Nontraditional Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nontraditional Health Care - Essay Example Micozzi (2010) reported that many Americans are increasingly embracing the use of nontraditional medicines commonly referred to us ‘alternative’ medicines. According to Micozzi (2010), more than 50% of Americans use either complimentary or alternative form of medicine as their preferred approach to medication. The new government survey report indicated that 36% of American adults aged 18 years and above use nontraditional forms of medications. Philadelphia is one among the states that have registered high number of people using nontraditional forms of medication according to Metz and Jones (2008). Some of the nontraditional medicines commonly used by the residents of Philadelphia include homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, folk remedies, massage, meditation, spiritual healing, aromatherapy, herbal and ayurvedic Medicine just to name but a few. The aim of this paper is to examine the extent of availability of nontraditional healthcare in Philadelphia state . The use of nontraditional medicine has been on the rise in America in the recent past. According to a survey conducted recently by the U.S. government, it was discovered that more than a half of American population are using nontraditional medicines for treatments (Metz and Jones, 2008). ... In this regard, alternative medicine involves total replacement of conventional Western medicines with the non-mainstream forms of medications. â€Å"Complementary’ medicine, on the other hand, is a health care approach that is incompatible with the conventional medicines of the West, but, unlike ‘alternative’ medicines, is used together with the conventional medicines. As earlier mentioned, the use of alternative medicine in the United States is widespread and the numbers continue to rise. In Philadelphia, for example, the numbers of patients resorting to the use of nontraditional medicine is on the rise, according to Michelfelder (2007). This is based on the belief that the nontraditional healthcare medicines are very effective in treating diseases or relieving patients from pain. Acupuncture is one of the most commonly used non-mainstream forms of medication used by many residents of Philadelphia, notes Michelfelder (2007). This form of medication is widely us ed in homes and hospitals across the state as a pain reliever. Acupuncture as a healthcare medicine involves the stimulation of certain joints of the body using different techniques such as the insertion of thin needles in the skin Michelfelder (2007). The main objecting of doing this is to remove in the qi flow, restore, as well as to maintain health. To discover the extent of its use in Philadelphia, I interviewed one of the doctors in Philadelphia’s pain management center. According to the doctor, acupuncture is widely in use in hospitals as back pain and headache reliever. The doctor also stated that in most cases, acupuncture is used as a complementary with other conventional Western