Is It Hard to Access Alternative Healthcare in Italy?
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Hi Trudi,
You won’t have any trouble finding alternative medicine in Italy.
Many Italians swear by their homeopath or acupuncturist. Erboristerie (herbal medicine shops) are practically everywhere, and the staff can put you in touch with local practitioners. You’ll also find herbal medicines and homeopathic products in major pharmacies. A para-farmacia is almost exclusively homeopathic.
Traditional remedies that have been passed down through the generations are still widely used and sold in Italy. For example, lemon juice is often used to treat colds, and garlic is a favorite remedy for high blood pressure and bronchitis. In some rural areas, stomach aches are banished with the help of a canarino—a herbal tea made from bay leaves and lemon rind… it gets its name from the canary-like color of the liquid.
If you do get sick, you’ll find all of the usual and alternative treatments easily, as well as another highly favored healing option…
Italy has dozens of healing spas. Known as terme, these mineral springs are said to have curative powers. Although, to be honest, more often than not, a visit to a spa is just an excuse for some luxurious pampering.
If you’re enrolled in the healthcare system and have a covered illness, you are entitled to one week of curative spa treatments each year. Your doctor will provide you with the prescription, indicating the proper mineral springs and spa cures.
You can find out more about the curative powers of thermal hot springs, along with a list of spas throughout Italy, from the Italian Federation of Thermal Industries and Curative Mineral Waters.
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A great question, and thanks for asking. It is not hard to find alternative medicince in Italy. First many "traditional" doctors have some training in homeopathic cures that we would call allternaitive and at time my docs have suggested some "homeopathic" meds first to see if they would work. Also most don't know this but spa massages, and other treatments are available through the traditonal system... Italian docs are much more likely to embrace alternatives than a US doc. Chip