The appreciation of alternative medicine has improved over the years due to a positive attitude about this form of therapy from the general public. Alternative medicine refers to the various orthodox methods and strategies that the general populations utilizes and are far from the mainstream system of medicine. Just as the name suggests, alternative medicine takes the place of mainstream medicine typically. Herbalism, naturopathy, and crystal healing are examples of alternative medicine applied in health practices. Alternative medicine offers an insight into the various traditions that have taken center stage from the past. Thus, some are cultural, and at the same time, it allows the society to appreciate the advancement in medicine that have taken place over time. It follows that alternative medicine has both advantages and disadvantages. This paper, therefore, will highlight the pros and cons that come with the practice of alternative medicine.
The first significant advantage of alternative medicine is the willingness of the general public to pay for the services. Most countries fail to cover alternative medicine by the insurance systems (Frass et al. 2012). However, the statistics of their usage indicates the highest numbers of people are willing to pay for the services due to their benefits on mental health and fast healing process in comparison to conventional medicine. The expenses on alternative medicine increased by 45.2 % between 1990 and 1997 at an estimate of 21.2 billion dollars (Frass et al., 2012). The situation shows that the prevalence in the usage of alternative medicine since its benefits outweigh the costs (Frass et al. 2012). The public perceives health strategies that require biological presentation as expensive, thus contributing to their appreciation of alternative medicine. This trend is disadvantageous since the extensive use of alternative health will lead to a positive perception in society. Also, the increase in the number of physicians with high-level expertise in the application of alternative medicine shows its acceptance by the general public and physicians alike.
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Alternative medicine also provides flexibility in the promotion of different cultures. People perceive this process of healing differently. Alternative medicine allows for an application of a wide range of the traditional healing process. Many people who fail to appreciate science show their precision in the healing process through alternative medicine. For instance, the custom of prayers and homeopathy in countries such as the United States and Germany has led to widespread methods applied in health care settings (Frass et al. 2012). The use of herbal medicine leads to an appreciation of nature in the healing process. European countries prefer herbal medicine, as Frass et al. argue. The appreciation of alternative medicine and specifically herbal medicine in Europe leads to an appreciation of culture and the traditional methods of healing. Alternative medicine, therefore, contributes to the combination of nature and science in the process of healing a patient. The flexibility is thus beneficial to people from different cultures and perceptions.
The other pro of alternative medicine is its safety and convenience. The general public using alternative medicine exhibit no side effects as compared to other medications with the same which contribute to side effects such as hangovers, hallucinations, and exhaustion (Corp et al., 2018). Alternative medicine has limited harm to the bodies of the patients regardless of their continued use. The prescription drugs mostly applied by the modern physician have a high level of stress and anxiety after their usage and therefore not entirely safe to patients with different immunities and ailments. The availability of alternative medicine locally makes it convenient to its users, unlike conventional medicine that requires one to visit a hospital (Corp et al., 2018). The ease of access to physicians delivering and prescribing alternative medicine process describes its convenience. There are no high traveling costs involved on the side of the patient. When one intends to see a physician as opposed to unorthodox medicine that requires the scientific application and testing of the ailments in the laboratories, alternative medicine will only involve consultation and feedback without numerous testing making it convenient. Alternative medicine is, therefore, safe and convenient.
The main significant disadvantage of alternative medicine is the lack of regulatory setting of its practice. Many countries prefer the provision of alternative medicine practices outside their health care systems. Non-regulatory personnel who practices alternative medicine might have less expertise in the medical field due to low-level training (White et al. 2014). Its usage, therefore, fails to undergo safety measures and regulatory processes. Lack of perfect regulation leads to increased cases of the illegal practice of alternative medicine among local physicians. Patients are, therefore, at risk of other ailments due to the lack of proper safety measures applied in the process of treatment. Also, the lack of adequate expertise by the physicians using the alternative medicine approach contributes to a lack of appropriate assessment, reporting, and acting on the harmful effects of alternative medicine (White et al. 2014). Regarding the lack of proper regulation and expertise in the application of this medical approach, the users normally face health complications and wastage of the financial resources in seeking an elusive healthcare solution.
