Alternative Medicine: Why so popular?

[Guest guest]

Alternative Medicine: Why so popular?

by Hans R. Larsen, MSc ChE

 

In 1997 Americans made 627 million visits to practitioners of alternative

medicine and spent $27 billion of their own money to pay for alternative

therapies. In contrast, Americans made only 386 million visits to their family

doctor. It is estimated, by none other than the Harvard Medical School, that one

out of every two persons in the United States between the ages of 35 and 49

years used at least one alternative therapy in 1997. That is a growth of 47.3

per cent since 1990. This is spectacular by any means and of great concern to

conventional (allopathic) medicine especially since the people using alternative

medicine are primarily well-educated, affluent baby boomers(1).

The trend to alternative medicine is repeated throughout Western society. In

Australia 57 percent of the population now use some form of alternative

medicine, in Germany 46 percent do, and in France 49 percent do. The growth of

some types of alternative medicine is indeed astounding. Between 1991 and 1997

the use of herbal medicines in the United States grew by 380 per cent and the

use of vitamin therapy by 130 per cent. These are impressive numbers by anyone's

standard(1-3).

What it is and isn't

So why do people increasingly prefer alternative to conventional medicine? The

reasons are pretty simple - it is safe and it works! While there is little doubt

that allopathic medicine works well in the case of trauma and emergency (you

don't call your herbalist if you get hit by a car), it is much less effective

when it comes to prevention, chronic disease, and in addressing the mental,

emotional, and spiritual needs of an individual. These are precisely the areas

where alternative medicine excels. To most of the world's population, over 80

per cent to be precise, alternative medicine is not " alternative " at all, but

rather the basis of the health care system. To Western-trained physicians

alternative medicine is " something not taught in medical schools " and something

that allopathic doctors don't do and, one could add, generally know nothing

about. Alternative medicine actually encompasses a very large array of different

systems and therapies ranging from ayurvedic medicine to

vitamin therapy.

Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced in India for the past five thousand years

and has recently undergone a renaissance in the West due, in no small measure,

to the work and lectures of Dr. Deepak Chopra, MD. Ayurvedic medicine is a very

comprehensive system that places equal emphasis on body, mind, and spirit and

uses a highly personalized approach to return an individual to a state where he

or she is again in harmony with their environment. Ayurvedic medicine uses diet,

exercise, yoga, meditation, massage, herbs, and medication and, despite its long

lineage, is as applicable today as it was 5000 years ago. For example, the seeds

of the Mucuna pruriens plant have long been used to treat Parkinson's disease in

India; it is now receiving attention in conventional circles as it is more

effective than l-dopa and has fewer side effects(4).

Traditional Chinese medicine has been practiced for over 3000 years and over one

quarter of the world's population now uses one or more of its component

therapies. TCM combines the use of medicinal herbs, acupuncture, and the use of

therapeutic exercises such as Qi Gong. It has proven to be effective in the

treatment of many chronic diseases including cancer, allergies, heart disease

and AIDS. As does Ayurvedic medicine, TCM also focuses on the individual and

looks for and corrects the underlying causes of imbalance and patterns of

disharmony.

Homeopathy was developed in the early 1800s by the German physician Samuel

Hahnemann. It is a low-cost, non-toxic health care system now used by hundreds

of millions of people around the world. It is particularly popular in South

America and the British Royal Family has had a homeopathic physician for the

last four generations. Homeopathy is an excellent first-aid system and is also

superb in the treatment of minor ailments such as earaches, the common cold, and

flu. Homeopathy is again based on the treatment of the individual and when used

by a knowledgeable practitioner can also be very effective in the cure of

conditions such as hay fever, digestive problems, rheumatoid arthritis, and

respiratory infections.

Chiropracty primarily involves the adjustment of spine and joints to alleviate

pain and improve general health. It was practiced by the early Egyptians and was

developed into its present form by the American Daniel David Palmer in 1895. It

is now the most common form of alternative medicine in the United States.

Chiropractors not only manipulate spine and joints, but also advise their

patients on lifestyle and diet matters. They believe that humans possess an

innate healing potential and that all disease can be overcome by properly

activating this potential.

Naturopathic medicine also strongly believes in the body's inherent ability to

heal itself. Naturopathy emphasizes the need for seeking and treating the causes

of a disease rather than simply suppressing its symptoms. Naturopaths use

dietary modifications, herbal medicines, homeopathy, acupuncture, hydrotherapy,

massage, and lifestyle counseling to achieve healing.

