Alternative Health Care System: Complementary Or Alternative Medicine?

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Prior to the rise in research of scientifically based medicine during the 19th century, practitioners prescribed herbal remedies regularly. Pharmaceutical scientists developed new forms of drugs that were believed to be more effective than most naturopathic remedies. More patients were relying on these new medical products since many had been proven effective. By the late 20th century, multiple CAM therapies had still not been explored and examined in clinical trials, unlike majority of other newly discovered medical devices. Conventional doctors and practitioners typically use forms of alternative medicine in manner that’s complementary to the standard medical system. unfortunately, the alternative health care system is being negatively impacted by modern day practitioners. First, alternative medicine is becoming less traditional and more evidence based. Second, conventional practitioners have changed or incorporated forms of alternative medicine into their practices. Finally, the complementary and alternative medicine system is not supported by conventional practitioners or researchers. Modern day understandings continue to negatively change the traditional medicine system for these reasons. The holistic approach of alternative medicine examines one’s health as a balancing of the mind, body and spirit. Unlike conventional doctors, alternative practitioners focus on spiritual aspects to heal patients. The standard health care system is evidence based medicine. Experiments are done to determine whether certain drugs are safe and effective. First, alternative medicine is no longer based on these spiritual philosophies and is becoming more evidence based, similar to conventional medicine. Modern day understandings have changed the spiritual beliefs behind performing different forms of alternative medicine. For instance, acupuncture, a therapy commonly used to relieve lower back pain, has now been incorporated into conventional practices. In the traditional Chinese medicine system, it is believed that acupuncture restores the balance between polar forces of yin and yang. In a 2007 clinical trial, researchers discovered the procedure of inserting needles into the body activates certain natural pain killers. Physicians demand proof and do not believe in spiritual philosophies. When the procedure was incorporated into the conventional healthcare system, all spiritual aspects were forgotten. Furthermore, the alternative medicine industry is growing, but our understanding of the traditional medical system is not. Many alternative practices were developed by spiritual factors and have been used by human for centuries. Conventional researchers and practitioners are eliminating traditional medicine from the health care system because treatments have yet to be clinically tested. The reluctance among doctors to employ CAM is often related to the protection of patients, or not knowing how to correctly perform alternative therapies. Alternative medicine is an ancient practice that has deep, cultural and religious significance to it’s user. …show more content…
There is a debate of whether conventional medicine is more superior than alternative is present in today 's medical field. Finally, the complementary and alternative medicine system is not supported by conventional practitioners. CAM therapies, remedies and other treatments are thought to be ineffective or dangerous by conventional doctors. Researchers have advanced in ways to provide reliable evidence as to why alternative medicine is safe, but some trials have been inconclusive. Pharmaceutical drugs are not always better than natural remedies. In the past, there have been a number of drugs that have been tested positively in clinical trials, but later had poor effects on patient’s health. For example, thalidomide, a pharmaceutical drug that was portrayed as an effective sedative that helped overcome morning sickness resulted to be ineffective. The faulty drug caused more than 10,000 reported birth defects around the world. Alternative doctors had questioned whether this incident could have been prevented if patients tried more natural methods. Also, many treatments that are not based on modern day concepts are not taught widely in medical schools, or used in hospitals. Scientific evidence is valued more than spiritual philosophies in the standard healthcare system. This is a major difference between Eastern and Western medicine culture. Physicians demand proof, but yet very few forms of alternative medicine have been studied in clinical trials, unlike most pharmaceutical drugs. Unfortunately, majority of health insurance companies do not reimburse CAM therapies. Additionally, manufacture pharmaceuticals and medical procedures are thought to be more superior than more natural approaches. Doctors age that the placebo effect may be responsible for the success of natural remedies. It has been determined that the alternative medicine industry has turned the

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