The other disadvantage of alternative medicine is its risk of bio-piracy, bioprospecting, and sustainability. The alternative medicine components, such as the application of herbal medicine, are a threat to biodiversity (Mpinga et al. 2013). It requires the use of trees and other plants as concoctions of healing ailments. The process of extracting such tress contributes to deforestation and endangering of the human and animal habitat. The continued use of this method of treatment contributes to future unsustainability since natural resources such as forests are vital to human and animal survival. Besides, the lack of compensation of the local communities that harbors biological and genetic materials applied as alternative medicine components is a threat to a healthy nation (Mpinga et al. 2013). Since physicians use the materials for commercial and treatment purposes, lack of compensation reduces the credibility of the alternative medicine process in society. If the society fails to control alternative medicine, it will soon lead to the extinction of some natural species.
Another con of alternative medicine is the lack of privacy and ethical consideration. In alternative medicine, privacy is hard to come by. Conventional medical ethics and standards do not bound many physicians practicing alternative medicine as the government does not even recognize some. In alternative medicine practice, one is at liberty to act; however, regardless of the privacy of the patients that they are handling. A physician might expose the details of the ailment to the family members and other physicians as alternative medicine entails the physician-patient close interaction in the therapy sessions, massage, and yoga. Due to the limited training that the physicians are engaging in alternative medicine have, they lack sensitivity regarding the questions asked during the therapeutic process. The lack of education further makes the insensitive to stigmatization, racism, and religious discrimination in the process of administering treatment to the patients. Those mentioned above make the alternative medicine practitioners lack privacy and ethical consideration, which are significant prerequisites when it comes to the practice of medicine, be it conventional or alternative.
Conclusively, alternative medicine is one of prevalent medical strategy that has led to the controversial debates on its effectiveness. Many physicians perceive it as a crude way of administering medication and health practices, but its continued use shows its level of appreciation. Its pros, such as willingness to pay for the services, flexibility in the promotion of different cultures, and its safety and convenience, are prevalent. Besides, its cons, such as a threat to biodiversity, lack of privacy and ethical consideration, and lack of proper regulation on its usage, is evident. Although there are cons of alternative medicine, its continued use shows its appreciation and the need for its emphasis on healthcare centers and sector.
References
Corp N, Jordan JL, Croft PR (2018). “Justifications for using complementary and alternative medicine reported by persons with musculoskeletal conditions: A narrative literature synthesis”. PLoS ONE 13(7): e0200879. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200879
Frass, M. et al. (2012). “Use and Acceptance of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among the General Population and Medical Personnel: A Systematic Review”. The Ochsner Journal. Oschner, J., 2012. Spring. 12 (1): 45-56. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307506/
Mpinga, E.K, Kandolo, T. Verloo, H., Bukonda, N.K.Z., Kandala, N & Chastonay, P. (2013). “ Traditional/alternative medicines and the right to health: Key elements for a convention on global health”. Health and Human Rights Journal. https://www.hhrjournal.org/2013/10/traditionalalternative-medicines-and-the-right-to-health-key-elements-for-a-convention-on-global-health/
Sullivan, T. (2011, August 16). Modern medicine vs. alternative medicine: Different levels of evidence . Policy & Medicine. https://www.policymed.com/2011/08/modern-medicine-vs-alternative-medicine-different-levels-of-evidence.html
White, A., Boon, H., Alraek, T., Lewith, G., Liu, J., Norheim, A., Steinsbekk, A., Yamashita, H., & Fønnebø, V. (2014). “Reducing the risk of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): Challenges and priorities”. European Journal of Integrative Medicine , 6 (4), 404-408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2013.09.006