Vitamin therapy or orthomolecular medicine uses vitamins, minerals, and amino

acids to return a diseased body to wellness in the belief that the average diet

today is often woefully inadequate in providing needed nutrients and that the

need for specific nutrients is highly individual. Conditions as varied as

hypertension, depression, cancer, and schizophrenia can all benefit enormously

from vitamin therapy.

Biofeedback, body work, massage therapy, reflexology, hydrotherapy,

aromatherapy, and various other forms of energy medicine round out the vast

spectrum of alternative medicine modalities.

How is it different?

So what sets alternative medicine apart from allopathic medicine?

Conventional medicine is preferred in the treatment of trauma and emergencies

while alternative medicine excels in the treatment of chronic disease, although

homeopathy can also be very effective as a first-aid.

 

 

Conventional medicine focuses on the relief of symptoms and rarely places

emphasis on prevention or the treatment of the cause of a disorder. All

alternative systems, on the other hand, strive to find and treat the cause of a

disorder and frown on covering up the symptoms. Alternative therapies are also

much more focused on prevention.

 

 

Conventional medicine is organ specific, hence ophthalmologists,

cardiologists, nephrologists, neurologists, etc. Alternative medicine, without

exception, considers each person as a unique individual and uses a holistic

approach in treatment.

 

 

Conventional medicine believes in aggressive intervention to treat disease.

It revels in terms such as " magic bullet " and " war " ( " the war on cancer " ), and

prefers quick fixes (as do many patients). Alternative medicine believes in

gentle, long-term support to enable the body's own innate powers to do the

healing.

 

 

Conventional medicine's main " arsenal " consists of surgery, chemotherapy,

radiation, and powerful pharmaceutical drugs. Alternative medicine uses

time-tested, natural remedies and gentle, hands-on treatments.

 

 

Conventional medicine practitioners are guided in their treatment by strict

rules set out by the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons. This often leads to a

" one size fits all " approach. Practitioners of alternative medicine, on the

other hand, treat each patient as an individual and do what, in their opinion,

is best rather than what is specified in a " rule book " .

 

 

Conventional medicine sees the body as a mechanical system (the heart is a

pump and the kidneys are a filter) and believes most disorders can be traced to

chemical imbalances and therefore are best treated with powerful chemicals

(drugs). Alternative medicine systems, almost without exception, accept that the

body is suffused by a network of channels (meridians) that carry a subtle form

of life energy. Imbalances or blockages of this energy are what lead to disease

and clearing of the blockages and strengthening of the energy is the ultimate

goal of alternative medicine.

 

 

Conventional medicine prefers patients to be passive and accept their

treatment without too many questions. Alternative medicine, in contrast, prefers

and indeed, in many cases, requires the patient to take a highly active part in

both prevention and treatment.

 

 

Both conventional and alternative medicine ascribe to the principle " Do no

harm " . However, while alternative medicine is essentially achieving this goal,

conventional medicine seems to have almost totally lost sight of it. Hospitals

are now the third largest killer in Australia and over one million people are

seriously injured in American hospitals every year. Blood infections acquired in

American hospitals cause 62,000 fatalities every year and bypass surgery results

in 25,000 strokes a year. Two million patients experience adverse drug reactions

in hospitals in the United States every year; of these, over 100,000 die making

hospital-induced adverse drug reactions the fourth leading cause of death after

heart disease, cancer, and stroke(5-11).

 

 

The practice of conventional medicine is intimately tied in with the whole

medico-pharmaceutical-industrial complex whose first priority is to make a

profit. Although most conventional physicians have " healing the patient " as

their first priority, they find it increasingly difficult to do so while

operating within the system with its pharmaceutical salesmen, its rule books,

its fear of malpractice suits, its endless paperwork to satisfy bureaucrats and

insurance companies, and its time pressures. Most alternative medicine

practitioners have no such constraints and pressures and can give the patient

their undivided attention.

 

 

Conventional medicine generally resists the use of natural remedies long

after their efficacy has been scientifically proven (Germany is an exception to

this). Most alternative medicine practitioners eagerly embrace new remedies and,

in many cases, can point to years of safe use. Ginkgo biloba is now the most

prescribed drug in Germany and has been found effective in the prevention and

treatment of Alzheimer's disease(12). Also in Germany the herb saw palmetto is

now prescribed in 90 per cent of all cases of enlarged prostate; in the United

States 300,000 prostate operations are performed each year to solve this

problem. More profitable for sure, but dangerous and unpleasant for the

patient(13).

