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Advantages and Disadvantages of Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine has been interchangeably called complimentary medicine. Both of these two terms refer to non-conventional medical treatments including ayurveda, chiropractic, herbalism, homeopathy, naturopathic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. All these treatments are combined with spiritual, religious and metaphysical practices. There are actually five major groups of alternative medicine practices and these are alternative medical systems, energy therapies, biologically-based treatments, mind-body interventions and manipulative and body-based methods.
The most widely used alternative medicine is herbalism, followed by breathing meditation, meditation, chiropractic medicine, yoga, body work, die-based therapy, progressive relaxation, mega-vitamin therapy and visualization. In the United States, about $21.2 billion was spent for the services of alternative therapist during 1997.
According to a survey conducted by the US-based National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, about 38% percent of American adults have used a form of complementary and alternative medicine. The majority of these individuals used alternative medicine together with conventional medicine to treat a particular disease. The survey also showed that most Americans prefer alternative medicine in treating recurring musculoskeletal pains instead of taking pain killers. Compared to men, most women prefer the use of alternative medicine citing its holistic approach to treating both mind and body.
The popularity of alternative medicine today has raised issues whether they could be really helpful or more harmful for an individual. If you are interested in using alternative medicine, you should at least know the advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
Effectivity. Many studies have been published with regard to the effectivity of alternative medicine as treatment for certain disease. A PubMed research revealed as much as 370,000 research papers have been published to support alternative medicine. Examples of the effectivity of alternative medicine in treating a particular illness include:
* Acupuncture for pain and muscle tension
* Biofeedback for stress management
* Chiropractic for spinal misalignments
* Reflexology for improvement of organ function
* Qi Gong for stimulation of the body's energy
* Ayurvedic medicine for mind and body rejuvenation
Safety. Compared to prescription drugs, alternative medicine is safer especially treatments that does not involve taking or ingesting anything. Since most prescription drugs are manufactured to alter the body's natural chemistry, adverse side effects are common. Natural herbs or organic-based treatments are found to be in harmony with our body's chemistry, thus reducing the risk of adverse side effects. Because of their popularity, alternative medicine practices are being regulated in the United States to ensure the public's safety. In some states, alternative medicine is even provided by government health service and even reimbursed by private medical insurance companies.
Cost-efficient. Many people who have relied on alternative medicine to treat certain illnesses have made considerable savings. Since alternative medicine does not only treat the person's illness but his whole well-being, many people do not suffer from recurrences. Alternative medicine also encourages people to take more care of their body, mind and spirit the natural way thru meditation, massages and herbal supplements. It reduces dependability on harmful prescription drugs especially those that are established as being addictive. Conventional treatments are often profit-driven. The prices of prescription drugs can be quite expensive.
Disadvantages:
Delays. The problem with people choosing alternative medicine over conventional medicine is they unknowingly delay professional medical treatment. Life-threatening diseases should be attended to by licensed medical doctors. The sooner you find out, the better chance that the illness will be treated.
Side Effects. Some studies claim that alternative medicine does not work well with conventional medicine. Cancer patients, for example, would benefit better without alternative medicine even as complement to their therapy, according to a Norwegian multicentre study.
Dependence. People who use alternative medicine make the mistake of depending on these medicines to cure all of their illnesses. Some experts believe that alternative medicine has a placebo effect on the individual meaning the person will think he is getting better and symptoms, in fact disappear because of this belief. Unfortunately, this could lead to the worsening of the person's health condition.
Lack of Proper Testing. Conventional medicine uses prescription drugs which have passed rigorous testing to assess all possible adverse side effects. Government agencies like the American Food and Drug Administration are quite strict when it comes to approving drugs and other medical treatment methods. Alternative medicines are not tested most of the time.
This particular concern has given rise to strict regulations imposed by the government on persons or clinics practicing alternative medicine. To avoid the illegal practice of alternative medicine, there are schools which provide training to persons wanting to become healers or alternative medicine practitioners. Like medical doctors, these people would have to pass licensing exams as well.
Countries like India already have legally allowed the practice of Ayurveda, Siddha, Homeopathy and Unani. In the United States, there are programs called Integrative Medicine that trains medical doctors in many fields of alternative medicine. Private and independent institutions like the International Alliance of Healthcare Educators and Upledger Institute are also offering short courses in alternative medicine. In the UK, alternative medicine has been integrated to several schools' curriculum to teach students the theory behind them. To practice alternative medicine, a person must pass certain qualifying tests and pre-requisites. One of which is becoming a licensed physician first.
There is a particular branch of medicine that integrates conventional and alternative medicine and it is called integrative medicine. The principle behind integrative medicine is not to replace conventional therapy. It is mainly used to manage symptoms, improve quality of life and increase treatment efficacy. In integrative medicine, factors that influence health, disease and wellness are all considered. It recommends the use of less invasive treatments as well as natural. Integrative medicine also promotes prevention of illness by encouraging healthy activities aside from treating the illness of a person.
All of this information clearly shows that a balance between conventional and alternative medicine still needs to be discovered and established. Once this is discovered, the benefits of these two treatments will be fully enjoyed by all people.
