{"id":733,"date":"2016-11-13T21:38:01","date_gmt":"2016-11-13T21:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-monroecc-hed110\/?post_type=chapter&p=733"},"modified":"2016-11-13T21:41:17","modified_gmt":"2016-11-13T21:41:17","slug":"types-of-complementary-health-approaches","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/atd-monroecc-healthed\/chapter\/types-of-complementary-health-approaches\/","title":{"raw":"Types of Complementary Health Approaches","rendered":"Types of Complementary Health Approaches"},"content":{"raw":"

Most complementary health approaches fall into one of two subgroups\u2014natural products or mind and body\u00a0practices.<\/p>\r\nTo learn more about specific products, practices, and approaches, click on each underlined item below.\r\n

Natural\u00a0Products<\/h3>\r\nThis group includes a variety of products, such as herbs<\/a><\/strong> (also known as botanicals), vitamins and minerals<\/strong>, and probiotics<\/a><\/strong>. They are widely marketed, readily available to consumers, and often sold as dietary supplements.\r\n\r\nAccording to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included a comprehensive survey on the use of complementary health approaches by Americans, 17.7 percent of American adults had used a dietary supplement other than vitamins and minerals in the past year. These products were the most popular complementary health approach in the survey. The most commonly used natural product was fish\u00a0oil.\r\n\r\nResearchers have done large, rigorous studies on a few natural products, but the results often showed that the products didn\u2019t work. Research on others is in progress. While there are indications that some may be helpful, more needs to be learned about the effects of these products in the human body and about their safety and potential interactions with medicines and other natural\u00a0products.\r\n

Mind and Body\u00a0Practices<\/h3>\r\nMind and body practices include a large and diverse group of procedures or techniques administered or taught by a trained practitioner or teacher. The 2012 NHIS showed that yoga<\/a><\/strong>, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation<\/a><\/strong>, meditation<\/a><\/strong>, and massage therapy<\/a><\/strong> are among the most popular mind and body practices used by adults. The popularity of yoga has grown dramatically in recent years, with almost twice as many U.S. adults practicing yoga in 2012 as in\u00a02002.\r\n\r\nOther mind and body practices include acupuncture<\/a><\/strong>, relaxation techniques<\/a><\/strong> (such as breathing exercises, guided imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation), tai chi<\/a><\/strong>, qi gong<\/strong>, healing touch<\/strong>, hypnotherapy<\/strong>, and movement therapies<\/strong> (such as Feldenkrais method, Alexander technique, Pilates, Rolfing Structural Integration, and Trager psychophysical\u00a0integration).\r\n\r\nThe amount of research on mind and body approaches varies widely depending on the practice. For example, researchers have done many studies on acupuncture, yoga, spinal manipulation, and meditation, but there have been fewer studies on some other\u00a0practices.\r\n

Other Complementary Health\u00a0Approaches<\/h3>\r\nThe two broad areas discussed above\u2014natural products and mind and body practices\u2014capture most complementary health approaches. However, some approaches may not neatly fit into either of these groups\u2014for example, the practices of traditional healers<\/strong>, Ayurvedic medicine<\/a><\/strong>, traditional Chinese medicine<\/a><\/strong>, homeopathy<\/a>,<\/strong> and naturopathy<\/a><\/strong>.\r\n\r\n\"See","rendered":"

Most complementary health approaches fall into one of two subgroups\u2014natural products or mind and body\u00a0practices.<\/p>\n

To learn more about specific products, practices, and approaches, click on each underlined item below.<\/p>\n

Natural\u00a0Products<\/h3>\n

This group includes a variety of products, such as herbs<\/a><\/strong> (also known as botanicals), vitamins and minerals<\/strong>, and probiotics<\/a><\/strong>. They are widely marketed, readily available to consumers, and often sold as dietary supplements.<\/p>\n

According to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included a comprehensive survey on the use of complementary health approaches by Americans, 17.7 percent of American adults had used a dietary supplement other than vitamins and minerals in the past year. These products were the most popular complementary health approach in the survey. The most commonly used natural product was fish\u00a0oil.<\/p>\n

Researchers have done large, rigorous studies on a few natural products, but the results often showed that the products didn\u2019t work. Research on others is in progress. While there are indications that some may be helpful, more needs to be learned about the effects of these products in the human body and about their safety and potential interactions with medicines and other natural\u00a0products.<\/p>\n

Mind and Body\u00a0Practices<\/h3>\n

Mind and body practices include a large and diverse group of procedures or techniques administered or taught by a trained practitioner or teacher. The 2012 NHIS showed that yoga<\/a><\/strong>, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation<\/a><\/strong>, meditation<\/a><\/strong>, and massage therapy<\/a><\/strong> are among the most popular mind and body practices used by adults. The popularity of yoga has grown dramatically in recent years, with almost twice as many U.S. adults practicing yoga in 2012 as in\u00a02002.<\/p>\n

Other mind and body practices include acupuncture<\/a><\/strong>, relaxation techniques<\/a><\/strong> (such as breathing exercises, guided imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation), tai chi<\/a><\/strong>, qi gong<\/strong>, healing touch<\/strong>, hypnotherapy<\/strong>, and movement therapies<\/strong> (such as Feldenkrais method, Alexander technique, Pilates, Rolfing Structural Integration, and Trager psychophysical\u00a0integration).<\/p>\n

The amount of research on mind and body approaches varies widely depending on the practice. For example, researchers have done many studies on acupuncture, yoga, spinal manipulation, and meditation, but there have been fewer studies on some other\u00a0practices.<\/p>\n

Other Complementary Health\u00a0Approaches<\/h3>\n

The two broad areas discussed above\u2014natural products and mind and body practices\u2014capture most complementary health approaches. However, some approaches may not neatly fit into either of these groups\u2014for example, the practices of traditional healers<\/strong>, Ayurvedic medicine<\/a><\/strong>, traditional Chinese medicine<\/a><\/strong>, homeopathy<\/a>,<\/strong> and naturopathy<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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