The term alternative medicine can be applied to any form of medicine that differs from conventional Western understanding of disease and its treatment. It includes many different types of therapies and some, such as acupuncture and osteopathy, enjoy fairly widespread acceptance. The various forms of alternative medicine have gained more respect in recent times because of the growing number of people who have become alienated by the clinical remoteness of orthodox medicine or as a last resort when science fails to effect cure. Even among orthodox medical practitioners, there is a steadily growing awareness that conventional methods are not necessarily the only or even the best way to handle every sort of health problem. Some practice forms of alternative medicine themselves or have contacts to whom they refer patients.
Due to the wide disparity in the quality of professional training, choosing a suitable practitioner presents problem. The best ones are usually those who have undergone a recognised training programme, and who are open about their theories and methods. Practitioners to avoid are those who are secretive about their supposedly unique techniques and who exploit the credulous and the weak. The safest way to choose a practitioner of alternative medicine is through the personal recommendation of someone whose judgment you trust.
Acupuncure is the oldest system of medicine known. The Chinese theory behind it is that a life force flows through the body along a network of so-called meridians quite distinct from the nervous system. When health breaks down, the part of the body affected is believed to alter the flow of force at a particular point on a meridian. The acupunturist corrects the energy imbalance by inserting very fine sterilised needles into the skin at specific points along the meridian lines. The needles are then manipulated or, more rarely, a weak electric current is passed through them. Performed by an expert, the procedure is painless.
Acupuncture is used mainly in the relief of chronic pain, the treatment of drug addiction, as a local anaesthetic and as a form of preventive medicine. It treats the whole person, each diagnosis and treament being highly individualised. In the Western world its anaesthetic properties have had some degree of scientific confirmation, but for reasons yet unknown acupuncture works more effectively for some people than for others. It is not suited to the treatment of acute illness, of very young children or of pregnant women. As a large part of the skill of acupuncture is in correct diagnosis, it involves sound anatomical knowledge and how benefits from Western medical techniques. This has attracted an increasing number of qualified doctors to undergo an accredited training course in acupuncture.