Alternative Medicine Vs. Conventional Medicine

There's a reason it's called alternative medicine -- it's not conventional (i.e., mainstream). Alternative medicine, or complementary alternative medicine (CAM), differs from conventional, Western medicine. As stated in Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook, alternative medicine's approach to health care is "treating the body, the mind, and the spirit." This is the focal point of alternative medicine -- healing the body, the mind, and the spirit by "relying on noninvasive 'natural' methods of healing." 

For example, the traditional medicine of India is Ayurveda (knowledge of life) and it sought to nourish a person entirely by using medical, philosophical, and religious beliefs -- body, mind, and spirit.

You may have already started thinking that conventional medicine does the same thing. That is true only because there are some conventional, medical institutions that are now incorporating holistic practices into their care. In The Best Alternative Medicine, Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier states "medical schools and insurance companies are gradually accepting CAM modalities." This is known as integrative medicine, but this wasn't always the case.

There was a time where CAM and conventional medicine were at odds with each other. CAM considered conventional medicine an institution of financial gain in league with pharmaceutical companies. Meanwhile, conventional medicine viewed CAM worthless and unproven therapy. However, over the years, both sides have realized the benefit of one another and are now working with one another.

Personally speaking, I would recommend natural, prescription-free remedies than pharmaceutical drugs. For example, when it comes to fighting cancer, studies show that alternative medicine cures cancer by employing the cannabis plant. Although there are cancer-survivors that use conventional, Western medicine, we cannot ignore their expensive medical bills.

Overall, there are benefits of CAM that are void in conventional medicine and vice versa. It is up to you to learn the benefits of each and discern what is harmful. For instance, aspirin can be dangerous; it causes gastric bleeding, ulcers, and ironically, suppresses the immune system. In Prescription Alternatives, Dr. Earl L. Mindell states that aspirin is harmful used long term and a study published in British Medical Journal found aspirin to cause gastrointestinal hemorrhage -- 50 mg or 1, 500 mg.

"Are you in good hands?"