Alternative Healthcare Glossary: D to H

Dance Therapy: Dance Therapy is based on the premise that patients who are unable to express their emotions or experiences verbally, may be able to express themselves through movement and dance. It is also used to help patients develop or enhance reasoning abilities and is practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, educational, medical, correctional, and forensic institutions.

Ear Candling: This procedure involves placing a hollow, cone-shaped candle in a patient's ear and burning the opposite end (the one that's away from the ear) to create a "vacuum" that will remove excess earwax. Dangers include being burned by hot wax.

Fasting: Some alternative health practitioners believe that, rather than depleting the body's fuel, fasting cleanses the body of impurities. Some religions use fasting to symbolically "purify" the soul.

Guided Imagery: This technique attempts to positively stimulate the immune system through self-hypnosis. Patients are asked to picture images that relate to their health problem and to develop images of overcoming it. Positive imagery is believed to replace a negative self-image ("I can quit smoking!") and stress reduction is thought to be one of the benefits.

Herbalism: Herbal medicines have been used since the beginning of time. Many of these herbs have become ingredients in or are the basis for modern conventional medicines. Some herbal remedies, however, are more effective than others, depending on soil, climate, hybrid, and season. Packaged herbal remedies and vitamins are not subject to the same regulations as other pharmaceuticals.

Holistic Medicine: Practices that fall under this title aim to treat the "whole patient": the physical, the mental, and the spiritual.

Homeopathy: The homeopathic concept was created by a German doctor named Samuel Hahnemann in the 1790s. The homeopathic philosophy is that "like cures like," so a small dose of a substance that would be dangerous in a large dose is thought to be beneficial for health, and a substance that can cause illness in a healthy person can cure an ill person. The practice uses animal, vegetable, and mineral preparations, which are diluted so side effects don't occur. Critics say that the medicines are watered down to such an extent that they are placebos, rather than genuine cures.

Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy generally consists of hot baths, saunas, wraps, douches, and hot or cold compresses to exploit the body's reaction to hot or cold stimuli as a cure for disease. Some extreme practices, such as drinking water instead of taking medicine, are obviously not recommended.

Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy, which was first developed by Anton Mesmer (1734 to 1815), puts the patient into a hypnotic state, where the power of suggestion on the subconscious mind helps them overcome psychological or physical problems. Hypnosis may be used to help a patient overcome a bad habit (such as overeating or smoking) or to help in the alleviation of a serious problem (such as anxiety or anger management). The technique may help in relaxation. There are sometimes other unfounded claims such as breast enlargement.