Alzheimer's Disease : Alternative Therapies

For additional information and resources for people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers, see Alzheimer's disease support groups.

GINKGO. Ginkgo, the extract from the Ginkgo biloba tree is the most commonly used herbal treatment for AD.

Several substances are currently being tested for their ability to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease. Among them are gingko extract, derived from the leaves of the Gingko biloba tree, and huperzine A, from the moss Huperzia serrata.

Several substances are currently being tested for their ability to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease. These include acetylcarnitine, a supplement that acts on the cellular energy structures known as mitochondria.

Some complementary therapies have been shown to benefit patients with Alzheimer's.NATUROPATHY. A naturopathic approach to Alzheimer's includes supplementing antioxidant vitamins(vitamins A, E, and C) in the patient's diet, along with adding carote...

Art therapy became established as a mental health profession in the 1930s and is now practiced in hospitals, clinics, public and community agencies, wellness centers, educational institutions, businesses and private practices. It involves the application of a variety of art modalities including drawing, painting, clay and sculpture. Art therapy enables the expression of inner thoughts or feelings when verbalization is difficult or not possible. The aesthetic aspect of the creation of art is thought to lift one's mood, boost self-awareness and improve self-esteem. Art therapy also allows the opportunity to exercise the eyes and hands, improve eye-hand coordination and stimulate neurological pathways from the brain to the hands. Art therapy is commonly used in the treatment of anxiety, depression and other mental and emotional problems; substance abuse and addictions; family and relationship issues; abuse and domestic violence; and coping with disability or medical illness. Art therapy may aid in stress reduction and relaxation. Art therapy may aid in both the assessment of problems and their treatment. Art therapy may take place individually with an art therapist, or in a group setting. It may be conducted as a single session or as a series of sessions. The creation of art is itself considered therapeutic as a form of self-expression. However, the formal use of art therapy usually involves discussion and interpretation of the meaning of what the person has created with an art therapist, and possibly with peers in a group situation. Such discussion may foster helpful insights into what the work might reveal about the person's life, goals, aspirations, feelings or needs.

Art therapy, sometimes called creative arts therapy or expressive arts therapy, encourages people to express and understand emotions through artistic expression and through the creative process.Humans have expressed themselves with symbols through...

Art therapy, sometimes called creative arts therapy or expressive arts therapy, encourages people to express and understand emotions through artistic expression and through the creative process.Art therapy provides the client-artist with critical ...

Art therapy, sometimes called creative arts therapy or expressive arts therapy, encourages people to express and understand emotions through artistic expression and through the creative process.Humans have expressed themselves with symbols through...

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive technique in which a low-voltage electrical current is delivered through wires from a small power unit to electrodes located on the skin. Electrodes are temporarily attached with paste in various patterns, depending on the specific condition and treatment goals. TENS is often used to treat pain, as an alternative or addition to pain medications. Therapy sessions may last from minutes to hours. TENS devices can be set in a wide range of frequencies and intensities, depending on patient preferences, desired sensations, and treatment goals. "Conventional TENS" involves the delivery of high or low frequency electrical current to affected areas. In "acupuncture-like TENS," lower frequencies are used at specific "acupuncture points" or trigger points. TENS may also be applied to locations on the ear ("auricular points"). Epidural stimulation and percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS), which are not included in this review, are invasive procedures that require penetration of the skin, implantation, or minor surgery. The practice of using electricity for pain control can be traced to 2500 BC and the Egyptian Fifth Dynasty, in which stone carvings depict an electric fish being used to treat pain. During the Socratic era, electrogenic torpedo fish ( Scribonius longus ) were used to treat arthritis and headache. In the Middle Ages, electrostatic generators were used, and the discovery of the electric battery in the 19th century led to further experimentation. The use of electrical stimuli for pain relief was popularized in the 19th century and became widespread in the 1960s and 1970s using battery power.

A transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS) unit is used to apply electrical currents through the skin to the nerves via electrodes in order to reduce chronic and acute pain from various causes.TENS is a noninvasive therapeutic pain manage...

Electrical nerve stimulation, also called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS), is a noninvasive, drug-free pain management technique. By sending electrical signals to underlying nerves, the battery-powered TENS device can relieve a w...

