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healthcare systems

Lists the basic theory or school of thought underlying healthcare systems throughout the world. some systems include herbal medicine as an approach

allopathy

- "conventional medicine"

- utilizes a process of reductionism, which focuses on symptoms exhibited in a part of the organism rather than on the organism as a whole

homepathy

- funded in late 18th century

- remedies specifically match different symptom pattern profiles of illness to stimulate the body's natural healing process

ayurvedic

- alternative medicine practice

- 5,000 year-old system of medicine originated in India

naturopathy

- holistic medical system

- physicians aid healing processes by incorporating a variety of natural methods based on the patient's individual needs

Indigenous or tribal medicine

- passes medicinal knowledge from generation to generation, primarily through oral traditions

- systems unique to each tribe

traditional chinese medicine (TCM)

- 3,000 year old holistic system of medicine that looks for the underlying causes of imbalance in the "yin" and "yang" which lead to disharmony in the "qi" energy in the body

- combines medicinal herbs, acupuncture, food therapy, massage, and therapeutic exercises

acupuncture

- piercing specific areas of the body with needles to relieve discomfort associated with painful disorders, to induce surgical anesthesia, or for therapeutic purposes

alexander therapy

- increases awareness and voluntary inhibition of personal habitual patterns of rigid musculoskeletal constrictions

aromatherapy

- uses of fragrances and essences from plants to affect or alter a person's mood or behavior and to facilitate physical, mental, and emotional well-being

balneotherapy

- hot or warm baths in natural mineral waters or spas

- includes drinking the waters

- do not include whirlpool baths

biofeedback

- use of instrumentation to give immediate and continuing signals of change in bodily function of which a person is usually unaware

chiropractic

- use of recuperative powers of the body and the relationship between musculoskeletal structures and functions of the body, particularly of the spinal column and the nervous system, in the restoration and maintenance of health

curanderismo

- latin-american

- community based folk system consisting of two components

- first = humor model, classifies activity, food, drugs, and illness as having characteristics of hot or cold, or dry or moist

- second = treatment of folk illnesses

hydrotherapy

- external application of water for therapeutic purposes

- differentiated from balneotherapy by emphasizing use of plain water

massage

- systemic application of petrissage, effleurage, friction, percussion, stroking, static pressure, vibration, or other manual manipulations to the soft tissue

meditation relaxation techniques

- mental exercises such as concentrations or visualizations, postural modifications, and breathing exercises designed to reduce mental and/or physical arousal

osteopathy

- therapy that the normal body is a vital mechanical organism whose structural and functional states are of equal importance and is capable of making its own remedies against infections and toxic conditions when there are favorable environmental circumstances and adequate nutrition

Qigong

- a skill or practice of cultivating energy

- practice of self-care that involves the combination of specific regulation of body movement and posture through physical exercise with meditation involving careful regulation of breath and deep relaxation states

reflexology

- manual stimulation of point on the foot thought to correspond to the organs and structures of the body

therapeutic touch

- the healer's hand are placed, in a systemic way, on or near the patient to facilitate palliative relief or cure

tai chi

- practice that stimulates the nervous system, increases blood circulation and glandular activity, strengthens muscles, and exercises the joints

vegan diet

- excludes all animal products such as flesh foods, milk, cheese, eggs, butter, and honey

vegetarian diet

- excludes flesh foods such as meat, fish, fowl, and derivatives

yoga

- includes exercise for attaining bodily or mental control and well-being

flower essence

- made by infusing flowers or other plant parts in spring water and then adding alcohol as a preservative

herbal medicine

- use of plants in traditional medical systems

phytochemicals

- chemical compounds or constituents formed in the plant's normal metabolic processes

phytoestrogens

- type of phytochemical with some influence on the estrogenic activity or hormonal system in humans

liniment

- extract of a plant added to either alcohol or vinegar and applied topically to employ the therapeutic benefits

poultice

- therapeutic topical application of a soft moist mass of plant material, usually wrapped in a fine woven cloth

herbal infused oils

- process of extraction in which the volatile oils of a plant substance are obtained by soaking the plant using a carrier oil for approximately two weeks and then straining the oil

aetheroleum

- essential or volatile oil as a distinct aromatic product obtained from the plant

balsamum

- solution of resin and volatile oil usually produced by special cells in some plants

bulbus

- uinderground buds of a plant, from which both a shoot and roots may extend

cortex

- bark of the plant

- can be collected from the root, stem, or branches

flos

- flowers of plant usually consisting of a single flower of the entire inflorescences

folium

- leaf of plant

fructus

- fruit or berry of the plant

herb

- aerial parts or aboveground parts of plants which may include the flower, leaf, and the stem of the plant, and occasionally fruits too

oleum

- fixed oil preparation pressed or squeezed from the plant material

pericarpium

- peel or rind of fruit

radix

- root of a plant, though radix is sometimes synonymoud with rhizome

resina

- resin that is secreted by the plant or by distillation of the balsamum

rhizoma

- rhizome or a creeping horizontal stem, generally bearing roots on its underside

semen

- seed of a plant, usually removed from the fruit, and may or may not contain the seed coat