Alternative Medicine
1905 - Institutional Event
Early in the 20th century, new kinds of health
practitioners began to appear in North Carolina. They used alternative therapies, meaning treatments not widely taught at
medical schools or available at hospitals in the United States. Of course,
alternative remedies such as herbal and Cherokee medicines had been practiced
here for years. But the 1900s brought new and foreign healing approaches:
homeopathy, chiropractic medicine and Chinese medicine.
Why did alternative medicines gain popularity during this
period? For one reason, conventional medicine of the time was often crude and
dangerous. Although these alternative health care methods lost favor with the
development of modern biomedicine, they’ve become popular again in recent
years. Today many people choose treatments such as acupuncture instead of or in
addition to biomedical therapies.
Homeopathy, one of the alternative medical approaches that arrived in North Carolina in the early 1900s.
Chinese Medicine: Yin and Yang
Chinese medicine, like Chinese culture, is based on the balance of opposites—Yin and Yang. Just as the two forces give energy to everything in the universe, their imbalance within the human body causes sickness, according to this approach.
Needle work, or acupuncture, involves a vital force known as qui (pronounced “chee”), which circulates in the body along 12 energy channels, or meridians. Sometimes these meridians become clogged, blocking qui and causing sickness. By inserting needles at precise points on the body, acupuncturists unclog the blockage and restore the flow of energy.
In Chinese crystal therapy, vibration patterns of various crystals and stones are believed to affect the energies of the human body and help restore healthy balance. The therapist places the proper stone on each of the body’s energy centers for a period of time to raise energy where needed. Treatment may also include meditation exercises.
Traditional Chinese remedies also include herbal medicine, including plants, roots, bark and animal substances such as oyster shells.
Acupuncture is one of the primary healing methods of Chinese medicine.
Chiropractic Medicine: All in the Spine
Chiropractic medicine spread to North Carolina and the nation from Iowa, where it was founded in 1895 by Daniel Palmer. By 1917, there were 13 practitioners in our state—all practicing without a license because none existed then. Over considerable opposition, a bill calling for a board of examiners to certify that chiropractic physicians were well trained was passed into law.
The basic premise of chiropractic medicine is that a healthy, well-aligned spine is the key to a healthy body. Misaligned vertebrae can cause pinched or irritated nerves. And since the spinal cord carries messages to all parts of the body, trouble here can cause a wide variety of health problems, from bladder and colon conditions to emotional problems.
The primary chiropractic treatments are called adjustments, restoring bones to their proper position through controlled manipulation by hand. Besides performing adjustments, most chiropractors suggest individualized programs for exercise, diet, stress management, hot and cold muscle therapy or lifestyle changes. Today more than 800 licensed chiropractic physicians practice in North Carolina.
In chiropractic medicine, the spinal cord is both the center of good health and the source of many health problems.
Homeopathy: Like Cures Like
The basic premise of homeopathic medicine can be summed up in the phrase, “Like cures like.” In other words, to cure a disease, use a remedy that in much larger doses will produce the disease’s symptoms in a healthy person. Homeopathy uses many different animal, plant, mineral and synthetic substances in its remedies, all heavily diluted.
Homeopathy was developed in Germany in the late 18th century. It arrived in North Carolina 150 years ago when Dr. William K. Freeman began his practice here. Today you can find homeopathic practitioners, pharmacies and health food stores.
Studies of homeopathic medicine have produced contradictory findings. Of the various explanations proposed for how the medicines actually work, none has been scientifically proven. Since most homeopathic drugs don’t require a prescription, many people treat themselves with remedies available in drugstores and health food stores.
Homeopathy, a controversial approach to medicine, views illness as an imbalance in the body’s vital force.