remove obstacles to health and recovery, and to support the creation of a healthy internal and external environment. In short, give the body the appropriate tools and it will heal itself.

Treat the Whole Person

Health and disease are conditions of the whole organism, involving a complex interaction of physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social factors. The physician must treat the whole person by taking all of these factors into account. The harmonious functioning of all aspects of the individual is essential to recovery from and prevention of disease and requires a personalized and comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment.

First Do No Harm

Illness is a purposeful process of the organism. The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms, which are, in fact, an expression of the life force attempting to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be complementary to and synergistic with this healing process. The physician’s actions can support or antagonize the actions of the Healing Power of Nature; therefore, methods designed to suppress symptoms without removing underlying causes are considered harmful and are avoided or minimized. Therapeutic actions are applied in an ordered fashion congruent with the internal order of the organism.

Identify and Treat the Cause

Illness does not occur without cause. Underlying causes of disease must be discovered and removed or treated before a person can recover completely from illness. Symptoms are expressions of the body’s attempt to heal, but they are not the cause of disease; therefore, alternative medicine addresses itself promptly to the underlying causes of disease, rather than symptoms. Causes may occur on many levels, including physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual. The physician must evaluate fundamental underlying causes on all levels, directing treatment at root cause rather than at symptomatic expression.

Prevention (Prevention is the best “cure”)

The ultimate goal of alternative medicine is prevention. This is accomplished through education and promotion of lifestyle habits that create good health. The physician assesses risk factors and hereditary susceptibility to disease and makes appropriate interventions to avoid further harm and risk to the patient. The emphasis is on building health rather than on fighting disease. Because it is difficult to be healthy in an unhealthy world, it is the responsibility of both the physician and patient to create a healthier environment in which to live.

The Physician as Teacher

Beyond an accurate diagnosis and appropriate prescription, the physician must work to create a health-sensitive, interpersonal relationship with the patient. A cooperative doctor-patient relationship has inherent therapeutic value. The physician’s major role is to educate and encourage the patient to take responsibility for health. The physician is a catalyst for healthful change, empowering and motivating the patient to assume responsibility. It is the patient, not the doctor, who ultimately creates or accomplishes healing. The physician must strive to inspire hope as well as understanding. Physicians must also make a commitment to their personal and spiritual development in order to be good teachers.

Alternative medicine can treat many conditions effectively. We practice many forms of alternative medicine at CARE Wellness Center, mostly acupuncture, herbal medicine, reiki and chiropractic. We serve the residents of north Broward and south palm beach county including Margate, Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, and West Boca. Call us today to get started at 954-586-8088

Learn more about alternative medicine, specifically acupuncture, and how it may help you regain balance, strength, hope and health!