Alternative medicine: Music - Essay Example

Alternative medicine: Alternative medicine like the suggests is the type of medicines used other than the conventional doctor-prescribed-pharmaceutically produced medicines. It is also referred to as complementary medicine. The origin and use of alternative medicines can be traced back to ancient cultures and civilizations in China, India, Native America and even Africa. (Complementary or alternative medicines, 2008) According to Silverstein and Spiegel, alternative medicine can be defined as ways of medical intervention that are neither taught as part of medical school curriculum nor are they normally accessible in most hospitals. (2001) According to the alternative medicine homepage, alternative medicine could take the form of eccentric, untraditional, unconfirmed or complementary, assimilative and novel therapies. (Alternative medicine homepage, 2008). That said there are many different type of alternative medicine interventions from acupuncture, use of herbs, homeopathy, to the use of prayer (faith healing), music, laughter and sound, which is why there are numerous definitions of alternative medicine. While they may not be fully accepted as part of mainstream western medicine, they have nonetheless grown to play a considerable role in medicine. More so that in the US congress established the Office of Alternative Medicine. Growth is evident in the fact that the use of alternative medicines increased in 1997 by 8.3% from the figure in 1990 of 33.8%. The concerns into the use of alternative medicine lie in the fact that patients use them without first notifying their doctors and physicians. This has important ramifications. Think of the mishaps that may occur when the cocktail of drugs prescribed by the physicians, mixes with the herbs provided in alternative therapy. (Silverstein & Spiegel, 2001) Or a situation where the patients believe alternative therapy may work better than the prescribed medications. According to Silverstein & Spiegel, the use of alternative medicine has grown considerably for the simple fact that they are widely available. Concurrently, information about the beneficial effects of alternative medicines can also be found in many different areas. Besides reading online, libraries and bookstores have sections primarily to cater for those who may need information on alternative medicine and therapy. In the media, television and radio stations have also developed programmes around the concepts of alternative medicines and therapies. Newspapers may provide commentaries and pullouts on complementary therapies. And, one can find alternative practitioners and therapists listed in the telephone directors on how to reach them. It is not surprising that laughter clubs and groups can also be found where people meet and use laughter as a form of exercise. (2001) Prayer. For as long as religion has been a part of human life, prayer has occupied a central role. Concomitantly, people have used prayer for thousands of years especially for purposes of healing. On average people have at one time or another prayed for their health. According to the National centre for complementary and alternative medicine, (NCCAM) prayer is part of the complementary and alternative medicine therapy. To the council, a link exists between prayer and health, based on evidence that certain religious practices are associated with better health and long life of their followers. Despite the fact that prayer has been linked with immune, cardiovascular and physiological benefits, it has not been scientifically proven yet. (Focus on complementary and alternative medicine, 2007) Music. Nowadays music is not only something we listen to when we want to relax, it is also a form of alternative medicine, referred to as music therapy. It is used for instance by pregnant women to help them cope with the ‘baby blues’. Music has been associated with alleviation of mood changes plus to relieve chronic pain and back pain. When used by pregnant women for some time music therapy has been found to reduce not only their stress but also depression and anxiety. All that is required is gentle soothing music that one may listen to with the help of ear phones. (Alternative medicine, 2008) Laughter therapy. Laughter is considered to be part of human nature. Every one is born with the ability to laugh. Laughter then becomes natural medicine. When we laugh, our spirits are lifted and we become happy. Laughter therapy also referred to as humor therapy is the use of humor to induce laughter and therefore promote health by relieving stress both physically and emotionally. Scientists have been able to link laughter with therapy. Laughter helps to reduce the level of stress inducing hormones in the body in addition to boosting the immune system of those who laugh. Laughter is also used for pain relieve in chronically and terminally ill patients such as those suffering form cancer. (Laughter therapy, 2008) Sound therapy. This is the use of sound to create balance in the human body. It is a type of holistic treatment that has its origins in the Vedic times. While scientists have not been able to clearly link sound therapy with improved health and well being, the therapy is nonetheless still in use. Sound therapy works by way of vibrations. Accordingly, to the practitioners of sound therapy, body cells become weak and impaired when they go out of their natural vibration. This means that getting the body cells back to health requires that the principle of sympathetic resonance is employed where through the use of certain instruments, the cells natural sound is played back to it as way of nursing it into health. Thus depending on ones ailment, the therapist provides specially recorded sounds to listen to at a particular period during the day and for a particular period of time. (Sound therapy, 2008) The use of alternative medicine and therapy has become common throughout the years for the reason that it is not only accessible and relatively cheap but that it is simpler compared to other forms of alternative medicines. For instance just think of how simple it is that one can switch on and listen to some music of even laugh and they will feel better. No wonder people prefer them. The therapy is much easier and beats popping pills any day. Again, people prefer to use alternative medicine because they believe it is natural. It does not get any natural than music, prayer and laughter. The trend that people have adopted is towards holistic health through natural means and alternative medicine provides this for them. Most people also believe alternative medicine to be safer than conventional medicine manufactured by drug companies. This is because over the counter drugs and prescriptions almost always have side effects. Conversely, people are of the opinion that most alternative medicines have no side effects because they are natural. (Daniel, 2008) According to conventional medicine, health is often defined merely as the absence of a disease. This means that most of the drugs prescribed are for the simple purpose of treating the disease and its symptoms. Thus, only