Alternative medicine is a rapidly growing field that ranges from Chinese medicine to acupuncture to chiropractic treatment. While alternative therapists don’t prescribe medication or perform invasive surgery, they rely on holistic remedies like herbs and massage to heal their patients. These types of alternative medicine are hardly new—they draw on medical traditions that ancient Chinese, Native American, and Indian cultures have been using to heal people for thousands of years.

The hard-working individuals who practice alternative medicine believe strongly in the body’s ability to heal itself. In order to optimize a patient’s health, holistic healers emphasize illness prevention, in addition to treating current symptoms. This full-body approach to medical care is gaining in popularity because more and more patients are discovering that alternative treatments allows their bodies to rejuvenate and heal, as well as teaching them how to relax and maintain healthier lifestyles.

According to the Harvard Medical School, an increasing number of people are turning to holistic and alternative therapies to protect their health. In fact, according to a survey by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about four in ten U.S. adults are turning to alternative treatments for chronic pain and other health problems. The number of people seeking alternative health options is growing each year, with about 38 percent of adults experimenting with holistic treatments in 2007, compared with 36 percent in 2002.

As opposed to more conventional forms of medicine that focuses on symptoms, holistic health care treats the entire patient—their physical, emotional, and mental health. Holistic therapists believe that when one part of your body or mind isn’t working properly, the whole person is affected. The ultimate goal of alternative health practitioners is to promote a general sense of well-being, in addition to treating the disease itself.

Job prospects for alternative healers are growing each day, especially since more “traditional” doctors are referring their patients to homeopathic remedies. Even major insurance companies are getting on board and are paying for such services as acupuncture and homeopathic treatment.

If you feel committed to a career in healing and illness prevention, alternative medicine is a great way to help keep people healthy while discovering an extremely fulfilling career path!