A patient suffering from facial paralysis undergoes acupuncture treatment at a traditional Chinese medical hospital in Jiaxing
A patient suffering from facial paralysis undergoes acupuncture treatment. His treatment took place at a traditional Chinese medical hospital in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China, in July 2012.
STRINGER/CHINA//Reuters
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Legendary fish medicine
A woman prepares to swallow a live fish that has been dipped in an herbal medicine in Hyderabad, India, in June 2012. The Bathini Goud brothers draw thousands of ill people because of their legendary fish medicine. Many believe the fish can cure asthma and respiratory problems.
KRISHNENDU HALDER//Reuters
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Mud baths
A man bathes in mud in the village of Ovca, near Belgrade, Serbia, in August 2011. The mud and mineral water are salty and contain 28 different minerals. Soaking in them is said to treat various vein diseases, rheumatism, sciatica and vision disorders successfully.
MARKO DJURICA//Reuters
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'The Spider' harness
A young boy uses 'The Spider' during physical therapy at the Footsteps Centre in Dorchester-on-Thames, England, in November 2011. Children and young adults with neurological disorders are supported with the Spider's harnesses during physical therapy sessions to improve movement and balance.
SUZANNE PLUNKETT//Reuters
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Cupping treatment
A woman undergoes cupping treatment as another patient waits for her turn at a traditional Chinese medical hospital in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China, in July 2012. Cupping is said to remove toxins, stress and tension from the body and is used to treat colds, arthritis and rheumatism.
STRINGER/CHINA//Reuters
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Electrical energy for various illnesses
Residents lie on the train tracks in Rawa Buaya in Indonesia's West Java province in July 2011. The residents believe that the electrical energy from the tracks will cure them of various illnesses.
ENNY NURAHENI//Reuters
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Cervical spondylosis treatment
A patient receives treatment for cervical spondylosis at a hospital in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China, in November 2010. Cervical spondylosis is a general term for age-related wear and tear on the spinal disks in your neck. It is very common, and symptoms include neck stiffness and pain.
STRINGER SHANGHAI//Reuters
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Sun exposure for jaundice
An employee watches as she exposes a baby to the sun to prevent jaundice at the CareBay maternity care centre in Shanghai, China, in December 2011. Traditionally, Chinese mothers are expected to rest and stay indoors during the first month after a baby's birth. At CareBay, they can enjoy exercise, massage and gourmet food, with child care, baby-care classes and nursing specialists.
ALY SONG//Reuters
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Dried moxa and Chinese acupuncture treatment
A doctor ignites dried moxa during a traditional acupuncture treatment to cure headache and insomnia at a hospital in Suining, Sichuan province, China, in September 2010. Moxa is the name for dried mugwort plant leaves. Moxibustion means to burn the leaves on or near the skin as a form of heat therapy.
STRINGER SHANGHAI//Reuters
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"Doctor fish" for psoriasis
Garra rufa obtusas, also known as "doctor fish," swim around the face of a man as he relaxes in a hot spa pool in Kangal, Turkey, in August 2009. The fish live in mineral-rich spa pools and nibble away diseased skin. People with psoriasis travel to Kangal for treatment.
UMIT BEKTAS//Reuters
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Dead scorpions and ginger flakes for facial paralysis
A man lies with dead scorpions and ginger flakes placed on his face while undergoing a traditional Chinese treatment for curing facial paralysis at a hospital in Jinan, Shandong province, China, in June 2007.
STRINGER SHANGHAI//Reuters
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Bee venom for hearing impairment
A hearing-impaired boy receives treatment with bee venom at a clinic in Gaza City, a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, in July 2009.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
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Rubber Neti
Students perform rubber neti, an ancient yogic technique, in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh on May 21, 2009. Many Indians believe that rubber neti cleanses the nasal passages and controls the common cold, cough and asthma.
AJAY VERMA//Reuters
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Hot sand treatment
Mohmmed Emad, 41, lies buried neck-deep in the sand in the El Dakrror mountain area at Siwa Oasis in Egypt, in August 2008. The people in Siwa believe that being buried in the sand during the hottest time of the day is a therapeutic treatment that can cure rheumatism, joint pain and sexual impotence.
NASSER NURI//Reuters
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Chinese treatment for facial paralysis
"A walnut is placed on a patient's eye and ignited dry moxa (mugwort) leaves in his ears during a traditional Chinese medical treatment for curing facial paralysis, at a hospital in Jinan, China, in June 2007.
STRINGER SHANGHAI//Reuters
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Leech therapy
A Kashmiri child shows his arm as he undergoes leech therapy in Hazratbal, Srinagar, India, in December 2007. Leeches have been used for thousands of years for various medical purposes.
DANISH ISMAIL//Reuters
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Live tree frog remedy
Jiang Musheng, 66, eats a live tree frog at a village in Shangrao, in eastern China's Jiangxi province in May 2007. Musheng suffered from frequent abdominal pains and coughing 20 years ago, until an old man called Yang Dingcai suggested tree frogs as a remedy, the Beijing News said.
CHINA DAILY//Reuters
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Dolphin therapy
Ety Napadenschi, eight months pregnant, is touched by a dolphin named Wayra during a therapy session for pregnant women at a hotel in Lima, Peru, in October 2005. The therapy is supposed to stimulate the brain development of the baby.