Value of Alternative Medicine - Coursework Example

Value of Alternative Medicine The extent to which alternative medicine may be considered a viable treatment option The concept of alternative medicine is not new. Alternative medicine is reported to pre-date conventional medicine as safe and successful methods of treatment. The use of the term alternative covers a wide range of healing therapies, approaches and philosophies. Generally, alternative medicine broadly describes health care practices that are outside the domain of modern or conventional Western health care practices (Stewart & Faass 2001). In the recent times, alternative and complementary medicine are becoming popular and even doctors are prescribing them as supplements to conventional treatment methods. The rationale for using alternative medicine alongside conventional medicine in modern medical practice is attributed to the need to improve or restore health through exploration of various treatment options. This essay will evaluate the extent to which alternative medicine may be considered a viable treatment option. First, I will evaluate the perception of medical practitioners towards the viability of alternative medicine. Next, I will examine the benefits of using alternative methods of treatment either as an alternative or a complementary as well as why people choose to use it now, more than before. Alternative medicine take several forms. For purposes of this essay in will consider alternative medical system and biological based interventions. Alternative medical system such as homeopathy and naturopathy emphasizes on therapies that entail an entire system of health care and focuses more on the balance between massages, herbal medicine and acupuncture. An example is the Chinese medicine. Homeopathy advocates for use of small doses of a substance that causes an illness when used in large doses. Naturopathy applies several therapies such as spinal manipulation, acupuncture, counseling, herbal remedies and diet to restore the natural healing properties of the body. Biological based interventions’ healing properties are attributed to mega vitamins, special diet therapies and biological therapies such as been pollen, laetrile and shark cartilage (Holroyd & Mauskop 2003). Modern doctors are turning to alternative medicine either as an alternative healing method to conventional medicine or as a supplement to Western medicine since they are convinced of their usefulness. There has been a lot of skepticism in the past about this medicine, but this changed as more and more testimonies of how successful patients have been were reported, people have started believing it and accepting it as an alternative to the mainstream medicine. For better results, alternative medicine and mainstream medicine should co-exist because they have different strengths and can both be employed in a case to support and complement each other. For example, therapies can be complemented with mainstream to relieve pain and help a patient walk easily after an accident and spine injury (Simpson 2006). Despite the support, and the success rates of alternative medicine, it has not been fully accepted in the conventional medical community officially. The major reasons for this is because there has not been enough scientific research that has been conducted in alternative medicine that can be used as evidence (Weil, 2000). Furthermore, the success of many medical conditions that use alternative medicine is attributed to the positive attitudes inherent in those who seek them after being referred by their families or friends. This is because they go with are lot of hope and optimism which is very important in the healing process. Despite such criticism, there is a very strong argument for alternative medicine. Even though there is scarcity of evidence in research, there are numerous anecdotal evidence to show that alternative medicine does work. Moreover, they work very well, faster and with no side effects or few in case they are (Kayne 2009). The worst outcome for this medicine would be that they fail to work, which is very rare. The evidence for this can be demonstrated by the increasing number of people who seek alternative medicine and are prepared to pay a huge sum for it when conventional medicine is available to them free of charge. If the medicine was very unhelpful to them, such a trend will not been witnessed anywhere. For instance, patients with chronic diseases who have been treated for long using conventional medicine but failed, have reported increased success rates when using herbal medicines. There are numerous motivators for people who chose to use alternative methods of treatment. Most people seek to use alternative treatment methods when the have spent many years in mainstream medicine and it fails to work. As such, they become distrustful about its effectiveness. People see alternative medicine as a viable healing approach due to the bad experiences they have endured in modern medicine. Such experiences create distrust causing people to shy away from it and seek other effective ways to cure their diseases. Some diseases such as diabetes and cancer require patient to take their tablets every day but some people tire of taking daily tablets and pills and just a way that can help them heal once (Antman et al. 2001). This is because daily pills are viewed as a way of contaminating the body with chemical compounds in the drug. The use of herbal medicine surely takes time to heal chronic disease but not lifetime and therefore they are best preferred (Vanchieri 2000). When using alternative medicine, the question of the side effects does not rise. There is no intense suffering, no sterility, no brain damage, no extra nausea nor extra pain. The only change that is inherent in people who use alternative medicine is change in diet which is a massive requirement. For example, using diet as an alternative way of controlling weight or other heart diseases may require patients to replace their sweet juices, milk shakes, ice cream