Alternative medicine uses therapies that are outside of the mainstream pill and surgery realm. Those therapies include vitamin and mineral supplementation, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, herbal remedies and homeopathy . Acne, asthma, diabetes, mononucleosis and allergies, common problems among teenagers, are all ailments that complementary medicine can remedy, said Patrick Fratellone, medical director at the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine in New York. At the Atkins clinic, doctors treat allergies with one shot. It's called neutralization, and a patient gets a one-time dose of what produces an allergic reaction.
Desensitization is the traditional approach.
A doctor administers a gradually increased dose of what ails you until it doesn't bother you anymore. Sometimes it takes years. Atkins said desensitization makes money for doctors and delays relief for the patient. But he adds that neutralization carries a greater risk of experiencing side effects than desensitization. Acne and diabetes can be treated with diet, said Atkins, who has faced criticism for his low-carbohydrate diets.