The Truth About Alternative Medicine

Which information is incorrect? Do you have studies to refer to?

The NIH has ties to the pharmacutical Industry and the information contained in this article is incorrect.

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"Is natural better?"?! Has the thought process devolved to THAT degree?? What has nature done to itself - whether the outer environment or our inner bodily environment - that is detrimental? Man's many actions and behaviors to/toward both the outer environment and his own inner bodily environmenthave have proved so profoundly detrimental and negative. Just look at the outer environment. Just look at health statistics. Drug companies ARE getting so desparate, aren't they?

Hmmm, so drug company Dr.s say alternative health care is bogus - WOW! Who'da thunk it?

Hmmm, so drug company Dr.s say alternative medicine doesn't work - WOW! Who woulda thunk it?

I find this article interesting. I have Crohn's Disease, the prescription medicine makes me sick and I have every side effect there is ,,, if not for "alternative medicine" I would not be as healthy as I am after 15 1/2 years living with this disease. My husband is 73, no heart problems or anything that others his age deal with, he is on no prescription medicine. We will keep taking our herbs, vitamins, minerals and live a healthy life.

What is amazing to me is that the majority of people in this country still believe everything their traditional doctor tells them.

It is interesting to note that the new research on alternative medicine has confirmed much past research which has found that the more educated a person is, the more likely they use alternative treatments. While it is good that there is more research on these treatments, some of this research is set up to disprove the alternative treatment, either by using inadequate doses or just using a single vitamin rather than more individualized procotols that most health and medical professsionals who specialize in alternative treatments recommend.

It is also important to remember that most conventional drug research tests one drug at a time, and when patients are prescribed more than 1 drug (as the vast majority of patients are), the research on that one drug does not apply. What we call "scientific medicine" today will be "quack medicine" tomorrow, just as medical care from the past is considered dangerous

It is interesting to note that the new research on alternative medicine has confirmed much past research which has found that the more educated a person is, the more likely they use alternative treatments. While it is good that there is more research on these treatments, some of this research is set up to disprove the alternative treatment, either by using inadequate doses or just using a single vitamin rather than more individualized procotols that most health and medical professsionals who specialize in alternative treatments recommend.

It is also important to remember that most conventional drug research tests one drug at a time, and when patients are prescribed more than 1 drug (as the vast majority of patients are), the research on that one drug does not apply. What we call "scientific medicine" today will be "quack medicine" tomorrow, just as medical care from the past is considered dangerous today. Let's use safer medicines FIRST...and alternative treatments are often time-tested...and considerably safer.

"Alternative medicine"?

Darwin says "hello, dummy".

If alternative medicines really worked, they would not need to be referred to as "alternative". The End.

@: dwemd2 @ 12/10/2008 9:12:04 PM

http://www.herbdatanz.com/death_by_meds.htm

There you will find some scientific facts about modern medicine.

Alternative medicine has sometimes tried to brand itself as "holistic," "preventative," "natural," etc. I would argue it is none of them. "Natural" does not mean healthy or non-toxic(eg: snake venom, poisonous mushrooms, cocaine leaves, etc). To be perfectly honest the supplement industry with "natural ephedrine, growth hormone" has a lot of potential to cause ill health, which is not regulated or scrutinized to the level of traditional medicine. Does traditional medicine make mistakes or overly emphasize a "quick fix?" You bet, and most physicians understand that a lifetime of lack of activity, eating fatty foods, not enough fruits and vegtables, smoking, and too much alcohol use leads to illness. "Natural medicine", I would argue, would involve eating right, getting adequate physical activity, drinking in moderating, not smoking, getting the right balance of sunlight, and good regular sleep. This does not involve the "natural quick fix" of snarfing down some herb which is basically the same as taking a man made medication (not natural and a "quick fix").

I think what many people fail to realize is that traditional medicine often weighs the risks of treatment vs the benefits. Traditional medicine does have a role in improving human health. Take for example PPI medications (Prevacid, Prilosec). The incidence of ruptured peptic ulcers since the introduction of PPI's have dropped dramatically, and ruptured gastric ulcers were deadly. Usually patients would have to spend days to weeks in an intensive care unit with high mortality rates. Often the treatment for peptic ulcers would involve extensive surgery, which is now a very uncommon practice. Then look at the side effects for PPI's, very low. Since PPI's have been introduced the cost of treatment for gastic ulcers has dropped precipitously, as has the mortality and morbidity with very limited adverse health consequences. Very worth while in my book, and to deny this fact is to deny logic (benefits much greater than risks). If my family members (daughter, son, wife, etc), friends, or myself had a peptic ulcer I would not hesitate to take a PPI. Now of course whomever has a peptic ulcer should stop drinking alcohol and stop smoking (my version of "holistic", "natural", or whatever you want to call it medicine), but once the ulcer is there, often it is too late for preventative or natural medicine to take its course.

I always read clinical trials before taking a supplement. MANY have conflicting information, e.g., some respectable studies have shown St. John's Wort to be as effective as Prozac without the side effects. I have read numerous anti-vitamin articles lately, most of them in publications with full-page ads for prescription drugs to treat the ludicrous array of faux diseases that used to be known as shyness, sadness or being "full of the dickens" in my mother's day. None of the articles I've seen have made any mention of the truly extraordinary findings above Vitamin D3 and cancer that have come to light recently, either: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/16806

Great article but sadly ineffective against the "alternative medicine" zealots who understand no science but who are convinced that these snake oils work. Present them with facts and they see only conspiracy. Present them with studies and they trivialize them and the scientific method because the studies contradict their "faith." Hey, if you want to waste your money or risk your health on this stuff, have at it. But if you want real results go to a real doctor; you know, someone who actually understands research and studied physiology and biochemistry.