Alternative medicine refers to the producing medicines that have similar healing effects to some other existing ones. They can include megadose vitamins, special teas, dietary supplements, massage therapy, herbal preparations, as well as spiritual healing. While these medicines can be used instead of the standard medical treatments, they are not highly recognized by the medical community as a standard medical approach. They are merely used to accompany and not replace the standard medical practices.
The principle behind these alternative forms of medicine is balance. Balance can help restore health through medicine like acupuncture and Tai chi. There seems to be a few benefits of using complementary medicine and alternative medicine together, but there are also some drawbacks. It would be best if you have a good idea about this subject firsthand.
This form of medicine offers a lot of benefits. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine or NCCAM, alternative forms of medicines have played a big role in the US for both adults and children recently. Some of the benefits include:
Holistic personal treatment – Traditional medicines look at diseases from a single point of view, and target a problem in general. While there are a lot of advancements in the different specializations of medical treatment, there is still a gap between patient and doctor relations when it comes to a holistic approach. This is the difference that this form of medicine offers and intends to fill.
Personal Care – Traditional treatments come with their own set of limitations like shortage of time, problems posed by insurance companies, and crowded hospital rooms. However, practitioners of this form of medicine offer a freer flow of treatments, and can hence provide a much more personalized treatment.
Prevention – As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”. Traditional medicines are usually considered after encountering a disease. On the other hand, altered medicines can help to prevent diseases before they even occur.
However, along with the benefits, associated to this form of medicine are a few drawbacks as well. Understanding both sides of the coin will help you take an informed and planned decision. Here are some of the drawbacks you need to know about the practice:
Limited Research – Very little is known about this type of medicine and this is what scares many people when going for it. However, due to increasing demand and awareness, the research done on the matter too is growing quite considerably. If you want to know more about the medicine produced by altering some other ones, you should consider consulting your doctor, as they would have adequate knowledge of how these medicines may work out for you.
UnclearMarket – Marketing strategies based around words like “natural”, “secret”, “miracle”, or “safe” can sometime lead to confusion as the practice has still hasn’t managed to come up with something surprising or large like. You should always think twice before trying out a product that is not yet proved to be effective.
Hazardous Effects – Mixing over the counter prescriptions and these medicines might pose a risk. They both have different side effects that can both help or even worsen the condition you are in. Hence, it’s always recommended to consult an expert before deciding on going the alternative medicine way.