Alternative Medicine – A Choice Whose Time Has Come

People around the world have begun to realize that allopathic medicine is not the panacea they have put their trust in for most of their lives. Medical practices that were once widely accepted are now questioned by many as their main concern is safeguarding their health and that of their family. Alternative medicine is fast becoming the gold standard in health care for those who are disenchanted with the results – or lack thereof– that conventional medicine has produced for them.

We are bombarded with television and magazine advertisements for medications that promise to cure, or at least control, almost every ailment known to mankind. If you watch any TV at all, you’ve seen the skillfully edited commercials that feature smiling, happy people who seem as if they don’t have a care in the world because they were given a pharmaceutical drug for some sort of medical problem they were having. The magazine ads are just as misleading to the public. Though each of these media outlets mentions the drug’s side effects, it is done quickly and unobtrusively, almost as if it is an afterthought.  

Alternative medicine has become so popular in part because of these undesirable effects. Take for example these adverse side effects of the popular hormone replacement therapy Premarin -

• Migraine headache
• Chest pain
• Confusion and memory problems
• Swelling of the lower extremities

Most women would probably prefer to have the hot flashes of menopause than to experience any of these reactions on a regular basis. But, you don’t have to put up with either one when you use alternative medicine! A consultation with an herbalist would reveal that a combination of dong quai and black cohosh extract will safely control all symptoms related to the change of life.

Alternative medicine believes that achieving wellness involves treating the entire body. Traditional allopathic, or Western medicine, concentrates on analyzing and managing specific complaints and illnesses. Treatment of these complaints almost always includes the prescription of one or more drugs. People have become rather leery of taking these medications without first doing a little research about what they are putting into their bodies. Many times, once they discover that the side effects are as bad or worse than the illness for which they were prescribed the drug in the first place, they seek a better, safer, and more natural approach to good health.

Many allopathic doctors have begun to embrace certain alternative medicine remedies and treatments, as they have seen for themselves the power behind these age-old solutions for good health. Herbs, acupuncture, yoga, massage therapy, and holistic living all contribute to good health in ways that the medical profession is just now beginning to realize. You can expect alternative medicine to continue to influence the way we approach health care as it permeates mainstream medicine a little more each year.