There are dozens of alternative therapies out there, some of which have been around for many, many years. So why are they now starting to gain momentum here? We visited a local alternative therapy clinic to see what all the buzz is about.

For a few years, Kelley Heidemann has had some unusual swelling in her arm. It's kept her out of work for several months and has caused some excruciating pain.

"The health issue I have started about two years ago, so I went through the conventional treatments, and I still see doctors, but I wasn't getting all the improvement I thought I could have," she says.

That's when Kelley turned to alternative therapies to help with the pain. She now makes regular visits to the Midwest Acupuncture and Pain Treatment Center in Wausau for most of those treatments.

"When I come here, [the doctor] does do acupuncture and cold laser therapy, they usually put it up here on my arm to get the swelling and pain down," Kelley says.

Dr. Jennifer Blahnik says a growing number of patients, like Kelley, are turning to alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, laser therapy and herbal supplements. The health problems vary but she sees a lot of patients with chronic conditions who haven't been fully cured with traditional medicine or who worry about the potential side effects.

"We get people who've tried absolutely everything and their doctor says, “Why don't you try acupuncture.' We get a lot of neurologists, osteopaths, referred to us, as well as orthopedics," she says.

Dr. Blahnik says they'll rotate through a number of treatments. That way, when one plateaus, they're ready with another.

But it's not a quick fix, depending on how long you've had an ailment. She says figure about four therapy sessions for every year you've had your problem. However, there are plenty of positives.

"The benefit is you can still work while you're having treatments. You can go on with your daily life. It's not like a surgery where you have to be off for several weeks and can't do anything, but I think the time factor is the biggest thing," says Dr. Blahnik.

Kelley is starting to feel normal again after a few years of therapy. She says she would've started a lot earlier with these treatments had she known about them.

"Just being back and being active and being back to my life is good," says Kelley.

Dr. Blahnik says there's a lot more research on alternative therapies available than even ten years ago. In Part II we'll tell you how to determine if alternative therapy is an option for you.