Alternative Therapies
Alternative Therapies - Compliments to your Management Plan
Alternative therapies can play an important part in your Adult Onset Still’s Disease management plan. Alternative therapies used to lie on the fringe of the orthodox medical society, but are now increasingly considered as viable compliments to orthodox medicine.
This page is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to alternative therapies - that could take up a whole website by itself! This is intended to be an introduction to some of the more established therapies that have established credibility in treating illnesses like Adult Onset Still’s Disease.
Traditional Chinese Medicine - Balancing Ying and Yang
Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, covers a diverse range of therapies from herbs to martial arts to acupuncture. The premise of all these therapies centers around the idea that the human body is not made up of individual ‘parts’ but is rather one inter-related system. For example, the heart is not seen as an individual muscle that pumps blood, but is seen as a function that influences the liver, spleen, lungs and so on.
This interconnected system is goverened by the flow of chi through the body. This ‘life force’ flows through the body’s systems and is goverened by meridians or pathways located in various parts of the body. Ill health is caused by disruptions to these meridians.
In the most well known of TCMs, acupuncture seeks to align these meridians by inserting very fine needles into specific parts of the body. Acupuncture has been scientifically proven to assist in a wide range of illnesses, but the jury is still out regarding its effectiveness in managing Adult Onset Still’s Disease.
Acupuncture may be more effective as a tool to assist your general wellbeing than providing lasting relief to the symprtoms of AOSD.
If you decide to include acupuncture as part of your management plan, you can expect your practitioner to perform a diagnosis by analyzing your pulse, the surface of your tongue and by interview. A session normally lasts around an hour, and you will be ususally required to make follow up sessions. Acupuncture is considered to be be completely safe when administered by a qualified practitioner.
Homeopathy - Like Curing Like
Homeopathy is an established natural therapy that treats patients by prescribing a remedy that consists of a compound extremely diluted in water or alchohol. Don’t think that the dilution makes the remedy less effective; homeopaths work under the premise that the process in which the remedy is prepared ‘activates’ the solution. In fact, as the remedy becomes more diluted, it becomes more potent.
Homeopaths aim to identify the root cause of the illness and believe that until this underlying problem is resolved, the patient’s ill health will continue. This is a holistic therapy and homeopaths believe that the root cause of the illness may lie in the patient’s physical body, emotional state or spiritual body.
Once this root cause has been identified, the homeopath will use the concept of ‘like curing like’ to cure the illness. When certain compounds (made from herbs, plants, minerals and even organic tissue) are made into a remedy and given to healthy people, they exhibit the symptoms of the particular illness. When these same remedies are given to a person that actually suffers from the illness, this leads to a complete cure in the homeopathic paradigm.
Homeopathy is well established, particularly in Europe.
Homoeopathy’s effectiveness in treating Adult Onset Still’s Disease and other rheumatic conditions is still debated. It is considered as a safe theray and does not have significant side effects or contraindications.
Physical Therapies - A Healing Touch
Massage therapists, osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors are all practitioners of physical therapy. On top of this list there are a host of other therapies like Bowen therapy, Rolfing, Kinesiology and Fendelkrais that all focus on the manipulation and treatment of the body.
The claims of physical therapists vary - from relief of the symptoms of Adult Onset Still’s Disease to an all-out cure. While this claim that Still’s Disease can be cured by manipulating the spine, joints or muscles in the body is far from proven, physical therapy can certainly relieve pain, promote general wellbeing and restore mobility, especially to the joints affected by the arthritic component of the illness.
These therapies are generally considered safe when practised by an experienced practitioner - with one major exception. When you suffer from Adult Onset Still’s Disease, there is a vertebrae in the neck that is often specifically weakened. Because of this, any manipulation of the neck should be avoided at all costs! This will be especially true if you see a chiropractor or osteopath. If you do see one of these practitioners, make sure that they understand this risk. If they debate this, or seem unsure in any way, find another practitioner!
An Important Caution
Obviously, this is not a comprehensive guide to alternative therapies that may help with Adult Onset Still’s Disease. The thing that is true for all alternative therapies is that they should only ever form a part of you management plan.
At this point I just want to make one thing very clear:
YOU HAVE A SERIOUS ILLNESS.
I know that this may seem like a case of stating the obvious, but it is important that you fully understand the implications of this. The idea that Adult Onset Still’s Disease can be completely cured by alternative therapy alone is not proven and is highly doubtful. The simple fact is that Adult Onset Still’s Disease can lead to serious, permanent joint damage if you do not reduce the inflammation and stop the progression of the disease.
The tendency of many health practitioners (and this includes medical doctors!) is that the often believe that their method is the only method worth trying. Have you ever heard the saying: “When you only have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”? This can be definitely applied to health care! The secret of lasting health lies in a balanced approach.
When considering an alternative therapy, talk it over with your doctor first. According to research, two-thirds of patients suffering from arthritic diseases like Adult Onset Still’s Disease will try an alternative therapy. This means that your doctor will probably be a lot more open to the idea of you trying a therapy that compliments the medical treatment than you first may have thought.
Remember, what you are trying to accomplish is a well balanced plan. Do you think Donald Trump makes all of his financial decisions by himself? Of course not. He uses financial advisors for that. Do you think he only uses one advisor? Of course not! He would have several different advisors, all giving him advice from different perspctives.
When considering your health, you should enlist a team that has different skills, approaches and outlooks. [...next]
What is the long term prognosis of Still’s Disease?
How is Still’s Disease diagnosed?
How is Still’s Disease treated with medication?
What are the best supplements to take?
