Advancing Wound Healing: Integrative and Alternative Therapies

Introduction: Wound healing is a complex biological process that involves four stages of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation to restore skin integrity after injury. Modern medicine offers a range of strategies, such as dressings, antibiotic therapy, wound bed care, biocellular therapies, and debridement, to manage chronic non-healing wounds. However, to address patient preferences for holistic care, complementary and alternative Therapies (CAT), including herbal remedies, acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and energy-based techniques, have gained significant attention in wound care. These non-mainstream approaches may support tissue repair, enhance patient well-being, and improve overall wound healing outcomes when used alongside conventional treatments. This review highlights the use of various complementary modalities in wound healing and care, including homoeopathy, acupuncture, Reiki, massage, physical therapy, yoga, Unani and Ayurveda, and electrotherapy and magnetotherapy. Methods: A literature search across research articles, reviews, and patents was performed. Databases like PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched. The search employed several keywords and Boolean operators, such as “homoeopathy AND wound healing,” “herbal remedies AND wound healing,” “wound healing,” and “complementary and alternative medicine,” etc., to refine the results. For patents, the authors have searched Google patents using the specific keywords. Results: This review highlights the status of CAT as an adjunct in wound management, addressing both biological healing and patient well-being. CAT approaches support wound repair by improving circulation, reducing inflammation, and alleviating stress and pain. Approaches such as Ayurveda, homoeopathy, herbal remedies, and acupuncture showed promise. While some therapies have been practised for centuries, dressings, electro- and magnetotherapy hold the future of wound healing. Discussion: CAT should complement, not replace, the conventional wound care approaches. Evidence-based complementary approaches, alongside conventional medicine, may meet clinical challenges in chronic wound management. Well-designed clinical studies are required to establish the efficacy, safety, and integration of CAT into routine clinical practice. Conclusion: The review goes into detail on wound morphology and explores the role of various complementary approaches in wound treatment. A diverse set of CATs is studied and used, alongside or in place of, conventional medical treatments.