Abstract: 3
Introduction: 4
What is Alternative Medicine? 4
Cons of Alternative Medicine 5
Pros of Alternative Medicine 7
Conclusion 9
References 10
Abstract:
Medicine has evolved rapidly since early history to cater to the treatment of man’s many ailments and complications. Some medicines are now available to cure the simplest problems such as colds, others could treat diseases like diabetes and cancer, and a few would help as a supplement to one’s diet. While there are new treatments available in the market today, there are a few people who would prefer using alternative medicine and treatments despite the comments that it is not entirely safe to use or due to its “old” traditions. Nonetheless, alternative medicine and treatments are, in fact, beneficial not just for the patient but also for society despite the fact it is considered a questionable or unconventional health practice. This paper will discuss the nature of alternative medicine, its disadvantages and concerns, as well as its advantages that make alternative medicine appealing to the public.
Keywords: alternative medicine, CAM, complementary and alternative medicine, pros and cons of CAM
Introduction:
Like other scientific breakthroughs discovered in the early years, medicine had also played host to various improvements and discoveries to improve humanity’s means to fight diseases and other health ailments. From the typical cold to the most complicated diseases like diabetes and even cancer, there are an available cure and variations that can pinpoint as to where the treatment would concentrate. Medicines have also evolved to include safe transference of vitamins and minerals as supplemental medicines for the body, especially for those who have vitamin or mineral deficiencies. While there are people who would prefer to use these new medicines, there are others who would either use alternative medicines or use both modern medicine and alternative medicines to aid in recovery and treatment. Although there are people who find alternative treatments and therapies to be out dated or incapable of treating medicine, studies have already showcased that alternative treatments and therapies are beneficial in supplementary treating patients and also as a great alternative as usable medicine for basic health complications.
What is Alternative Medicine?
According to Pal (2002) alternative medicine is a ‘broad domain of healing resources that encompass all health systems, modalities, practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health system.’ In this end, one can also state that alternative medicine is a broad set of treatments that is not directly involved with the current health care system of an area, but is still available to the public. One reason as to why alternative medicines are not included in the present health system is due to the challenges it poses, as well as its cultural and traditional backgrounds. Alternative medicines also include a large and heterogeneous set of treatments, which are normally not tested for their capability to treat. In the 1970s and the 1980s, therapeutics and experts have seen alternative medicine as an alternative to conventional health care. Throughout the years, the term complementary had been added to alternative medicine as it now included the definition that these types of medicines are between unconventional health-care disciplines with conventional care. Some experts even call alternative medicines as unconventional medicines. There are several varieties of alternative medicine systems, especially in China and India. In India, Ayurveda is the most popular version of alternative medicine. Currently, countries have various policies attached to alternative medicine. In the United States, the Congress had created an Office of Unconventional Medical Practices, which was later renamed as the Office of Alternative Medicine, tasked to work with the Food and Drug Association to check medicines coming from alternative medicine providers, as well as see the credibility of practitioners. The Europeans, such as Germany, Belgium and the Scandinavian nations have weaved their own intricate policies to acknowledge several kinds of alternative medicine.
Cons of Alternative Medicine
While alternative medicines have a long standing history since the beginning of civilizations, experts have argued that alternative medicine is not actually as capable of treatment as it is said by its practitioners. First and foremost, there is the question of safety when it comes to administering these treatments. Silva and Ludwig (2001) stated that some alternative medicines would not be as safe as commonly thought of and may present ethical concerns to patients. In an example, both authors have cited concerns over the natural dietary supplement. While manufacturers of dietary supplements cannot claim that these supplements can assist in treatment and curing disease, they could easily manipulate media into stating promises they could not freely state on cam. Another concern is the fact that there are no set standards provided to alternative medicines like supplements from the FDA, which may cause technicalities in undermining if these drugs indeed contain the supplements it should contain. It may even cause several companies to use this loophole to put in cheap nutrients into their medicines as the FDA will not check its consistency. Markman (2002) also adds that some medications and procedures of alternative medicines may even be toxic and produce side-effects to the patient. One example he cited is the use of herbal medicine, such as the herb Aristolochia fanchi, which may cause renal failure or urothelial carcinoma. Another example of alternative medicines with side effects is the herb kava, which is usually used with sleep-deprived patients. Kava can produce liver dysfunctions and even cause patients to undergo a liver transplant due to its hepatotoxicity. There is also the danger of these alternative medicines to counteract conventional medicines, which may also present negative interactions and increase risks. In the case of medicines, the combination of contemporary medicines with St John’s wort would introduce cytochrome P450 which may reduce blood levels and cyclosporine concentrations. Some alternative medicines also impact surgery recovery as they introduce additional chemical agents that may hinder blood flow and function .
Another considerable argument regarding alternative medicine is the cultural clashes it would cause between contemporary health care workers and those practitioners of alternative medicine. Both groups may argue against the type of treatment that should be given to the patient and even push for what they believe is right. Since both health care workers and alternative medicine practitioners also differ in techniques, it would only foster confusion between both groups and differentiate their practices. It is likely that patients would be placed in harm if the scope of practice for alternative medicine and or contemporary medicine is not clearly defined. The patient may be hurt if practitioners are not prepared, especially in the case of the alternative medicine practitioners. Some doctors and practitioners even disregard facts from patient files like for those who use alternative medicines. In this end, they place them in harm and do not take into consideration what these alternative medicines may cause for the patient .
