Health Library

The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.

Complementary and Alternative Therapy

  • Provides links on yoga, massage therapy, and dietary supplements. Also links to information on naturopathic medicine. Interactive links include stress management, muscle relaxation, and deciding whether to use complementary medicine.

  • Complementary medicine includes many treatments you can use along with standard medical treatment. A lot of people use some form of complementary medicine to treat osteoarthritis. Some of these treatments may help you move more easily and deal with the stress and pain of arthritis. But in some cases, not much is...

  • Covers benefits and risks of complementary and alternative medicine. Provides links to various therapies, including homeopathy, yoga, acupuncture, and herbal supplements. Also includes links to tools to help you decide if complementary medicine is right for you.

  • There is no cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). So far, the only treatments proved to affect the course of the disease are disease-modifying medicines, such as interferon beta. Other types of treatment should not replace these medicines if you are a candidate for treatment with them. Some people who have MS report...

  • NOTE: The information in this summary is no longer being updated and is provided for reference purposes only. The Gerson therapy is a complex regimen that has been used to treat people with cancer and other diseases (see Question 1). The key parts of the Gerson therapy are a strict diet, dietary supplements, and enemas...

  • NOTE: The information in this summary is no longer being updated and is provided for reference purposes only. The Gonzalez regimen, developed by Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, involves taking pancreatic enzymes thought to have anticancer activity. The regimen also includes prescribed diets, nutritional supplements, and coffee...

  • Not all forms of cancer or cancer treatment cause pain. If pain occurs, many treatments are available to relieve it. If your doctor has given you instructions or medicines to treat pain, be sure to follow them. Home treatment may help to reduce pain and improve your physical and mental well-being. Be sure to discuss...

  • Discusses sleep problems caused by cancer or side effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Offers tips like get daily exercise and use a sleep mask and earplugs to improve sleep. Warns to check with your doctor before taking sleep medicine.

  • Guides through decision to use complementary medicine. Explains what complementary medicine is. Lists reasons for and against. Also covers benefits and risks. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

  • People often use the terms complementary medicine and alternative medicine in place of each other. But there is a difference. Understanding the difference will help you to become more informed about this type of medicine. Complementary medicine is a nonstandard treatment or medicine that is used together...

  • Acupressure may help relieve or shorten the duration of your morning sickness symptoms. Acupressure is based on Eastern medicine practices used to open up blocked energy pathways in the body. Instead of using acupuncture needles, you or a practitioner presses on a small area of the body to treat a given ailment...

  • Learn about acupuncture and massage for low back pain.

  • Discusses a traditional Chinese therapy that uses very thin needles placed in the skin to influence energy flow (called chi or qi). Explains its complementary medicine use for pain and conditions such as headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome. Covers safety issues.

  • Covers benefits and risks of complementary and alternative medicine. Provides links to various therapies, including homeopathy, yoga, acupuncture, and herbal supplements. Also includes links to tools to help you decide if complementary medicine is right for you.

  • Acupuncture applies needles, heat, pressure, and other treatments to one or more places on the skin known as acupuncture points (see Question 1). Clinical trials report the use of acupuncture relieves nausea and vomiting from anticancer therapies (see Question 5). Other trials have studied the use of acupuncture in...

  • Discusses aromatherapy (essential oils therapy) to treat disease. Includes oils that are put on the skin or in bath water, sprayed, inhaled, or massaged. Looks at uses to relax, relieve stress, and treat illness. Covers safety.

  • Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils from plants (flowers, herbs, or trees) as therapy to improve physical, mental, and spiritual well-being (see Question 1). Aromatherapy may be used with other complementary treatments, such as massage or acupuncture, as well as with standard medical treatments to manage symptoms...

  • Covers ayurveda (ayurvedic medicine) from India. Discusses good health and prevention of illness with practices like massage, meditation, yoga, diet, and use of herbal remedies. Looks at three body components (doshas) known as Vatta, Pitta, and Kapha.

  • Discusses biofeedback alternative therapy to control body functions such as skin temperature, muscle tension, heart rate, or blood pressure. Covers electromyography and peripheral temperature or hand temperature biofeedback. Discusses training and safety.

  • For years, people have used cranberry juice to prevent and help cure urinary tract infections (UTIs). There is limited proof that this is worth trying. Pure cranberry juice, cranberry extract, or cranberry supplements may help prevent repeated UTIs...

  • Like other complementary medicine therapies, healing touch starts with the idea that people are naturally healthy. The way people live and think may disturb their natural energy, and they may become ill. The aim of healing touch is to focus (or...

  • Covers benefits and risks of complementary and alternative medicine. Provides links to various therapies, including homeopathy, yoga, acupuncture, and herbal supplements. Also includes links to tools to help you decide if complementary medicine is right for you.

  • Explains what dietary supplements are. Covers uses including preventing illness, reducing fever, curing infection, easing pain, or healing wounds. Covers safety issues like side effects and interaction with other medicines or supplements being taken.

  • Many medicines may impair kidney function and cause kidney damage. And if your kidneys aren't working well, medicines can build up in your body. If you have chronic kidney disease, your doctor may advise you to continue to take a medicine but may change how much you take. Or you may change to a different medicine. Don't...

  • Herbal supplements that may be used to relieve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) include beta-sitosterol, cernilton , Pygeum africanum, and saw palmetto. In general, the trials using these substances have been short, and self-reported improvement scores can be biased. Different preparations are available...

  • Covers benefits and risks of complementary and alternative medicine. Provides links to various therapies, including homeopathy, yoga, acupuncture, and herbal supplements. Also includes links to tools to help you decide if complementary medicine is right for you.

  • Homeopathy, or homeopathic medicine, is a medical philosophy and practice based on the idea that the body has the ability to heal itself. Homeopathy was founded in the late 1700s in Germany and has been widely practiced throughout Europe....

  • Hydrotherapy is the use of water to treat a disease or to maintain health. The theory behind it is that water has many properties that give it the ability to heal: Water can store and carry heat and energy. Water can dissolve other substances, such...

  • Hypnosis is a state of focused concentration during which a person becomes less aware of his or her surroundings. Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis to treat physical or psychological conditions. During a hypnotic state (trance), a person may be...

  • Magnetic field therapy uses magnets to maintain health and treat illness. The human body and the earth naturally produce electric and magnetic fields. Electromagnetic fields also can be technologically produced, such as radio and television waves....

Load More