Many people prefer medical tourism nowadays, since it means a lot of cost saving with treatment quality, which is at par with anything available in their own country. Medical tourism not only provides solution for conventional medical procedures but also for many of the alternative therapies that are becoming popular these days.
Asian Countries and Alternative Therapies
Several Asian countries such as India are the chosen destination for alternative therapies like pranic healing, yoga, ayurveda, acupuncture, aromatherapy, Reiki, meditation and music therapy. The wellness centers in these countries make sure the quality standards are kept high and customer satisfaction is guaranteed.
Focus on Overall Wellbeing
Alternative therapies attempt to create balance between five basic elements in the body for restoring health. The main reason such therapies are gaining in popularity is because they focus on improving overall well being of a person instead of just paying attention to cure the disease.
These therapies are generally prevention oriented and the aim is to cure root cause for illness as well as help the person develop inner strength. There are several branches of alternative medicine that are gradually becoming an integral element of complementary alternative medicine (CAM), which aims to combine conventional as well as alternative therapies to cure a patient.
People are getting more inclined towards CAM as alternative therapies can help in safeguarding the patient from side effects associated with many of the conventional therapies.
Growing Popularity of Alternative Therapies
According to statistics, almost 4 out of ten people in US are presently using some type of alternative medicine for the problems they face and medical tourism is providing them the way to move to countries known to have rich history of alternative therapies and get cure for their problems.
Similarly, many of the ailments recur even after undergoing conventional treatments and in such situations, alternative therapies can provide permanent cure. These strong points encourage people to explore various options for medical tourism that involves alternative therapies.
Most Common Alternative Therapies
Alternative therapies such as ayurveda, yoga and acupuncture are being practiced for several centuries in some countries, making them the hotspots for people interested undergoing such therapies. In addition, the infrastructure is adequate in these countries to cater to the ever-growing demand for such alternative therapies, which works favorably in building required confidence in medical tourists.
Let us now look at some of the alternative therapies, which are popular among medical tourists.
Acupuncture:
Its history is nearly centuries old and the practice started in countries such as China and several other Asian countries. Trained acupuncturists are able to redirect energy flow inside the body known as ‘chi’ and help in curing as well as preventing some medical conditions.
It is no surprise that WHO also supports use of this treatment as cure for about twenty-eight medical conditions. There are more than three million people in US alone who are using acupuncture and are willing to travel abroad to take more specialized treatments.
Ayurveda:
Practiced for thousands of years in India, ayurveda makes use of breathing, herbs, massages, meditation and diet to bring back balance in a patient’s body. The aim here is to maintain life energy known as “prana” for preventing illnesses.
Meditation:
Almost ten percent of people in US practice meditation, making it one of the popular forms of alternative therapies. It helps to relieve stress and increase your focus among several other health benefits. In many of the wellness tours, meditation is becoming an important component that helps medical tourists refresh their mind and bodies.
Summary:
It is clear that alternative therapies are gaining in popularity and most of the medical tours incorporate some form of the therapies into their program to provide patients with means of total recovery after undergoing any conventional treatment.