Pros of Alternative Medicine
Although experts see complementary and alternative medicine as a risk that patients may open themselves into due to the questionable capacity of its treatments and capacity of their practitioners, alternative medicine is actually a beneficial alternative for patients to improve their chances in improving their health and aid in the progress of their treatments. First and foremost, alternative medicines return a patient’s vitality and spiritualty in believing in themselves that they could be cured and assert positive values. According to Kaptchuk and Eisenberg (1998), patients are given lawful, potent, and meaningful powers to overcome their ailments through alternative medicine. While the medicine isolates off the illness, the alternative medicine would also allow the reconnection of life-supporting cosmic forces to return to the patient. This is seen in treatments like homeopathy (which sustains a person’s vital essence), chiropractic (which refers to a person’s innate mind) and acupuncture (which improves the flow of chi). These alternative medicines also open up the body back to life forces that can aid in the treatment. When it comes to spirituality, alternative medicine also calls patients to return back to religion, especially in reconnecting with nature, vital forces, and health sciences. Spiritual materialism would also foster between the practitioner and the patient, creating new goals in the search for health and vitality while being grounded to healthy living . In addition to this, mental health is improved by alternative medicines as noted by Keefer (2010) as alternative medicine treatments tend to enable patients to relax and let go of stress. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also support this idea as alternative medicines can introduce healthy living such as the intake of nutrition and self-help groups.
Another advantage of alternative medicine is its range of available treatments for any type of problem. Since alternative medicines cater to various ailments and diseases, there is a respective alternative medicine attached to any ailment. Pal (2002) cited several examples: patients who are mostly found with chronic diseases use CAM or complementary and alternative medicines. Patients also try out naturopathy, herbal medicine, biopathy, wheat-grass therapy, electro-energizers, and finally traditional healing methods to treat cancer pains. Fish treatment is used by some patients to treat or remedy respiratory problems like asthma. In the case of Ayuvedic medicines are used for epilepsy . Snow (2010) adds that there have been already proofs as to the capacity of alternative therapies to aid in treating pains, which also helps the nation’s economy and health sector. In the study done in Australia, it had identified five effective treatments from the alternative medicine sector: acupuncture cures lower back pain, St John’s Wort for depression, fish oil for isolating chances of heart diseases and arthritis, and herbal phytodolor for the prevention of osteoarthritis.
Finally, alternative medicines can be cost-efficient and cheaper. While there are some treatments which are expensive, many of alternative medicine’s available medicines are made from ingredients such as herbs and natural remedies. There is also the fact that alternative therapies like acupuncture and chiropractic sessions are cheaper than other pain treatments . This is proven according to the study Snow cited, estimated almost $50 million a year can be saved as patients would no longer spend hundreds of dollars to buy pharmaceutical antidepressants and other medicines to treat the noted ailments . With these in arguments in mind, it is considerable that alternative medicine can indeed present benefits to patients, especially for those who would wish to have a deeper connection to their health and to their treatments.
Conclusion
With the presently available medicines in the market, many may indeed see alternative medicines as an ineffective means to treat ailments and diseases; it still has some worth in them that is capable of aiding in treating a patient. On the one hand, the fact that alternative medicines are still untested for its capacity to heal must be taken into heart as some alternative medicines, although has good intentions, may become the cause for the ailment to worsen. There is also the fact that some alternative medicines may produce side-effects that may not be easily removed from one’s person, as well as the questionable contents of each treatment. However, one cannot disregard the capacity of alternative medicines in providing alternatives to patients to channel their frustrations and stress pertaining to their treatment, while at the same time, still use contemporary treatment. There is also the traditional and sentimental value of these treatments, making alternative medicines still a popular choice for many individuals today. One must be open to the possibilities and benefits of alternative medicines, proper education, analysis and regulation would ensure that patients would get quality alternative medicines to compliment with their current treatments.
References
Kaptchuk, T., & Eisenberg, D. (1998). The Persuasive Appeal of Alternative Medicine. Annals of Internal Medicine, 129(12), 1061-1065.
Keefer, A. (2010, May 12). What are the Benefits of Alternative Medicines? Retrieved March 16, 2013, from Livestrong: http://www.livestrong.com/article/121642-benefits-alternative-medicines/
Markman, M. (2002). Safety Issues in Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 20(18), 39-41.
Pal, S. K. (2002). Complementary and alternative medicine: An overview. Current Science, 82(5), 518-524.
Silva, M. C., & Ludwick, R. (2001). Ethics: Ethical Issues in Complementary/Alternative Therapies. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 7(1), Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Columns/Ethics/EthicalIssues.html.
Snow, D. (2010, September 13). Benefits to all from alternative therapies. Retrieved March 16, 2013, from The Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/benefits-to-all-from-alternative-therapies-20100912-156zn.html
