Alternative and Western medicine

Alternative therapies have become increasingly popular. Half of the world’s population uses some form of alternative medicine each year and, because they typically exist outside of government-supported healthcare systems, pay directly for these services.

Many healthcare professionals integrate therapies that exist outside of conventional medicine into their practice. The following article discusses the differences between alternative medicine and Western medicine and explores what might explain the growing use of alternative models.

Alternative medicine includes herbal therapies. ImageCrepost: Pat_Hastings / Shutterstock.com

What is alternative medicine?

The terms “alternative,” “holistic,” and “complementary” are commonly used interchangeably to refer to any health intervention that falls outside of conventional medical approaches. These therapies and approaches can be classified into five areas:

• Manipulative and body-based treatments that focus on the relationship between body structures and systems and manipulations to induce health and well-being. Treatments include reflexology, chiropractic and massage.
• Alternative medical systems, which are systems of health theory and practice that have developed separately from conventional medicine. They include naturopathy, Chinese medicine and homeopathy.
• Biology-based practices that use natural materials to affect health and include dietary and botanical therapies.
• Mind-body interventions based on the theory that physical health is influenced by emotional and mental factors. Examples include hypnosis, meditation and mindfulness.
• Energy therapies arise from the fundamental belief that energy fields called biofields exist in and around the body and, as such, can be manipulated by energy practitioners or using external energy sources such as electromagnetic fields. Examples of therapies include acupunctureReiki and magnetotherapy.

In reality, the three terms describe a different approach.

Holistic medicine refers to a philosophy that treatments should encompass all three elements of being human: an integration of mind, body, and spirit. Illness and injury are interpreted as an imbalance between mind, body, and spirit, and all three must be treated together to achieve wellness. In holistic medicine, an example might include combining massage with mindfulness and Reiki.

Alternative medicine refers specifically and solely to the second field described above: a group of health care practices, products, and systems that currently exist outside of conventional medicine.

Complementary medicine is a treatment administered in combination with conventional or traditional medicines to treat health problems. Examples include chiropractic treatments, dietary interventions and acupuncture. It is perhaps more accurate to characterize treatments that fall within these five areas as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

What is Western medicine?

Western or traditional medicine generally encompasses a system in which health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, therapists, and pharmacists, manage and treat illnesses using conventional evidence-based practices, such as medications , surgery, lifestyle changes or treatment protocols. Over the past 60 years, Western medicine has made significant advances in health care, including a 60% reduction in the death rate from heart disease, a 75% reduction in the death rate from heart disease, cardiac. HIV/AIDS and a 16% reduction in the cancer mortality rate.

While Western medicine is rooted in the fight against infectious diseases; By identifying infectious agents and providing effective treatments, modern healthcare systems are increasingly overwhelmed by complex chronic diseases.

Such diseases which include dementia, diabetes And obesity are generally of late onset, their increase is therefore due to the aging of the population. Attempts to develop treatments have been inadequate and costly, and attention has increasingly been drawn to their prevention.

Acupuncture treatment is an outcome of alternative medicine. Image Credit: Studio Africa/Shutterstock.com

The popularity of CAM

The use of CAM is widespread among patient populations. A recent meta-analysis of people with cancer showed that about half of them use some form of complementary or complementary medicine during their illness. A large-scale survey of people with asthma showed that similar proportions tried to use CAM to manage their symptoms, even though they perceived these therapies to be only moderately helpful.

People infected with HIV/AIDS appear to be prolific users of CAM therapies, despite a lack of evidence of their effectiveness. In population studies, the use of CAM varies from 9% to 65%, depending on the form of treatment. It is clear that CAM therapies are used frequently and increasingly.

What attracts people to traditional medicine over Western medicine?

An interesting theme is that patients who most often use CAM therapies are those with life-threatening or terminal illnesses (such as cancers or AIDS) or those with chronic but minor illnesses (such as aches and pains). from behind or acne).

For those most severely affected by the disease, conventional medical interventions may be effective in modifying the pathological course of the disease, but they are perceived by the patient as toxic or may have unpleasant side effects. Although there is no scientific evidence that CAM therapies can treat such conditions, they nevertheless cause pleasant side effects. CAM therapies could therefore be more suitable for patients, who simply want to feel better rather than cure.

People with minor illnesses may be more likely to use CAM therapies because their treatment options under conventional health care may be limited. Healthcare providers are less likely to manage non-medically serious conditions, even though they can have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life.

This is also affected by problems with access to treatment: welfare-based health systems are unlikely to provide treatment for minor illnesses, as CAM therapies can be directly ordered by the patient.

One group of patients who feel particularly poorly served by conventional medicine are those who experience unexplained symptoms or syndromes. In these cases, CAM therapies can help provide homeopathic or naturopathic diagnoses. This can be a relief and validation for patients.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine – What You Need to KnowPlay