When it comes to healthcare and healthy lifestyles, the terms holistic, homeopathic, homemade and alternative have become increasingly familiar.

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children in the United States use healthcare approaches developed outside of mainstream Western medicine. These types of approaches include the use of herbs and botanicals, deep breathing techniques, meditation, massage, diets, yoga, tai chi or chiropractic manipulations. The list of alternative medicines is extensive.

Alternative therapies have become more popular in recent years as people look for treatments for medical issues or make their own products from natural ingredients. In fact, holistic therapies have become so popular that some universities are offering a bachelor of science degree in alternative medicines. Students enrolled in these programs explore herbology, nutrition, homeopathy, antioxidants and traditional Chinese medicine.

The NIH indicates that most people who turn to alternative medicines are looking to treat musculoskeletal problems such as back, neck or joint pain. Matt Waln, of Prince Crossing Chiropractic in Illinois, says many patients opt for chiropractic adjustments for aches and pains, as opposed to using a prescription or over-the-counter drug to dull the pain.

“Rather than taking pills and mask it, the adjustment is the best way to handle the problem,” Waln says.

But going to a chiropractor is about more than a spinal adjustment. In addition, Waln says patients can learn simple stretches to help alleviate injury, as well as elements of healthy living. Waln says most chiropractors are versed in nutrition and will have a “good line” of supplements available for patients, including Vitamin D, probiotics and fish oil.

Addressing the root issue for any medical treatment is something that Dr. Alan M. Dattner, a New York-based dermatologist, says is key to correcting a problem. The principle physician at Holistic Dermatology and published author, Dattner says alternative treatments place an emphasis on correcting an underlying condition.

“We try to peel back the layers of causality,” Dattner says. “Sometimes we learn that a patient’s diet is running too rich and causing an acne breakout. The use of something like a corticosteroid cream limits the solution to the problem.”

By adopting the use of additional systems to address patient problems, Dattner says doctors gain a deeper perspective on what’s going on.

For Dattner, many solutions to dermatological problems start in the gut. He aims to fix the digestive system of patients in order to control skin problems.

“People can’t go on eating infinite amounts of sugar and toxic stuff and expect to have healthy families,” Dattner says.

By taking such an approach, Dattner says patients see a myriad of benefits beyond clearer skin. Patients lose weight and enjoy a better quality of life when diet is taken into consideration as part of a treatment. However, a patient has to want to go the holistic route, as opposed to the more traditional practice of using a prescription drug.

“It’s easier to give them medicine, but it doesn’t address the underlying cause,” Dattner says. “People like the fact that alternative medicine uses multiple ways to fix things. People who are becoming aware of this are making choices to try to do things in a more healthful manner and save the more extreme measures for when they’re really needed.”

It’s easy to head to the local drug store and pick up all the toiletries you need. Walk along the aisles of your local store and you’ll see shelf after shelf filled with various shampoos and conditioners. But, do-it-yourself advocates say making your own products out of natural materials is easy and beneficial.

Popular ingredients for homemade products include coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, liquid carrier oil and arrowroot powder. Other products found in your pantry that could be used to make your own products include sugar for use in scrubs, and baking soda that can be used as a deodorant. Salt can be used to exfoliate skin and coconut milk can be used in the making of shampoo.

According to the NIH, the most popular natural products used by people in the U.S. are fish oil/omega 3, glucosamine, Echinacea and flaxseed.

For Sally Trew, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making Natural Beauty Products,” using natural ingredients in home remedies is one of the smartest things people can do for themselves. Trew has been making and marketing her own products for years. These run the gamut from homemade soaps and shampoos, to lotions and salves. She says natural products is better for people and better for the environment.

“If you get the chemicals out of your home and out of your life, you’ll be doing so much to help yourself,” Trew says.

She adds that it’s smart to read the ingredient labels of cleaning and beauty products found at local stores to know what’s really in them.

“All the soap you find on shelves now is not soap, it’s detergent,” she says. “That’s what you’re putting on your skin. All you need in soap is oil, water and lye. It’s environmentally friendly because it’s biodegradable. You have to look at the ingredients. If you can’t pronounce it, you should look it up on the internet and see what it is — it will scare you.”

Trew says clients have used her products and no longer want to use commercially made products.

“There’s great benefits to using homemade products,” she says. “It’s better for your skin because there’s not all that trash in it. You know what’s in the product. You know it’s not harming the environment.”

While Trew and her customers are big on homemade products, she says it’s tough to gain approval as a homeopathic remedy. Trew spent 12 years developing a salve that can “cure cuts overnight” and dry up shingles in “five to 10 days, depending on how bad they are.” Despite Trew’s claims and customer testimonials, she has run into problems with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the regulatory agency that oversees approval of homeopathic treatments. While her products are all natural, Trew says regulators balk over the way the ingredients, which includes cocoa butter and almond oil, are blended together.

Another federal agency that has a hand in regulating homeopathic treatments is the Federal Trade Commission. In November 2016 the agency issued new regulations regarding the advertising of homeopathic products. Under new guidelines, products classified as homeopathic must include statements that claim there is no scientific evidence supporting the claims of homeopathic treatments and that homeopathic treatments are only based on centuries-old theories.

Trew says regulations like those by the FDA and FTC are about market control. People who use the products see the difference between homemade therapies like hers, versus commercially available products that require constant use – and repurchasing.