Alternative Vs. Conventional: Why Don't Doctors Don't Get It

[Guest guest]

They don't " get it " because they choose not to get it.

F.

 

 

http://www.mercola.com/2004/jul/21/alternative_conventional.htm

 

Alternative Vs. Conventional: Why Don't Doctors Don't

Get It

 

 

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

with Laina Krisik

 

If you live in the United States and need medical care

or treatment for a disease you can follow one of two

paths to better health--conventional or alternative.

In making this decision it is important to know the

differences between the two practices.

 

A Comparison of Conventional to Alternative Medicine

 

Conventional (Disease-based Model)

 

*

 

Offers the best medicine in surgeries or trauma

care

*

 

Treatment of immune health-related conditions

routinely consists of prescribing drugs or

recommending medical procedures, which are often

invasive

*

 

Targets treating symptoms, not the underlying

causes

*

 

Treats the human body in parts, not as a whole

*

 

Medical schools are set up by organ specific

departments that don't share any kind of relationship

with one another

*

 

The shaping of conventional medical doctors is

based upon using " rescue medicine, " not finding

treatment and prevention alternatives for illnesses

 

 

 

Alternative Medicine (Prevention-based Model)

 

*

 

Approaches medical treatment by placing its

focus primarily on proactive measures

*

 

Treats the condition, not the symptoms

*

 

More cost effective

*

 

Treatment targets the whole body

 

The growing number of people turning to alternative

therapies is growing stronger and is becoming more and

more the chosen form of medical treatment among

Americans.

 

Just consider these statistics:

 

*

 

One out of every three Americans uses some kind

of alternative medicine

*

 

Between 1990 and 1997 there was a 47 percent

increase in visits to alternative practitioners, from

427 million to 629 million, bypassing the estimated

total number of visits made to all conventional

primary care doctors in 1997

 

As these statistics reveal the rapidly increasing

number of people choosing alternative therapies as a

form of treatment, the debated question among the

health care industry is, " Why don't more conventional

doctors recommend alternative medicine? "

 

Pharmaceutical Ties

 

The driving force behind the continuing growth of

conventional medicine has been the pharmaceutical

industry, embraced by both doctors and pharmacists,

who calculate their worth through treating disease by

prescribing medications. For example, if a patient is

diagnosed with breast cancer, the protocol for the

doctor is to prescribe tamoxifen. If a patient is

diagnosed with schizophrenia, clozaril is prescribed.

 

Medical Schools Receive Funding From Drug Companies

 

Most medical schools receive a huge chunk of funding

from the pharmaceutical industry that has a vested

interest in marketing their medicines. Evidence of

this could be seen in Pfizer Inc, a company that

develops produces and markets the leading prescription

medications for humans and offers several scholarships

and grants to American Medical Schools.

 

The Mass Media Favors Drug Advertising

 

Just as pharmaceutical companies are all about making

profits, so is the mass media and this is clearly

exposed in the high numbers of drug commercials

consumers are exposed to every day. Drug ads equal

profits for the media.

 

The number of mass media commercials has exploded over

the past few years. In 1999, drug companies spent $1.8

billion on direct-to-consumer advertisements for

prescription drugs. Even more disturbing, it was

discovered that around 10 percent of the people who

watched the commercials inquired to their doctor about

the specific drugs.

 

Even the American Medical Association maintains a

relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. If you

go to their homepage you will find a sizable

advertisement for the statin, Crestor.

 

Research Discrepancies

 

The scale for funding of medical research is

disproportionately tipped to favor conventional

medicine over alternative medicine. An example of this

could be seen in the 0.08 percent of the British

National Health Service research budget set aside for

alternative research. Also, out of $12 billion

allocated every year by Congress to the National

Institutes of Health, a mere $5.4 million goes to the

Office of Alternative Medicine to investigate the

claims of approximately 50 therapies.

 

The lack of alternative medicine research funding

results in three critical consequences:

 

*

 

The prevention of relevant research projects

*

 

It negatively affects the creation of a research

infrastructure similar to the one of conventional

medicine

*

 

Deters well-trained career scientists from

entering into the field

 

Questionable Research

 

One of the biggest complaints the conventional medical

industry has against alternative medicine is the lack

of scientific research to support their practices.

 

Ironically, much of the research on conventional

medicine has raised many speculations over validity

issues. An example of this is the hundreds of articles

published in top medical journals claimed to be

written by academic researchers that are actually

written by ghostwriters working for agencies, which

receive large amounts of money from pharmaceutical

companies to market their products. These are the very

journals medical professionals rely on when

determining treatment options.

 

Over 60 percent of clinical studies that involve human

participants get financial backing from drug

companies, not from the federal government. Studies

also show that it is often common for companies to

hold off on the publication of data that reveal their

drugs are ineffective.

 

The conventional medical model is fatally flawed and

is largely profit-driven by the pharmaceutical

industry that influences the media through drug

advertisements. Evidence that the American public is

becoming discouraged with conventional medicine has

become obvious in the growing numbers turning to

alternative treatments for answers.

 

On the other hand, convincing doctors and the media

the value of alternative medicine might be a long way

off considering their tight ties with drug companies.

Profit-hungry drug companies won't be making the shift

to change the attitude of conventional doctors any

time soon. There is too much money at stake for them

to lose. That leaves it up to us to take control over

our own health and make the changes.

 

Related Articles:

 

Drug Companies Spend Two Billion to Advertise

Directly to Consumers

 

Increased Spending on Drugs is Linked to More

Advertising

 

Even Doctors Have No Faith in Conventional

Medicine

 

Death by Medicine

 

The Frightening Road Ahead for Prescription Drugs

and the Implications for 'Real' Alternative Health

 

Drug Industry Using Senior Group Fronts to Promote

Own Agenda