The 21 alternative medicine therapies found on Alternative Medicine Online (not to mention the two mini-features on auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture) and reflexology) all practice and advocate the holistic model of health care. They believe that the body must be seen as a "whole." The tie that binds all of these therapies together can be witnessed by reading about each and every one.

Each therapy is broken up into several sections for your convenience. The sections are as follows: Overview, Description, Method, Common cures, Application, Modern medicine's perspective, Case studies, and Resources and links. You will also be able to view a great spectrum of important, insightful quotes on each therapy page; the quotes on each page are specific to the therapy on which they are found. We hope you enjoy learning as much as you can about these 21 alternative medicine therapies.

Acupuncture: Tiny needles correct the flow of qi ("life energy"), ease pain and suffering in this ancient therapy. Have you had your needle today?

Applied kinesiology: The interaction of antagonistic muscles can have a great bearing on your physical health. Applied kinesiologist study this and more.

Aromatherapy: It is no joke that the application of essential oils really does cure a great number of diseases and conditions. There is more to aromatherapy than cosmetics; don't be fooled!

Ayurvedic medicine: Do you have a vata, pitta, or a kapha dosha (body type)? Avurdeda, the "science of life", can answer this question, as well as tell you how to harmonize your body, mind, and soul.

Biofeedback: You may be surprised to find out that you can actually control and manipulate some of the physiological processes and mechanisms of your very own body. Biofeedback utilizes this fact to diagnose and treat a multitude of disorders.

Chiropractic: This therapy, the second largest primary health care field in the world, has spawned a great deal of recognition for alternative medicine as a whole due to its effectiveness in treating and correcting subluxations of the spine and vertebrae.

Craniosacral therapy: Within the body there exists an important rhythm, the craniosacral rhythm, which is caused by the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the craniosacral system. Cranial manipulation changes the flow of this fluid and effects the human life force for the better. The brain is the body's most impressive asset. Its surrounding structures and their condition should be your number one priority.

Enzyme therapy: Without enzymes there could not be life. Enzymes catalyze all of the chemical reactions in the body. By altering the body's plant and animal enzyme intake, one can fend off disease and increase vitality.

Gemstone/Chakra/Crystal therapy: You may be surprised to find out that most gemstones have profound positive effects on the human body's seven chakras, or energy centers. Gemstone therapy is not as spiritually-based as you may expect; it's therapeutic.

Herbal medicine: Athletes, entertainers, and people of all walks of life use herbs to enhance performance and to cure hundreds of physical and mental conditions. Unlike conventional medicine's antibiotics and pharmaceutical drugs, herbs produce few or no negative side effects. It's no wonder many Americans are turning to herbs to prevent and treat disease.

Homeopathy: The most diluted substances can be the most potent, effective remedies. This is the mantra of homeopathy, the alternative therapy which believes that "like cures like" and that treatments in infinitesimal dosages work best.

Iridology (featured study): Lesions on the iris help doctors diagnose illnesses before actually arise. The iridology eye chart holds the key to finding signs of disease before it's too late.

Magnetic-field therapy: Electromagnetic energy is all around us. Wherever we go, we are affected by others' subtle magnetic fields. Learn how to reduce some of the adverse effects of the earth's magnetic fields through the use of the north and south poles of natural and synthetic magnets.

Massage therapy: A good massage can do wonders for the body, mind and soul.

Meditation therapy: Enter into an altered state of consciousness to relieve stress and to promote clarity in thought and judgment, among others.

Mind/body Medicine: It's mind over matter in this alternative therapy which stresses the importance of the doctor-patient relationship.

Music therapy: A string quartet plays classical music. An opera singer sings an aria. A rap singer does hip hop and r & b. All of these forms of music can be therapeutic depending on the person who listens to them. See why these and other sounds, such as the crashing of waves, the wind in the willows, or the sound of thunder can be satisfying to some but not to others.

Naturopathic medicine: Is prevention the best way to attain an optimal level of health? Naturopathic practitioners seem to think so. They also believe in the body's natural, innate ability to heal itself without dangerous invasive surgery or conventional medical intervention.

Orthomolecular medicine: A proper balance of vitamins, minerals, and other organic substances will maintain homeostasis. The concentration and mixture of these substances play a huge role in determining one's health. An improper balance causes...well...you'll see.

Therapeutic touch: Every human body emits its own energy. One's feelings and emotions can be altered by another person without even making physical touch. As you will discover, a catharsis is not always a bad thing; rather, it releases suppressed emotions.

Yoga: Yoga postures are not merely a subtle form of exercise. On the contrary, they enhance peoples' quality of life, create a state of deep relaxation, and increase longevity when combined with breathwork. Give them a chance and you'll see what they can do for you.

Overview:

This section gives the reader a general synopsis of the aims, goals, and characteristics of the alternative medicine therapy. It tells him or her what the therapy entails, and may even offer a little bit on the history of the alternative technique.

The description section literally "describes" the therapy, down to the very last detail. It tells the reader the who, what where, and when about the particular therapy at hand. In addition, it may mention important events or people in the therapy, ground-breaking research studies, or general principles of the therapy.

In this section, you will find everything there is to know about how the alternative therapy is implemented. This section discusses the clinical actions that the practitioner or the patient takes to initialize the healing process. The method section shows how the medical practitioner diagnoses and treats a wide range of diseases and disorders, from AIDS to eczema, and how he or she analyzes the patient's problems to pinpoint the causation of his or her pathological conditions. It may even describe a typical treatment program or a visit with a practitioner of a particular therapy.

Probably the most captivating research section of Alternative Medicine Online (AMO) is the common cures section. This section displays concrete evidence for the effectiveness of the alternative therapy in question by showing a list of diseases, conditions, and disorders that the alternative medicine therapy has been proven to benefit one way or another. There is even additional information that either gives the reader further knowledge about a disease or organ system, or provides a suggestion or recommendation the reader should follow to treat the disease (if he or she should happen to suffer from it).

What does the modern medicine establishment think of acupuncture? What is the general population's opinion about homeopathy? Questions like the ones above are answered in the modern medicine's perspective therapy research section. In this section, the reader will discover the impact that the therapy in question is having on the medical community. He or she will also learn about the recent trends in the therapy and steps the therapy has made to infiltrate into common practice. This section may also give examples of how the therapy has made gains in credibility and stature.

The application research section is very different from the other sections in that it tells you how a therapy utilizes other alternative therapy systems in its practice; it actually explains how the dogmas, idealogies, and/or methods of other therapies or perhaps a universal alternative medicine theme or two "applies" to one specific alternative therapy.

These are real accounts of personal case histories that give detailed descriptions of an individual's experience with an alternative therapy. They all emphasize a positive aspect or two of alternative medicine. Usually they show how the person's dysfunction was cured or atleast alleviated by alternative medicine after numerous conventional medicine treatments had failed miserably.

We searched far and wide to give you access to the freshest, most insightful websites on the internet. Also published here is information on how to contact different medical organizations, periodicals, and/or practitioners of alternative health care. A great majority of the sites and books shown in this section were used extensively for research purposes. Others are listed because the information found on these websites or in these reference materials is very pertinent to the study and discussion of alternative medicine.