Discovering Medical Tourism

Alternative medecine (also called complementary medecine) are all the techniques that helps treating a specific health condition. Even though some are still lacking exposure many of us have heard about acupuncture, yoga, aromatherapy. In France, thalasso therapy started not as a relaxation opportunity for Paris city dwellers but more like an opportunity to treat several health conditions, most notably arthritis and lower back pain. Scores of studies have been brought up in recent years and today we have some ideas on the connection of alternative medicine with the management of a health condition. Again we don’t talk about curing but about pain relief.

In the case of medical operations there is an astute way of connecting surgery to local medical specialties giving teeth to the idea of medical tavel (you go to country X not only for surgery but also for post operative recovery). Unfortunately, no medical tourism company is dwelling upon post operative needs and no one is carying a precise offer. 

After acting as a bookworm I have come with a ranking of the best 4 alternative medicine for post operative pain:

1. Acupressure (shiatsu)

 Acupressure is the application of pressure to certain points along the flow of energy or “qi” in the body. Acupressure is mostly used to sooth postoperative nausea and vomiting as well as for pain management. Researches report that acupressure may be as effective as intravenous pain relievers but still further experiments have to be done to confirm such a stance. The use of acupressure would be particularly interseting after laparascopic surgery but it remains to be seen if acupressure is safe for cardiology rehabbing…

2. Hydrotherapy

 Hydrotherapy has been reported as efficient in patient rehabiliatation following knee prosthesis implantation but also in a more simple fashion for surgical wound healing. As a whole hydrotherapy in its balneotherapy form (aquagym notably) is used for orthopedic rehabbing: drills in pool, aqua balancing. Hydrotherapy proves also to be efficient for osteoarthritis and the rehabbing following herniated discs issues.

3. Acupuncture

 Acupuncture is a well famed traditional chinese medicine techniques treating a health issue by inserting needles in one’s body.  According to research, auricular acupuncture (needles in the ear) reduces pain during hip surgery - this meaning that acupuncture can actually help during surgery! in the same way other types of acupuncture have been used on patients woth cancer preceeding or folowing chemotherapy with quite positive results. Yet, acupuncture is more about managing pain than treating any specific health condition.

4. Reflexology

 Relflexology often known as foot massage or Tui Na is derivated from acupressure focusing exclusively on the foot. Tui Na helps in a more restricted fashion than acupressure but some studies have proved its efficiency most notably for knee arthroscopy or knee replacement