Outside of traditional pharmaceuticals, what alternative treatments have you tried? Have they helped?

Lauren Marsh — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 14:13:14 -0500

Whether it’s yoga, meditation or something else, we’d love to hear what’s worked and what’s not worked for you. Join the discussion with other service members or vets on PatientsLikeMe at http://www.patientslikeme.com/join/rallypoint (it’s free)!

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Response by LTC Greg Henning made Jan 10 at 2017 2:19 PM

LTC Greg Henning — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 14:19:30 -0500

Yoga is something we started for teachers after school ti help refocus and reduce stress. Lots of positive results.

Response by PO3 Derek "Doc Potter" Wilson made Jan 10 at 2017 2:55 PM

PO3 Derek "Doc Potter" Wilson — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 14:55:36 -0500

I noticed alternative treatments have been growing in popularity over the years and even insurances are starting to cover some costs. Alternative medicine is a two-faced front. Allow me to preface this with the fact I actually studied alternative treatments in my slightly younger days when I first went into the medical field, I even was searching around for formal schooling on the topic, something now I’m rather embarrassed to admit that I even sought out alternative treatment for my choric back pain (I was waiting on the VA if that says anything). The fact is that for the vast majority. Alternative medicine is the modern equivalent of snake oil. It is so pervasive that the doctor I work for is certified in acupuncture and a nurse practices Reiki. Otherwise very intelligent people are pushing these things to the masses.

Not all alternative therapy is useless, things like Yoga, and similar do have benefits. However, they are not that they realign your body’s Chi or anything of the sort. You are relaxing your body and mind and stretching. These are things we generally don’t do in our busy modern world. Stopping to relax and reflect, if you call it Yoga or not, is a very healthy habit. Yoga is just a front for clubs to make money and women to wear stretch pants.

Personally, I tried cupping for my chronic back pain after an injury I sustained. I got so desperate form the uncontrolled pain I sought out any promise of relief, this was to include having cupping down to my back ( Google it; Its designed to bruise like hell ). Unfortunately, it did not work; it only served to make me sore and gave me terrible bruises. Most of alternative medicine relies on the belief that it works. That funny thing is that thinking you’re getting better does actually help; there is real scientific evidence of that, and that is called the power of positive thinking combined with the placebo effect.

TL;DR: It only works if you believe it does.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jan 10 at 2017 4:02 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:02:02 -0500

To avoid medical needs, magnesium for migraines and fiber to keep the polyps away has been a good thing.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jan 10 at 2017 11:58 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 23:58:27 -0500

Homeopathic remedies have worked wonders in certain cases in my experience.

I grew up in a traditional medical family (father doctor and surgeon, mother registered nurse) and I took a dim view of Homeopathy - especially due to their explanations on how and why it works. It sounds irrational. Then I had it demonstrated on me when I had shoulder pain that over-the-counter pain meds couldn't touch. My sister-in-law gave me three little sugar pellets containing Arnica Montana and the pain was gone in under a minute.

Since then I have used a number of Homeopathic remedies for various ailments and have found that they either work like magic or they don't do anything - there are no side-effects.

We have a vet that used Homeopathic remedies for our dog's and cat's allergies and they have worked where traditional meds either did not work or they had bad side effects. My wife has used homeopathy on her horses, and they respond well. I am convinced by the vet results that it cannot be due to the placebo effect - animals are incapable of wishing disease away.

In our family we still depend upon traditional medications for most uses, but we use Homeopathy preferentially in cases that we have found them to be effective; they are far cheaper than traditional pharmaceuticals and just as effective without the side effects that many modern pharmaceuticals have.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 11 at 2017 8:28 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 08:28:24 -0500

Lauren Marsh I sleep, run, exercise, go shooting, listen to music, watch movies, play hockey, etc.

Response by SGT Linda Burgess made Jan 11 at 2017 10:20 AM

SGT Linda Burgess — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 10:20:52 -0500

I have psoriasis and eczema as a result of Desert Storm. The prescription is not covered by Tricare so I went to the Health Food Store. The cream suggested had the mess cleared up in 5 days. So much for steroids which have a tendency to make things worse.