American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [80]
Valerian
Valerian is a herb that is widely used in Europe as a sleeping aid. It seems to have few side effects but in rare cases can cause headaches, heart palpitations, and insomnia. Valerian should not be used with barbiturates because it intensifies their sedative effects.
Manipulative Therapies
Manipulative therapies attempt to treat illness by manipulating or moving parts of the body. Manipulative therapies include chiropractic, massage therapy, and reflexology. Osteopathic medicine is included in this section, even though it is part of mainstream medical practice, because of its emphasis on the study and treatment of the musculoskeletal system through manipulation. Chiropractic focuses on the relationship between the structure of the body (primarily the spine) and how the body works. It is based on the belief that health can be restored through manipulation of the spine. Massage therapists manipulate the soft tissues of the body to relieve so-called restrictions (tightenings) and return the tissues to normal function.
Manipulative therapies have had varying degrees of success at treating chronic diseases, but are generally recognized as being effective for the treatment of lower back problems and pain.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a system of therapy based on the theory that disease results from a lack of normal nerve function. Treatment focuses on the physical adjustment and manipulation of the muscle, tissue, and joints of the spinal column instead of using medication or surgery. To diagnose a medical problem, chiropractors usually take a health history, order X-rays of the spine, and perform a physical examination of the back. Once a diagnosis is made, the chiropractor then manually adjusts the vertebrae of the spine suspected of causing the problem. The number of treatments needed and the length of visits vary.
Chiropractic seeks to bring the skeletal structure into balance to restore or increase the range of motion of the spinal column. It can be effective in treating lower back problems, but claims that it can also treat such medical problems as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes have not been proven scientifically.
Osteopathic Medicine
Osteopathic medicine is similar to conventional medical practice, with an emphasis on the study of the musculoskeletal system (bones, muscles, tendons, tissues, nerves, and the spinal column). Osteopathic medicine takes a holistic approach to health care, teaching that the human body is a unified system and that the musculoskeletal system plays a central role in a person’s overall health.
A doctor of osteopathy (DO) is a fully trained and licensed physician who has attended a 4-year osteopathic medical school and served a 1-year internship and a 2- to 6-year residency in a specialty area, as medical doctors (MDs) do. An osteopath can prescribe drugs and is qualified to practice all branches of medicine and surgery. Osteopaths use manipulation techniques such as stretching and thrusting in addition to conventional drugs and therapies to treat illness.
Craniosacral therapy
Craniosacral therapy is a form of osteopathic manipulation that involves gentle manual manipulation of the cranial (skull) bones to relieve tightening of the tissues that surround the brain and spinal cord. Osteopaths think that relieving this tightening (which they call restriction) allows the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes these structures to flow smoothly, thereby correcting the neurologic dysfunction. Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of craniosacral therapy in treating cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, attention deficit disorders, headaches, and other neurologic disorders. The therapy is also effective in treating ear infections in children.
Massage Therapy
In massage therapy, the practitioner