The Dangers of Alternative Medicine
What is alternative medicine? Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) relates to treatments and remedies that are not established in the world of scientific medicine. Currently, alternative medicines are usually divided into five major categories: unorthodox medical methods, holistic universal interventions, organically founded therapies, informal body methods, and manipulative energy treatments (Tabish par. 1). Examples of alternative medicine include meditation, prayer, vitamins, herbs, and yoga. From the use of home remedies to the newest health fads, people all over the world are uninformed on their usage of alternative medicine. The use of alternative medicine should not be integrated with conventional medicine as it is not always safe, interferes with prescribed medicine, and has little beneficial evidence, but people will argue that it works for them.
Alternative remedies are not consistently safe. Many people use unconventional medicine because they believe the medicines are made from nature, so they must be harmless. However, this is not always the case. There are plenty of substances made in nature that are toxic and not made for the human body. Geoffrey Kabat, a cancer epidemiologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, states, “Many people think that because herbs are natural...they must be safe and effective. Furthermore, surveys of the public indicate that most people believe these products are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In fact, both assumptions are mistaken” (Kabat par. 9). Unlike prescription drugs, unconventional medicines and supplements are not regulated by the government. No regulation results in the supplements having no quality control, scientific testing, immediate reports, or appropriate labeling (Kabat par. 13). In addition, alternative treatments are as equally unsafe as alternative remedies.
Unconventional treatments can be dangerous to the human body. Old and new unconventional remedies have been used by people to “treat” their bodies for centuries. People partake in special therapies, extreme cleansings, and detox diets. Yet, these types of treatments have been proven harmful. For example, detox diets are endured to rid the body of toxins and to lose weight. Yet, the weight loss is caused from the depletion of muscle and bodily fluids. Also, detox diets strain organs, slow metabolisms, and damage hearts (Richardson par. 2). Instead, a person should exercise and let his or her body use its exceptional detox system. Andrea Giancoli, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, states that “The fact is we have a natural detox system in our body that works very well when treated well. The liver does a great job of flushing out waste every day, our lungs breathe out pollutants, our kidneys filter out toxins and our digestive system lets things that we don't need pass through” (Nelson par. 8). Furthermore, unconventional medicine and treatments can be unsafe in combination with typical healthcare.
Alternative medicines can interfere with traditional medicine and yield negative results. A person might go to his or her doctor because they have not been feeling well. The doctor would examine his or her patient and prescribe the correct medication for that patient based on the diagnosis. The patient would go home and take their prescribed medication. On the contrary, the person may also ingest herbs and a dietary supplement without his or her doctor knowing, because the person believes it will help his or her symptoms. As a result, the prescription drugs and the other substances may have a negative reaction. This could lead to the original sickness worsening or a new sickness forming. Medical studies display that about 60 percent of people who utilize alternative medicines do not inform their use of the substances to their healthcare physician (Marsh et. al. par. 5). A panel of healthcare professionals also confirm that “In our study, 56.6 percent of patients taking medication for a heart condition also were taking a complementary and alternative medicine that potentially could interact with that medication” (Marsh et. al. par. 20). Furthermore, unconventional medicine does not provide proven benefits, especially with the risks of adverse consequences when combined with traditional medicine.
Alternative medicine having beneficial effects have little to no substantial evidence. Many people use unconventional medicine because they are told it is natural and helpful but they do not realize there is little evidence proving that the medicine works. Richard Cyr, an American doctor who practices in Asia states, “...I've been struggling to find Chinese herbal medicines that I am comfortable prescribing, usually due to lack of evidence for a clear benefit” (Cyr par. 2). Cyr goes on to explain how recent studies prove the effects of acupuncture are no more than a placebo effect. He also states that “One of the problems of relying on alternative medicines (which probably are a placebo effect) would be that you are losing valuable time in getting proper, effective treatment for something which may be serious” (Cyr par. 17). In essence, unconventional medicine does not provide proven benefits, but people will always debate with their one opposition.
People will always argue that alternative medicines work for them because the medicines are under their control and not government regulated. They believe the components of alternative medicine are made out of nature. Also, various people believe they can handle their own healthcare (based on what they read on the internet even with no medical knowledge) and enjoy the control. Nevertheless, this argument is unrealistic. Most CAM users believe they get better after the use of alternative medicine simply because they believed it would work. This is called the placebo effect. A Fellow of the American College of Physicians named Syed Tabish states, “A person may attribute symptomatic relief to an otherwise ineffective therapy due to the placebo effect... or the possibility that the person never originally had a true illness” (Tabish par. 31). Likewise, people think that prescription drugs are government chemicals and that alternative medicines are effective nature-made cures. Instead, the facts show that unconventional medicine is usually rejected because the effectiveness of the treatments has not been proved through controlled research. Yet, prescription drugs are only supplied to patients after such tests have been done to prove effectiveness (Tabish par. 31). Therefore, this evidence further establishes the point that alternative medicine should not be integrated.
The use of unconventional remedies and treatments should not be combined with proven medicine as it is not always harmless, reacts with advocated cures, and has miniscule positive evidence, but numerous individuals will debate that it produces beneficial results for themselves. Alternative medicine is believed to be wholesome, natural, and effective, but what is alternative medicine? Alternative medicine involves various forms including massages, megavitamins, oils, and more. However, most alternative medicine has not been proven safe or beneficial alone or with conventional medicine. The integration of alternative medicine and traditional medicine would prove to be disastrous.
Works Cited
Cyr, Richard Saint. “Acupuncture Produces No Greater Effect than a Placebo.” MyHealthBeijing, Edited by Sylvia Engdahl, Jan. 2010, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010562244/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=ad9d4933.
Kabat, Geoffrey. “Natural Does Not Mean Safe.” Slate, Edited by Noah Berlatsky, 2012, Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindowdisableHighlighting=true&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&currPage=&scanId=&query=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&limiter=&displayquery=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE|EJ3010909206&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=true&source=Bookmark&u=chil38234&jsid=0ddb279fca8085123f7d36f52fd6de6f.
Marsh, Jacquelyn et al. “Use of Alternative Medicines by Patients with OA That Adversely Interact with Commonly Prescribed Medications.” Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 3 Mar. 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19255814.
Nelson, Jennifer. “Detox Diets Often Do More Harm than Good for Your Body.” Toronto Star (Canada), Toronto Star, 2014, Points of View Reference Center, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=6FPTS2014050928968540&site=pov-live.
Richardson, Jill. “Detox Diets Are Harmful.” Detox Diets Are Harmful, Edited by Amy Francis, July 2013, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindowdisableHighlighting=true&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&currPage=&scanId=&query=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&limiter=&displayquery=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE|EJ3010463238&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=true&source=Bookmark&u=chil38234&jsid=ad9f59b59078f9e05b580622d6d6cea9.
Tabish, Syed Amin. “Complementary and Alternative Healthcare: Is It Evidence-Based?” International Journal of Health Sciences, Qassim University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jan. 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068720/.