the disease affected part is treated by the doctors and the drugs. This is quite different from alternative medicine where health is defined as the balance within the body. So it is imbalance the body that results in disease and illness. Consequently, alternative medicine is concerned with holistic health; treating the mind, body and spirit and not just the diseased part with the aim of returning the body to a balanced state. According to alternative medicine, once the balanced is achieved, the body will heal itself. The health of a person is then said to be influenced by their diet, environment and even their experiences and relationships with other people. For that reason, before alternative therapists and practitioners diagnose what one may be suffering from and the kind of treatment to offer, they first of find out as much information about the patient as they possibly can. To some this may seem intrusive but to others the attention is most welcome which is why they prefer alternative to conventional medicines. (Daniel, 2008) On the other hand, while many people consider alternative medicines to be safer than other types of medicines, sometimes it is not always necessarily true. It is true that alternative medicines such as herbal medications are made from natural substances and products. Even so, it is important that people recognize that drugs are chemicals which means that at the end of the day, whether man made or natural will have side effects. Listening to music and praying all day can have the negative effects of making one withdrawn. As much as one would want to get better, it would help it was only done in moderation. Like the old folks say, too much of anything is poisonous. Also, think of how easy it is for one to get frustrated and disoriented when the results are not noticeably fast enough. The one thing that therapists may choose to leave out or not place emphasis on is the fact they are not fool proof methods of treatment. Just like prescription or other drugs, yes they might work then again they might not work effectively or at all. They may work well on some people but not on others. It is for this reason that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States is concerned with the regulation of prescription drugs. The FDA is in place to ensure that the drugs meet the required safety and effectiveness standards. Alongside, the drug companies have to provide scientific research to prove that the drugs are indeed effective. Without this, the drugs are not approved for sale to the public. The opposite is true for alternative medicines. They are not held to the same standards as the prescription drugs, the FDA does not regulate alternative medicines. (Daniel, 2008) One reason for this is that alternative medicines covers a wide array of therapies from the use of herbs to even prayers and music therapy, which cannot be considered as drugs. As such, it would be hard to effectively regulate. The consequence of this is that companies involved in alternative medicines are free to promote their drugs and therapies as having health benefits even when the benefits sometimes appear questionable. In most case, only a few of the companies that offer alternative solutions carry out research on the effectiveness of their drugs and therapies, which means their claims of the health benefits of their drugs are not only misleading but they also cannot be justified. In the end, what this means is that the alternative medications and therapies can be offered to people as long as they are not proven to be hazardous. This then presents an ethical problem, how else can the alternative medicines be proven to be hazardous unless they cause abnormalities, impair the normal functioning of the body or even cause death. Since no scientific research is carried out on the drugs before they are sold or administered, it is the human beings who use the therapies that become the test subjects. They are the guinea pigs for the alternative therapists. If the people using the therapies and drugs are negatively affected, then they can be labeled as hazardous. Before and until then the therapies and drugs are available for use by anyone. (Daniel, 2008) This bring into focus insurance companies. Alternative medicine is not conventional medicine which means that those preferring the services of alternative therapists may not be covered by insurance companies. However, as more and more people choose alternative to conventional medicine, the demand for insurance for alternative therapy also increases. Insurance companies are offering covers based on the increased demand. Moreover, research has also proven that alternative medicine to be cost effective. Think of how much cheaper it is to cover some one to go for sound therapy for cancer treatment than it would be to cover them for chemotherapy treatment. Nonetheless, the covers often have limits and restrictions attached to them. For instance, some insurance companies may require that one is covered for such services that are proven to be medically necessary. This means that prayer, laughter, sound and music therapy may not be covered despite the therapy may be considered by many potential clients. In other instances, one may have to visit a particular insurance approved practitioner. (Wong, 2006) Alternative medicine also alternative therapy is the type of medicine that is different from conventional western medicine. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient civilizations and culture. It does not only include the use of herbs rather even prayers, laughter, sound and music. The reason why alternative therapy is popular with most people is that it is not only accessible but also cheap and simpler. Most people would rather have sound or laughter therapy than swallow pills. However, despite the fact that alternative medicine is commonly used it is not regulated by the FDA. This places the consumers at risk of exploitation by unscrupulous therapists. Also, alternative medicine is not covered by most insurance companies. Though the increased demand for alternative therapy has changed their stance, insurance companies still attach restrictions as far as covers on alternative therapy are concerned. References. ‘Alternative medicine’. About.com. 2008. 27 November 2008 Alternative medicine homepage. 2008. 27 November 2008 ‘Complementary or alternative medicines’. Merck manual of Health and Ageing. 2008. 27 November 2008 Daniel, Charles. ‘Treating hepatitis with alternative medicines: Four areas to consider before choosing alternative treatments’. About.com. 2008 ‘Laughter therapy’. Cancer treatment Centers of America. 2008. 27 November 2008 ‘Prayer and spirituality in health: Ancient practices, modern health’. Focus on complementary and alternative medicine. 2007. 27 November 2008 Silverstein, Daniel & Spiegel, Allen. ‘Are physicians aware of the risks of alternative medicine’? Journal of Community Health. 2001, Vol 26. ‘Sound therapy’. S.G. Asnani Foundation. 2008. 27 November 2008 Wong, Cathy. ‘12 common questions about insurance and complementary medicine’. About.com. 2006. 27 November 2008 Read More