Delores Krieger, RN, PhD, and Dora Kunz, a natural healer, developed therapeutic touch (TT) in the early 1970s. TT is an adaptation of several religious and secular healing traditions, and is commonly used in nursing practice for many different conditions. TT practitioners hold their hands a short distance from the patient without actually making physical contact. The purpose of this technique is to detect the patient's energy field, allowing the TT practitioner to correct any perceived imbalances. Nurse Healers Professional Associates, Inc. is the primary training organization for therapeutic touch and teaches a standardized technique. TT treatment consists of four steps: centering (calming the mind and focusing attention on the patient), assessing the patient's energy field for irregularities, intervention to facilitate symmetrical flow of energy through the field, and evaluation/closure to verify the effects and conclude the treatment. Treatment sessions usually last from five to thirty minutes. Currently there is a lack of formal certification or competency-based assessment for this therapy. The concept of "life energy" or "life force" has sometimes been compared to spiritual rather than scientific principles. Some critics argue that because of its religious roots, TT should be treated as a religion rather than as a healthcare therapy. Skeptics have sought to eliminate therapeutic touch as a nursing practice, due to questions surrounding the mechanism of action. However, suggestive results from several human studies, positive clinical experience, and case reports have led to increasing use of TT. Several variations have emerged from the original treatment but aspects of centering and intent have remained the foundations of this technique. Janet Mentgen founded healing touch in the 1980s based on the principles of therapeutic touch. Healing touch adds patient empowerment, practitioner self care, and focuses on the impact of the practitioner-patient relationshi...

Therapeutic touch, or TT, is a noninvasive method of healing that was derived from an ancient laying-on of hands technique. In TT, the practitioner alters the patient''s energy field through an energy transfer that moves from the hands of the pract...

Therapeutic touch, or TT is a noninvasive method of healing that was derived from an ancient laying on of hands technique. In TT, the practitioner alters the patient''s energy field through an energy transfer that transpires from the hands of the p...

Therapeutic touch, or TT, is a noninvasive method of healing derived from an ancient laying-on of hands technique. In TT, the practitioner alters the patient''s energy field through a transfer of energy from the hands of the practitioner to the pat...

Animal companionship has been used as an informal source of comfort and relief of suffering across cultures throughout history. For over 40 years pet therapy has been a subject of serious study for nursing and other health care disciplines concerned with emotional well-being and quality of life. Pet therapy is used with people of all ages, but particularly with children and the elderly. Pet therapy offers psychological benefits in terms of emotional connection, stress reduction, and reduced feelings of loneliness or isolation. Pet therapy is used in clinical programs to treat social or emotional difficulties and communication disorders.

Animal-assisted therapy(AAT), also known as pet therapy, utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, and emotional goals with patients.The enjoyment of animals as companions dates back many centuries, per...

Animal-assisted therapy(AAT), also known as pet therapy, utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, and emotional goals with patients.Studies have shown that physical contact with a pet can lower high bl...

Life review therapy is a technique of reviewing the events of one's life as preparation for the end of life. It is an effective way of coping with life's final stages and a means of integration..

Validation therapy (VT) is therapy developed for people with dementia based on accepting the demented person's perception of reality..

Various forms of therapeutic superficial tissue manipulation have been practiced for thousands of years across cultures. Chinese use of massage dates to 1600 BC, and Hippocrates made reference to the importance of physicians being experienced with "rubbing" as early as 400 BC. There are references to massage in ancient records of the Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Roman nations. References to massage are also found in the Bible and the Vedas. Terms for massage include the French word masser , the Greek word for "knead," a Hindu word for "press," and an Aramaic word that means "to press softly." Massage spread throughout Europe during the Renaissance. The technique that is currently called Swedish massage was developed in the 19th Century by Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839) as a combined form of massage and gymnastic exercises. George and Charles Taylor, two physicians who had studied in Sweden, introduced massage therapy to the United States in the 1850s. In 1873, the term massage entered the Anglo-American medical lexicon. By the early 1930s, massage became a less prominent part of American medicine, and was displaced by a focus on the biological sciences. Interest resurged in the 1970s, particularly in athletes and as a complementary therapy to promote well-being, relaxation, pain-reduction, stress-relief, musculoskeletal injury healing, sleep enhancement, and quality of life. A common goal of therapy is to "help the body heal itself." Touch is fundamental to massage therapy and is used by therapists to locate painful or tense areas, to determine how much pressure to apply, and to establish a therapeutic relationship with clients. The term "toxic touch" refers to techniques with detrimental effects. Many different therapeutic techniques can be classified as massage therapy. Most involve the application of fixed or moving pressure or manipulation of the muscles/connective tissues of clients. Practitioners may use their hands or other areas su...

Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of normalizing those tissues and consists of manual techniques that include applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and/or causing movement of or t...

Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, consisting primarily of manual(hands-on) techniques such as applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and moving muscles and body tissues.Generally, massage is deli...

Pregnancy massage is the prenatal use of massage therapy to support the physiologic, structural, and emotional well-being of both mother and fetus. Various forms of massage therapy, including Swedish, deep tissue, neuromuscular, movement, and Orie...

Pregnancy massage is the prenatal use of massage therapy to support the physiologic, structural, and emotional well-being of both mother and fetus. Various forms of massage therapy, including Swedish, deep tissue, neuromuscular, movement, and Orie...

Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of normalizing those tissues and consists of manual techniques that include applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and/or causing movement of or t...

Stone massage is a form of bodywork that involves the application of heated or cooled stones(thermotherapy) to the body during deep tissue massage.The use of materials of different temperatures on the body to bring about healing is an ancient tech...

Sports massage is a form of bodywork geared toward participants in athletics. It is used to help prevent injuries, to prepare the body for athletic activity and maintain it in optimal condition, and to help athletes recover from workouts and injur...

Russian massage is a system of therapeutic and sports massage developed in the former Soviet Union. It uses a variety of manipulations of the body''s soft tissues to achieve benefits, including stress reduction and relief from muscle aches.Many cul...

Music is an ancient tool of healing that was recognized in the writings of Pythagoras, Aristotle and Plato. The modern discipline of music therapy began early in the 20th Century with community musicians visiting veterans' hospitals around the country to play for those suffering from the traumas of war. Patients' responses led to the hiring of musicians by hospitals. Music is used to influence physical, emotional, cognitive and social well-being, and improve quality of life for healthy people, as well as those who are disabled or ill. It may involve either listening to or performing music, with or without the presence of a music therapist. Music therapists are professionally trained to design specialized applications of music according to an individual's needs using improvisation, receptive listening, song writing, lyric discussion, imagery, performance or learning through music. Sessions can be designed for individuals or groups based on the specific needs of the participants. Infants, children, adolescents, adults, the elderly and even animals can all potentially benefit from music therapy. Music therapists work in psychiatric hospitals, prisons, rehabilitative facilities, medical hospitals, outpatient clinics, day treatment centers, agencies serving developmentally disabled persons, community mental health centers, drug and alcohol programs, senior centers, nursing homes, hospice programs, correctional facilities, halfway houses, schools and private practice.

Music therapy is a technique of complementary medicine that uses music prescribed in a skilled manner by trained therapists. Programs are designed to help patients overcome physical, emotional, intellectual, and social challenges.

Music therapy is a technique of complementary medicine that uses music prescribed in a skilled manner by trained therapists. Programs are designed to help patients overcome physical, emotional, intellectual, and social challenges.

Fragrant oils have been used for thousands of years to lubricate the skin, purify air, and repel insects. Ancient Egyptians used fragrant oils for bathing and massage. Plant fragrances were given to patients with bubonic plague in ancient Roman, Greek and Medieval times. Essential oils of plants have been used medicinally through application directly to the skin (usually diluted), as a part of massage, added to bathwater, via steam inhalation, or in mouthwashes. The modern practice of aromatherapy is often traced to the French chemist René-Maurice Gattefosse. Gattefosse is said to have poured lavender oil onto his hand after experiencing an accidental burn. The pain and redness reportedly disappeared, and the burn healed more rapidly than expected. In later experiments, Gattefosse studied other oils in the treatment of various skin problems, and coined the term aromatherapy in the early 20 th century. Research with plant oils was later conducted by other French scientists, and techniques were developed that are still in use today. Aromatherapy is a technique in which essential oils from plants are used with the intention of preventing or treating illness, reducing stress, or enhancing well-being. Aromatherapy sessions may last up to 90 minutes, and often begin with an interview. After the aromatherapist gains an understanding of a patient's needs, he or she will select a blend of oils. Steaming or cold pressing a plant's flowers, leaves, branches, bark, rind, or roots may produce these oils. The oils are then mixed with a "carrier" which is usually a vegetable oil (such as soy, evening primrose, or almond), or weakened (diluted) in alcohol before being applied to the skin, sprayed in the air, or inhaled. While there are numerous options, massage is the most common form of absorbing oils into the body through the skin, and is considered the most effective method by aromatherapists. A full massage may last as long as 45 minutes. The patient may be advised not ...

