Research Question
What are the primary limitations for alternative medicines that make it not practical for use?
Claim
Improvements need to be conducted on alternative medicines to eliminate limitations such as inefficient regulation, restriction of scientific research on the products, and their unsafe uses.
Research Proposal
Alternative medicines refer to medical practices and products that are different from what doctors of osteopathy, allied health professionals, and medical doctors practice. Traditional medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, and chiropractic are examples of alternative methods. However, most individuals prefer using such practices to replace standard medical treatments because they are relatively cheap and less demanding. Also, they have a holistic approach since they cure spiritual and emotional health, and require lesser personal attention due to their personalization to suit the patient’s need (Daller, 2016). As a result, their use has been on the rise hence requiring adequate research advancement to ensure they are competent enough to eliminate limitation associated with them. Consequently, such research requires a vast amount of money and time, which can result to be a limiting challenge. For that reason, proper time management and fund donations from other individuals and firms in support of alternative medicines are required.
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Source Collection
According to the National Cancer Institute (2015), not all complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) products are safe despite them being natural. For instance, some herbal supplements may cause harm to the body when taken in large doses, with other substances, or by themselves. Research has indicated that kava kava, an herb used to assist with anxiety and stress, can lead to liver damage. Similarly, when vitamins are used in large quantities, they may affect radiation and chemotherapy functionality. Such side effects result in limitation to the use of CAM products.
Additionally, many CAM practices and supplements have not been adequately researched on, to indicate their treatment effectiveness (Gavin, 2014). It is significant to gain enough knowledge of a new medicine before its approval and administration to numerous patients. Subsequently, the medication might not be effective thus not improving the patient’s health. According to Powers (2001), a study conducted on six diseases indicated that only 20% of the alternative medicines tested that had superior efficacy. As a result, 80% of the drugs that were in use were not useful to the patients. Due to such inconveniences, it is essential for practitioners to have adequate data on the effectiveness of CAM before they are put in use.
Healthcare is a vital field and risk hazards associated with it needs to be eliminated. According to Issit, & Stingl (2016), proper regulation measures such as the issuance of licenses for alternative medicine practitioners can be used to control the hazards. For example, certain substances and herbs that were traditionally used in Asian homeopathy and medicine were discovered to cause adverse health effects to the users. Such effects can worsen the patient’s health condition thus leading to death. However, proper regulatory measures can be used to control the CAM products that have positive health effects on the patients. Additionally, such steps can help in reducing CAM products limitations.
References
Daller, A. J., (2016). Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/alternative_medicine/article.htm#tocb
Gavin, L. M. (2014). Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/alternative-medicine.html
Issit, M. L., & Stingl, A. (2016). Alternative Medicine: An Overview. Points of View: Alternative Medicine, 1.
National Cancer Institute, (2015). Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam
Powers, H. J. (2001). Counterpoint: Alternative Trial Designs for Antifungal Drugs—Time to Talk. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/33/1/107/316244
