Reflexology, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy: A guide to some alternative therapies

You might not think to call a balneotherapist when your face breaks out or a reflexologist when asthma flares. But alternative medical practices, no matter how weird they might seem, are gaining traction.

“Alternative therapy” refers to any health treatment not standard in Western medical practice. Beyond that, complementary and alternative therapies are difficult to define, largely because the field is so diverse: It encompasses diet and exercise changes, hypnosis, chiropractic adjustment and poking needles into your skin (a.k.a. acupuncture). Technically, “alternative” treatments are used in place of conventional medicine; when used alongside standard medical practices, alternative approaches are referred to as “complementary” medicine.

Read full story from Washington Post