 

 

The major source of funds for medical research is pharmaceutical companies

who, not surprisingly, are very reluctant to support investigations into

lifestyle modifications, vitamins, and other unpatentable products.

Nevertheless, a growing number of medical researchers are focusing their

attention on natural supplements and remedies and are publishing their work in

mainstream journals. The benefits of antioxidants have now been thoroughly

documented by researchers at the Harvard Medical School and similar prestigious

institutions. Folic acid, a simple B vitamin, has also been extensively studied

in university laboratories and has been found to be effective in preventing or

ameliorating heart attacks, strokes, angina, intermittent claudication,

atherosclerosis, kidney disease, colon cancer, hearing loss, and Alzheimer's

disease(14-18).

 

Although alternative practitioners and a small group of conventional physicians

do embrace the use of natural therapies and products the vast majority of

" establishment " physicians are still dragging their heels and even denigrating

and ridiculing alternative medicine. This fact, perhaps more than anything else,

is what is driving the rapid and massive switch from conventional to alternative

medicine.

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST ON ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

 

REFERENCES

 

Eisenberg, David M., et al. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United

States, 1990-1997. Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 280,

November 11, 1998, pp. 1569-75

Bensoussan, Alan. Complementary medicine - where lies its appeal? Medical

Journal of Australia, Vol. 170, March 15, 1999, pp. 247-48 (editorial)

Fisher, Peter and Ward, Adam. Complementary medicine in Europe. British

Medical Journal, Vol. 309, July 9, 1994, pp. 107-11

Hussain, Ghazala and Manyam, Bala V. Mucuna pruriens proves more effective

than l-dopa in Parkinson's disease animal model. Phytotherapy Research, Vol. 11,

1997, pp. 419-23

Ernst, Edzard. Harmless herbs? A review of the recent literature. American

Journal of Medicine, Vol. 104, February 1998, pp. 170-78

Anderson, Ian. Hospital errors are number three killer in Australia. New

Scientist, June 10, 1995, p. 5

Cordner, Stephen M. Australia's preventable hospital deaths. The Lancet, Vol.

345, June 17, 1995, p. 1562

Bates, David W., et al. Incidence of adverse drug events and potential

adverse drug events. Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 274, July

5, 1995, pp. 29-34

Pittet, Didier and Wenzel, Richard P. Nosocomial bloodstream infections.

Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 155, June 12, 1995, pp. 1177-84

10. Roach, Gary W., et al. Adverse cerebral outcomes after coronary bypass

surgery. New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 335, December 19, 1996, pp.

1857-63

Lazarou, Jason, et al. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized

patients. Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 279, April 15, 1998,

pp. 1200-05 and pp. 1216-17 (editorial)

The Lancet, November 7, 1992, pp. 1136-39

Wilt, Timothy J., et al. Saw palmetto extracts for treatment of benign

prostatic hyperplasia. Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 280,

November 11, 1998, pp. 1604-09

Murray, Michael T. Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements, 1996, Rocklin,

CA, Prima Publishing, pp. 119-26

Moghadasian, Mohammed H., et al. Homocysteine and coronary artery disease.

Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 157, November 10, 1997, pp. 2299-2308

Perry, I.J., et al. Prospective study of serum total homocysteine

concentration and risk of stroke in middle-aged British men. The Lancet, Vol.

346, November 25, 1995, pp. 1395-98

Lowering blood homocysteine with folic acid based supplements: meta- analysis

of randomised trials. British Medical Journal, Vol. 316, March 21, 1998, pp.

894-98

Clarke, Robert, et al. Folate, vitamin B12, and serum total homocysteine

levels in confirmed Alzheimer disease. Archives of Neurology, Vol. 55, November

1998, pp. 1449-55 and 1407-08 (editorial)

 

Bibliography

Burton Goldberg Group. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, Puyallup,

Washington, Future Medicine Publishing, Inc. 1993

Gursche, Siegfried and Rona, Zoltan, editors. Encyclopedia of Natural

Healing, Vancouver, BC, Alive Publishing, Inc. 1997

Micozzi, Marc S., editor. Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative

Medicine, NY, Churchill Livingstone Publishers

 

 

This article was first published in International Health News Issue 93,

September 1999

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sports

Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football