Complementary and Alternative Therapies

Complementary therapies complement conventional medical treatment, while alternative therapies are those which offer alternatives to conventional diagnosis and therapies. Complementary medicine used together with conventional medicine is known as integrative medicine.

Complementary and alternative medicines can include herbal, vitamin, mineral, homoeopathic, nutritional and other supplements. Therapies include herbal medicine, Chinese medicine, chiropractic, naturopathy, osteopathy, acupuncture, homoeopathy, reflexology, aromatherapy, Alexander technique, Bach and other flower remedies, massage, hypnotherapy, shiatsu, ayurvedic medicine, nutritional medicine, yoga, anthroposophical medicine, spiritual healing, iridology, kinesiology, meditation and others.

The Office of Complementary Medicines [Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing], which is part of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, regulates and provides information on complementary medicines for Australians.

For information on complementary or alternative therapies and medicines, follow the links to the specific HealthInsite topic pages or to any of the items in the list of resources below.

Updated July 2010

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57 Resources Found

Results 1 to 20 displayed. 1 2 3

Title:	Cultural ways
Publisher:	Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
Description:	These web pages provide information and resources about cultural aspects of the environment that influence the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Date:	Jul 2010

Title:	Complementary and alternative therapies
Publisher:	The Cancer Council Australia
Description:	Provides information about complementary and alternative therapies and links to further information.
Date:	Apr 2010

Title:	Reiki
Publisher:	Better Health Channel
Description:	Reiki is a natural form of healing therapy. It uses non-invasive gentle touch. This form of therapy aims to increase energy levels and promote relaxation and wellbeing. It is not a treatment for illness or disease.
Date:	Mar 2010

Title:	Head lice - treating them
Publisher:	Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia)
Description:	Head lice do not spread dreadful diseases, but you do need to have them treated. You can't treat them by yourself, so you need to tell someone who can help you.
Date:	Mar 2010

Title:	Complementary and alternative therapies
Publisher:	National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre
Description:	Complementary therapies are a range of approaches to care aimed at enhancing quality of life and improving wellbeing. They may be used alongside conventional treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapies or targeted therapies.
Date:	Jan 2010

Title:	Unorthodox testing and treatment for allergic disorders
Publisher:	Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA)
Description:	Unproven allergy testing provides misleading results, delays correct diagnosis and leads to unnecessarily ineffective treatment. These approaches are not regulated in Australia or New Zealand.
Date:	Jan 2010

Title:	Complementary therapies
Publisher:	CareSearch
Description:	Complementary therapies are widely used in the Australian community, and are often adopted by palliative care patients. There is growing interest in seeking evidence regarding the effectiveness of complementary therapies for palliative care patients.
Date:	Dec 2009

Title:	Copper and magnetic bracelets for arthritis? - myDr.com.au
Publisher:	myDr
Description:	Claims that copper or magnetic bracelets ease arthritic pain are not supported by scientific evidence.
Date:	Nov 2009

Title:	Liver cleansing diet
Publisher:	Virtual Medical Centre.com
Description:	Liver cleansing diets claim to remove toxins that are clogging the liver. This cleansing of the liver is proposed to help it to work more efficiently, leading to weight loss.
Date:	Oct 2009

Title:	Spinal manipulation for primary and secondary dysmenorrhoea
Publisher:	John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:	Painful menstrual periods (dysmenorrhoea) are caused by cramps in the uterus (womb). One of the non-drug options for dysmenorrhoea is spinal manipulation (using hands to put pressure on certain parts of the back bone). This procedure is sometimes offere...
Date:	Oct 2009

Title:	Music therapy for end-of-life care
Publisher:	John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:	Music therapy is increasingly used in end-of-life care, with a growing number of music therapists being employed in hospices and hospital-based palliative care programs each year. Music therapy in end-of-life care aims to improve a person's quality of l...
Date:	Oct 2009

Title:	Complementary therapies and cancer
Publisher:	The Cancer Council Australia
Description:	At some stage you may hear about, or become interested in, complementary therapies. There are many therapies on offer and information about these can be confusing. This fact sheet will give you ideas about how to make informed and safe choices.
Date:	Aug 2009

Title:	Complementary therapies
Publisher:	The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health
Description:	Complementary therapies, including herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture and Chinese medicine, may help to manage the symptoms of medical treatments.
Date:	Aug 2009

Title:	HIV treatment
Publisher:	Better Health Channel
Description:	New drug treatments for HIV offer most people the chance to control the virus and stay healthy for much longer. Drug treatment for HIV is known as combined antiretroviral therapy (CAR) or, sometimes, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Drug treatment does not prevent transmission of the virus but starting treatment early can lead to better outcomes for many HIV-infected people.
Date:	Jul 2009

Title:	Neuroreflexotherapy for non-specific low-back pain
Publisher:	John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:	Neuroreflexotherapy, provided in specialized clinics in Spain, appears to reduce pain and disability for patients with chronic non-specific low-back pain....
Date:	Jul 2009

Title:	Complementary and alternative therapies
Publisher:	National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC)
Description:	Complementary therapies are a range of approaches to care aimed at enhancing quality of life and improving wellbeing. They may be used alongside conventional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Date:	Jul 2009

Title:	Alternative therapies
Publisher:	Novita Children's Services
Description:	The attitude of Novita to altenative therapies available for treating children who have physical disabilities is described.
Date:	Jul 2009

Title:	Reflexology
Publisher:	Better Health Channel
Description:	Reflexology is massage of the feet that aims to promote healing in other areas of the body. It is based on the principle that each part of the foot corresponds to a structure or organ. Modern reflexology is based on the principle that the foot has 'reflex' points that correspond to the various structures and organs throughout the body.
Date:	Jun 2009

Title:	Myotherapy
Publisher:	Better Health Channel
Description:	Myotherapy is a form of physical therapy used to treat or prevent soft tissue pain and restricted joint movement. The philosophy of myotherapy is founded on Western medical principles including anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. Techniques may include massage, stretching, acupressure and acupuncture.
Date:	Jun 2009

Title:	Transcutaneous electrostimulation for suspected placental insufficiency (diagnosed by Doppler studies)
Publisher:	John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:	No evidence to show whether blood flow through the placenta is improved in pregnant women who have transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy for suspected placental insufficiency....
Date:	Jun 2009

Results 1 to 20 displayed. 1 2 3

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

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57 Resources Found