Recent Alternative Health Trends: a History

“Alternative medicine” refers to a wide variety of theories and practices that purport to keep or make someone healthy. These are also kinds of healthcare that aren’t considered orthodox by the medical profession. Indeed, many of them emerge because their adherents had become dissatisfied with conventional medicine. Sometimes their methods are unproven. Sometimes they’re unprovable. Sometimes they amass more evidence of their effectiveness and become fully integrated into conventional medicine.

Alternative medicine goes by many names, including alternative medicine, complementary medicine, holistic medicine, integrative medicine, and even “traditional” medicine because common forms of alternative medicine often draw upon older cultural traditions. You’ll be familiar with many of the most common forms–homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, and acupuncture. Many Americans get much of their healthcare and health advice in the alternative space that we often call “wellness” today.

The consumption of raw, uncooked, and unprocessed foods is both a recent trend and a long-standing theme, with roots going back to at least the early 19th century. Initially, this diet trend was inspired by social reforms that pushed for people to return to a more natural lifestyle. “Rawism” has evolved from the 19th century naturopathic movement to a modern wellness campaign with high profit yields. Today’s raw food influencers make full use of social media outlets to promote their lifestyle.

Animal proximity refers to the belief that closeness to animals may make humans healthier. In particular, people have tried to use animals as a way to reduce stress and anxiety–leading to a growing demand for animal-assisted therapy. Today, this idea has evolved to new, novel forms of animal proximity as a wellness trend, including cow cuddling and goat yoga.

Just like food, exercise is very important to a healthy lifestyle. The ways that Americans exercise, however, have changed dramatically. The following infographic outlines the history and evolution of Yoga, including its transformation from a more religious-centered experience to a wellness practice. Yoga has inspired other kinds of “spiritual exercise” trends in the United States, like SoulCycle.

Cannabis has a long healthcare history in the United States. From the mid-19th century to 1937, it often featured as a patent medicine, available in general stores and pharmacies. The act of smoking marijuana came to the U.S. later–during the first decades of the 20th century. Made an illegal drug in 1937, marijuana lived on as an illicit substance until it made its medicinal comeback, starting with a California law in 1996.

Intermittent fasting is a common practice all over the world and through many different cultures and religions. It involves individuals refraining from certain foods and/or all foods for a certain period. Although intermittent fasting has typically been done as part of a person’s set of religious/cultural beliefs, today it has become a dieting trend, especially as promoted by Hollywood celebrities. Some people today hope that practicing intermittent fasting will improve their health.

Cupping has been a circulating therapy since ancient Chinese and Egyptian medicine. In it most basic form, cupping therapy involves placing a cup on the body and creating local suction to draw blood to the area to stimulate healing. Cupping has been used throughout history to cure ailments, increase beauty, and relieve pain. Cupping has many critics in the U.S., but it has also experienced a recent growth in popularity.

For many centuries, people in healthcare have considered the possibility that light and sound vibrations could be used to make people healthy. There are many forms of each type of therapy, but this presentation focuses on Music Therapy, Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Therapy, Phototherapy, Photodynamic Therapy, and Red Light Therapy. Many of these therapies have been accepted and promoted by conventional medicine, while others have lived outside the mainstream.