Alternative medicine schools refer to schools that offer coursework in non mainstream medical fields like homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, Native American studies, energy therapy, chiropractic and more. The average person view alternative medicine as a treatment of last resort when it is more than likely to late to affect a proper cure. The events of pain management, acupuncture and especially chiropractic manipulation are considered almost mainstream. There are many people who use chiropractic treatment on a regular basis. I would warn the unwary that you need to check with your health insurance to make sure all of their treatments are covered as many use x-rays and other diagnostic tests prior to recommending a treatment regimen.

My chiropractor, who attended an alternative medicine school for his license from my teenage years, was of a much different school of thought. While he ascribed to the thinking that if your spine was not aligned properly you could experience a myriad variety of ailments including cold like symptoms and pain in various extremities, he also felt that if there was a problem that he could only see through the use of x-rays then it probably could not be fixed with a chiropractic adjustment. He was of the opinion that other chiropractors who insisted on x-rays before any treatment were only trying to drive the cost of treatment up to line their own pockets. I found his alternative treatment method refreshing especially after a car accident put me in the hospital for over three weeks.

There are only four accredited schools of naturopathy in the United States. Naturopathy is another alternative medicine school program that focuses on the patient and his environment. One such school is the Southwest College of Naturopathy and it has been in existence since 1993. Their goal is to train Naturopathic physicians who use the principles of health practice and promotion to achieve disease management and to heal without any harm (side effects) to the patient. The college offers a four year degree to students wishing to obtain licensing as a Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) and also offers non degree coursework as well to students online or in the Tempe, Arizona area.

Following are the focuses under the Doctor of Naturopathy coursework: Botanical Medicine (herbal medicine schools), Homeopathic Medicine, Nutrition, Physical Medicine, Oriental Medicine (Traditional Chinese medicine), Environmental Medicine, Counseling, Stress Management and Minor Surgery. Botanical Medicine is core to the curriculum and balances traditional herbal therapy with phytomedicines which are scientifically formulated. Homeopathic medicine offers relief to numerous conditions that do not respond to traditional treatment. Environmental medicine refers to how chemicals in our environment react with our bodies to create negative effects. The focus is on naturally detoxifying the patient and restoring the natural immune balance in your body. Nutrition is best described as “you are what you eat.” There are many medical situations that can be controlled with diet and respond well than from a prescribed drug with fewer side effects. Physical medicine refers to touch, massage, physical therapy and spinal manipulation to affect a treatment plan. A physician’s “touch” is a key to developing a trusting relationship for the treatment to come. Oriental medicine refers to Traditional Chinese medical treatment including acupuncture, acupressure and oriental herbal remedies.

Counseling and Stress Management are important to keep a patient balanced and under control for the best treatment to occur. Methods include hypnotherapy, biofeedback, nutritional balance, and stress management techniques. Finally Minor Surgery refers to wound management, removal of foreign masses, cysts and other superficial skin deformities like warts with local anesthesia if necessary.

There are many other therapies available at some alternative medicine schools including bioenergetics, energy healing, polarity therapy, neurolinguistic programming, reiki and spiritual attunement. If you are into New Age therapies some of these may appeal to you. If you are really more versed in the mainstream world and what can be quantified and measured, you may want to stay away from some of the above therapies. For example, reiki schools teach you to balance a patient’s chakras and raise their inner energy through the use of gentle touch methods. This training traditionally only takes a few hours so you can see how much benefit the treatment really has. If it is not taught by an accredited alternative medicine school then you can be sure that you are on the fringe.