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of plant-derived, aromatic essential oils to promote physical and psychological well-being. It is sometimes used in combination with massage and other therapeutic techniques as part of a holistic treatment appro...

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of plant-derived, aromatic essential oils to promote physical and psychological well-being. It is sometimes used in combination with massage and other therapeutic techniques as part of a holistic treatment appro...

Aromatherapy is a holistic treatment based on the external use of essential aromatic plant oils to maintain and promote physical, physiological, and spiritual wellbeing. The essential oils may be used in massage, added to a warm bath, used to mois...

Dance therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses movement to further the social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development of the individual. Dance therapists work with people who have many kinds of emotional problems, intellectual deficits...

Dance therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses movement to further the social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development of the individual. Dance therapists work with people who have many kinds of emotional problems, intellectual deficits...

Light therapy, also known as phototherapy, is the use of a specialized machine to emit only a specific wavelength of the light spectrum. Light therapy consists of exposure to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, LEDs, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, for a prescribed amount of time. Each wavelength in the light spectrum is said to possess specific qualities. Advocates claim that each wavelength may assist a person who is diagnosed with a particular condition experience relief. Light therapy machines offer more of a particularly useful wavelength than would be available by exposure to the sun. The use of light therapy in medicine has a long history. Although phototherapy had no scientific basis at the time, natural sunlight was used for medical treatments in ancient Egypt and Greece. Later, Roman and Arab physicians introduced light therapy into general medical use. The Danish physician Niels Ryberg Finsen founded modern light therapy about 100 years ago. In 1903, he was awarded with the Nobel Prize in medicine for his achievements with light therapy. Finsen created the first device to generate technically synthesized sunlight and achieved outstanding results in the treatment of patients suffering from a special type of skin tuberculosis. Today it is known that the human organism transforms light into electrochemical energy, which activates a chain of biochemical reactions within cells, stimulating metabolism and reinforcing the immune response of the entire human body. The human response to light therapy is more complicated. Natural sunlight does not offer wavelengths of useful light in strong enough concentrations. Light therapy is a first line treatment for neonatal jaundice. It is also very popular as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a special type of light therapy machine to treat psoriasis. Light therapy is approved by major medical org...

Light therapy, also known as phototherapy, is the use of a specialized machine to emit only a specific wavelength of the light spectrum. Light therapy consists of exposure to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, LEDs, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, for a prescribed amount of time. Each wavelength in the light spectrum is said to possess specific qualities. Advocates claim that each wavelength may assist a person who is diagnosed with a particular condition experience relief. Light therapy machines offer more of a particularly useful wavelength than would be available by exposure to the sun. The use of light therapy in medicine has a long history. Although phototherapy had no scientific basis at the time, natural sunlight was used for medical treatments in ancient Egypt and Greece. Later, Roman and Arab physicians introduced light therapy into general medical use. The Danish physician Niels Ryberg Finsen founded modern light therapy about 100 years ago. In 1903, he was awarded with the Nobel Prize in medicine for his achievements with light therapy. Finsen created the first device to generate technically synthesized sunlight and achieved outstanding results in the treatment of patients suffering from a special type of skin tuberculosis. Today it is known that the human organism transforms light into electrochemical energy, which activates a chain of biochemical reactions within cells, stimulating metabolism and reinforcing the immune response of the entire human body. The human response to light therapy is more complicated. Natural sunlight does not offer wavelengths of useful light in strong enough concentrations. Light therapy is a first line treatment for neonatal jaundice. It is also very popular as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a special type of light therapy machine to treat psoriasis. Light therapy is approved by major medical org...

Light therapy, or phototherapy, is the administration of doses of bright light in order to treat a variety of sleep and mood disorders. It is most commonly used to re-regulate the body''s internal clock and/or relieve depression.Light, both natural...

Phototherapy, or light therapy, is the administration of doses of bright light in order to normalize the body''s internal clock and/or relieve depression.Phototherapy is prescribed primarily to treat seasonal affective disorder(SAD), a mood disorde...

Phototherapy, or light therapy, is the administration of doses of bright light in order to treat a variety of disorders. It is most commonly used to re-regulate the body''s internal clock and/or relieve depression.Light, both natural and artificial...

Light therapy refers to two different categories of treatment, one used in mainstream medical practice and the other in alternative/complementary medicine. Mainstream light therapy(also called phototherapy) includes the use of ultraviolet light to...