and other favorite sugary drinks with wheat grass or vegetable juices with low cholesterol which may not be as sweet as the preferred ones. The lack of side effects in alternative medicine is attributed to the fact that they do not work in suppressing the symptoms of the diseases as is the case with modern medicine, but instead, they work with the body targeting the root of the problem and eliminates it. Its major approach is to target the wellbeing of the entire body, treat the causes of health issues and therefore eliminate the symptoms. Apart from benefiting from lack of side effects, the patient benefits by getting an overall health improvement. As such, this medicine is very appropriate even for children (Lawton 2007). The viability of alternative medicine is rooted in its effectiveness is dealing with stubborn chronic diseases such as liver problems and cancer. The ultimate goal of seeking medical care is to get rid of the cancer cells through conversion to normal body cells or by killing them. This helps in building body immunity to enable the body to handle any future cancer cells routinely (Hoffer 2001).This process is easily achievable with alternative medicine than with mainstream medicine. This is because mainstream medicine require cancer patients to undergo rigorous and cumbersome for patients while alternative medicine involves a treatment routine and a diet plan. Alternative medicine for cancer treatment uses a combination of therapies, herbal medicines and diet, not only to cure but also to prevent cancer by building the body immunity (Ernst 2000). The use of alternative medicine gives patients confidence as they are more in control of their health than when a doctor treats using mainstream medicine. Most people with chronic disease have already so much information about their disease that they want to decide what they want and what they do not want in their bodies. Conventional medicine does not give that kind of freedom to the patient as the doctor of the authority. Using alternative medicine allows patients to take charge of their health even though they’re not completely cut out on modern medical remedies (Stewart & Faass 2001). For instance, some diets are natural substances that can be readily accessed at home and can be processed in a simple manner without the need for complex manufacturing processes. They are readily available and therefore patients can prepare them themselves and therefore take charge of the whole process. The viability of alternative medicine is also attributed to its appeal to belief and culture systems. Most people who hold new-age philosophies ad ideas find alternative medicine appealing as it is a holistic healing process that aims in not only improving the general health of a patient, but also spiritual harmony. For instance, Chinese medicine has some cultural and spiritual properties as patients combine Qi Hong, oriental massage, herbal medicine and acupuncture in order to achieve an effective balance of Qi that gives the accomplishment of the healing process. This is the reason why the use of words like organic, herbal, natural and holistic has become a selling point for many markers of medicinal products for the value of such natural medicine is immense (Singh & Ernst 2008). Alternative medicine has been very effective in the restoration of mental health and improvement of the overall wellbeing of a patient. A combination of several treatment approaches such as counseling, visual imagery, biofeedback, massage therapy and a healthy diet enhances the improvement of a patient’s healing in spirit, body and mind. The application of such approaches works by helping the patients with mental instability to reduce some stress and relax. Massaging and use of therapy relieves the tension thereby reducing some symptoms of schizophrenia and depression by enhancing the stimulation of the release of opiates and endorphins naturally. This helps patients to better deal with deeply repressed emotions. Alternative approaches to treatment of mental health should also be complemented with mainstream medicine to ensure that the patient gets through the condition fast (Steyer 2001). Alternative medicines have reported major successes when used to complement or substitute mainstream medicine. This essay has shown how the use of alternative medical system and biological based interventions such as massages, herbal medicine, acupuncture, spinal manipulation, counseling, herbal remedies and diet among others can be used to restore the natural healing properties of the body. Although there has been criticism based on the scarcity of proof of effectiveness, there is reason to believe that alternative medicine are very useful and effective especially in treatment to chronic diseases based on the increasing number of people seeking medical alternatives. To achieve fast and desirable healing outcomes, patients should not cut out mainstream medicine, but rather, it should be complemented with alternative medicine in order to benefit from both of their strengths. Alternative medicine has a bright future in the medical field as the new generation has increased interest in study of natural medical remedies (Stewart & Faass 2001). References Antman K, Benson MC, Chabot J, Cobrinik D, Grann VR, & Jacobson JS, et al. 2001, “Complementary and alternative medicine: the role of the cancer center.” J Clin Oncol, 19:55S-60S. Ernst E., 2000, “The role of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer.” Lancet Oncol; 1:176-180. Hoffer LJ. 2001, “Proof versus plausibility: rules of engagement for the struggle to evaluate alternative cancer therapies.” CMAJ; 164(3):351-3. Holroyd, K. A., Mauskop, A., 2003, “Complementary and alternative treatments.” Neurology, 60, Supplement 2, S58-S62 Kayne, SB 2009, Complementary and alternative medicine, London: Pharmaceutical Press. Lawton, SA, 2007, Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Teens, Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics. 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