Alternative Medicine Terms from A to Z

Acupuncture:

• A form of alternative medicine that involves stimulating certain points, referred to as acupoints, on a person's body to relieve pain and promote healing and overall well-being.

Allopath:

• A kind of doctor who advocates the system of medical practice making use of all measures that have proved to be effective in the treatment of disease.

Alternative medicine:

• Medical practices that fall outside the spectrum of conventional allopathic medicine.

Artificial:

• Human-made; not found in nature.

Blood vessel:

• Vessel through which blood flows.

Chiropractic:

• A way of treating certain health conditions by manipulating and adjusting the spine.

Cholera:

• Any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms.

Electromagnetic:

• Magnetism developed by a current of electricity.

Genetic predisposition:

• To be susceptible to something because of genes.

Holistic:

• Of or relating to the whole rather than its parts; holistic medicine tries to treat both the mind and the body.

Homeopathy:

• A system of natural remedies.

Hormone:

• Substances formed in certain glands that control bodily functions.

Hypothesize:

• To make a tentative assumption in order to draw out and test its logical or observable consequences.

Infinitesimals:

• Immeasurably small quantity or variable.

Inherent:

• Belonging to the essential nature of something.

Iridology:

• The study of the iris of the eye in order to diagnose illness or disease.

Kinesiology:

• The study of anatomy in relation to movement of the body.

Massage therapy:

• The manipulation of soft tissue in the body with the aim of relieving and preventing pain, stress, and muscle spasms.

Mortality:

• The number of deaths in a given time or place.

Naturopathy:

• A kind of alternative medicine that focuses on the body's inherent healing powers and works with those powers to restore and maintain overall health.

Neurosis:

• An emotional disorder that produces fear and anxiety.

Noninvasive:

• Not involving penetration of the skin.

Physiology:

• A branch of science that focuses on the functions of the body.

Plaster:

• A medicated or protective dressing that consists of a film (as of cloth or plastic) usually spread with a medicated substance.

Qi (or Chi):

• Life energy vital to an individual's wellbeing.

Reflexology:

• A type of bodywork that involves applying pressure to certain points, referred to as reflex points, on the foot.

Sectarian medicine:

• Medical practices not based on scientific experience; also known as alternative medicine.

Subatomic:

• Relating to particles smaller than atoms.

Suppress:

• To stop the development or growth of something.

Symptom:

• Something that indicates the presence of an illness or bodily disorder.

Vertebra:

• A bony piece of the spinal column fitting together with other vertebrae to allow flexible movement of the body. (The spinal cord runs through the middle of each vertebra.)

Yoga:

• A form of exercise and a system of health that involves yoga postures to promote wellbeing of body and mind.

Source:

Okay, this is not really a type of update or news but really this is a good way to familiarize myself to the terms used in alternative medicine.