Famous Athletes Who Engage in Alternative Medicine

Over 2.5 billion dollars have been spent by the U.S. government to test the effectiveness of alternative medicine. However, very few seem to be effective.

Alternative medicine generally involves therapies or products which claim to provide health benefits, but they are largely unproven or nearly impossible to prove. There are even many forms of alternative medicine which cause great harm; for instance, the Black Salve, a product which claims to cure skin cancer instead severely destroys the skin and leaves behind a black scar. People have been severely disfigured due to the Black Salve.

Regardless, most forms of alternative medicine don't reach this level of severity. Acupuncture, for instance, has had many scientific studies dedicated to it and though many of these studies suggest that the pain relief is due to a placebo effect, there are a few which support it. Acupuncture is one of the most popular forms of alternative medicine today and used by many athletes:

NFL Fullback Uses Acupuncture

Tony Richardson is a hall of famer NFL fullback - considered one of the best fullbacks in history. Richardson suffered severely bruised ribs during the playoff season in 2010.

Being in intense pain made it nearly impossible for him to be in blocking stance. Instead of giving in and riding the bench throughout the entire playlist, he decided to try acupuncture before the first match. 

After the treatment which involved around 80 needles, Richardson was able to play the entire game with minimal pain from the bruised ribs. This led to over 30 NFL athletes to use acupuncture as part of their recovery. Other athletes who use acupuncture are NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali.

MMA Former Champion Engages in Urine Therapy

One of the most beloved champions in his era - Lyoto Machida, a karate practitioner and MMA cage fighter actively engages in urine therapy - the act of drinking your own urine every day.

Once again, there is no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of urine therapy, but according to Machida's father, the urine acts as a cleansing agent. He says that not all the food you eat gets out, but drinking urine helps to flush it out of the system.

The reason Machida began to engage in urine therapy was also due to a cough he had for several weeks. He had tried all sorts of medicine, but the cough wouldn't go away. That was when his father introduced him to urine therapy. After several days of drinking his urine, his cough went away.

Machida's father compares urine therapy to vaccines. He mentions that sometimes a vaccine will involve injecting a milder form of the disease into the system. He says that by drinking urine, it sort of acts like a vaccine.

Urine therapy isn't limited to drinking your own urine. There are also cosmetic uses for it too including massaging one's gum or skin with synthetic urine. Other athletes who engage in this activity are boxing champ Juan Manuel Márquez and baseball player Moisés Alou.

Bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger Promotes Chiropractic

Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous actor and bodybuilder has been seen promoting chiropractic care. Schwarzenegger says that he doesn't just recommend chiropractic - he says that it's a necessity.

Chiropractic involves the diagnosis and treatment of muscle and skeletal disorders - in particular back pain. Chiropractic along with acupuncture is one of the most mainstream forms of alternative medicine. Whilst there is not much evidence in support of acupuncture, several studies have shown chiropractic to be a possible treatment method for back pain. There is also a lot of conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of chiropractic care for other injuries.

Each year, billions of dollars is spent on chiropractic services. Chiropractic practitioners form the third largest medical profession - after doctors and dentists. Experts have even estimated that 90% of world class athletes use chiropractic care to help prevent injuries and improve performance.

Arnold says that he believes every family should seek a chiropracter, because he it's better than going to a hospital to receive shots and drugs for injuries. Other endorsers of chiropractic are golfer Tiger Woods, boxer Evander Holyfield and NFL player Jerry Rice.