In November 1998, the American Medical Association included papers on various alternative remedies in all ten of its journals. Findings were mixed. Of seven remedies tested, three, including the herb Garcinia cambogia touted as a diet pill, were no more effective than placebo. Four practices, including yoga for easing the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome, were shown to be promising. The major fields of alternative practice Alternative healthcare involves dozens of different specialties.
Some examples are yoga, hypnosis, biofeedback, and meditation.
Alternative medical systems include therapies, such as acupuncture , Ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, and naturopathy, which are based on specific theories of health and disease. Lifestyle and disease prevention is concerned with maintaining health, identifying and treating risk factors, and supporting the recovery process. It includes making changes in diet and behavior as well as exercise and stress management. This group also includes drugs and vaccines not yet accepted or tested by mainstream medicine, like bee pollen and hyperbaric oxygen, as well as procedures like iridology. Biofield medicine , which includes therapeutic touch and reiki , uses subtle energy fields in and around the body for healing purposes.