Making alternative therapies in medicine work for patients

Written by Healthcasts Team | Dec 24, 2025 3:41:55 PM

From meditation and yoga to acupuncture and herbal remedies, patients are curious about options beyond the standard prescription pad.

Alternative therapies in medicine can complement conventional care, helping with pain, stress, and overall well-being. Yet despite growing interest in non-pharmacologic treatments, providers must exercise caution. The key challenge is distinguishing what’s truly effective and safe from what’s mostly hype, while still respecting patient beliefs and personal health goals.

In this post, a fellow practitioner is seeking advice on which alternative medicine options their peers personally use and recommend to patients.

Do you use any alternative therapies to boost your health? L og in or sign up to share your suggestions and view the consensus summary.

Questions for consult

What alternative therapies do you personally use or recommend to your patients?

Comments

Key takeaways about alternative medicine:

Mind-body and movement-based therapies are the most widely accepted
Across specialties, clinicians most commonly recommend yoga, meditation, mindfulness, stretching, and physical therapy—approaches that support pain management and stress reduction with relatively low risk.
Openness is guided by evidence, safety, and patient context
Providers are willing to recommend alternative therapies when there is evidence of benefit and minimal harm. At the same time, many emphasize the need to scrutinize supplements and herbal products before endorsing them.
Skepticism remains, especially when alternatives replace proven care
While clinicians acknowledge patients’ interest in alternative therapies, several stress that these approaches should complement, not replace, evidence-based medicine. Cost and unverified benefits continue to shape cautious adoption.

Internal Medicine

"I feel that yoga, mind-body exercises, and meditation are all very useful. Gentle stretching, gradual increasing exercise intensity are also important. I haven't tried the cold plunge, but I do recommend paraffin wax baths for hand joint pain. I've tried and do recommend acupuncture, Reiki, and craniosacral therapy."

Internal Medicine

"I commonly recommend physical therapy, dry needling, acupuncture, chiropractics, yoga, and supplements. Regular stretching and the use of a massage stick are commonly recommended."

Family Practice

"I'm open to evidence-informed alternative therapies when they are safe and patient-centered. Common ones I recommend include acupuncture for pain, mindfulness or meditation for stress and chronic symptoms, yoga, heat/cold therapy, massage, and guided breathing techniques."

Internal Medicine

"Tai Chi may be helpful for chronic musculoskeletal pain and fibromyalgia. Turmeric has been shown to offer some benefits in reducing inflammation. Herabal products have gained momentum in the management of chronic ailments. I personally trust evidence-based medicine (EBM) and don't recommend or comment on alternative medicine. Patients have a belief system and practice their own home remedies along with EBM, and it needs to be scrutinized before commenting or providing your recommendations."

Family Practice

"Relaxation, destressing. There are also several good fasting rotations that seem to work well for people trying to lose weight without the GLP-1. Mostly, I'm skeptical of alternative therapies as they seem to be designed to be just less than the co-pay on the recommended therapy."

What, if any, alternative medicine therapies do you believe are truly beneficial? Head to the full post to leave a comment and read other perspectives from the community.

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