Q. What is the difference between alternative medicine and
conventional medicine?
Most of the well known alternative medicine follow six core principles
and practices that differ from the principles and practices of
conventional allopathic medicine.
They are:
- The healing power of nature
Alternative medicines are founded on a deep belief in the healing
power of nature. Alternative medical providers accept that within us
is a natural ability to heal, an inherent recuperative power that is
the key to all healing. Biomedicine or conventional medicine has
historically tried to reduce the healing process to a series of
physiological, physical interventions.
A very common example is the rampant use of antibiotics for
illnesses in children. The alternative therapist would perhaps like
to use medications which bolster the immune system of the child
rather than use an antibiotic to just suppress the infection.
- ‘Patient centered’ rather than ‘physician
centered'
Biomedicine is more ‘physician centered,’ in which the
doctor's opinions and beliefs are considered more important than the
patient's. Alternative medicine, on the other hand, is ‘patient
centered,’ in which the feelings, beliefs, and the opinions of
the patient are essential elements in the treatment and
decision-making process. High quality alternative medicine is
founded on a deep appreciation of the wonder and mystery of being a
unique human being.
- Results generally take longer
One primary goal of alternative medicine is to stimulate the body's
natural healing response and to let nature take its course. Due to
this reason the rate of healing is slower than the conventional
system of allopathic treatment.
- Use of natural and whole substances
Many alternative treatments use natural substances such as herbs,
botanicals, homeopathic, nutritional supplements, and whole foods.
There is a general belief among naturopathic doctors that the use
of whole or natural products to treat maladies helps the healing
process better than their synthesized counterparts.
- Higher standard of health
Conventional medicine practitioners have usually seen health as ‘the
absence of disease’, from where the common philosophy arises
that "if you are not sick and you do not need to go to the
doctor". People would go to their doctors for an annual check
up and be given a clean bill of health. Assessment of an
individual's health is by the results of the physical examination
giving no or very little consideration to life-style factors such as
diet, exercise, or personal or psychological issues.
In contrast, alternative medical systems work on the premise that
health is a dynamic process. Other factors ranging from the strength
of a person's ‘vital energy’ to how happy the person is in
his or her personal and professional life are also considered. Even
a person's religious and spiritual concerns are all carefully
addressed when assessing health and well-being.
Q. Is alternative medicine safe?
World Health Organization's (WHO) Guidelines for the Assessment of
Herbal Medicines, states that a substance's historical use is a valid
way to document safety and efficacy in the absence of scientific
evidence to the contrary. You can reasonably assume that licensed
alternative providers use treatments and techniques that are safe when
used correctly. If you have a question about a particular treatment or
remedy recommended by an alternative health care practitioner, ask both
that practitioner and other experts to provide you with as much
information as necessary to determine if you can personally have
confidence in the recommended treatment.
Q. Will alternative medicine work for me?
The answer to this question lies in what are your expectations from
alternative medicine. Most of the times we are approaching alternative
therapist after we have tried allopathy for long and our condition for
which we are seeking treatment is rather advanced. It is with this thing
in mind that you should approach alternative medicine.
Any system of medicine cannot guarantee success for every condition.
Each system of medicine has certain health conditions for which it is
best suited and some health conditions for which it would be the
treatment of last choice. This is true for conventional as well as
alternative medicine. For example, Chinese herbs and acupuncture
medicines, have a long and respected history of treating conditions of
infertility and impotence in less drastic and more natural ways than
conventional medicines. The key to success with alternative medicine is
to make sure you have all the accurate information you need from around
the world about treating your health conditions. It will also guide you
on how to ‘live well’ while coping with your health condition,
thus embracing life.
Conventional
and Alternative
