Alternative Medicines Term paper
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Modern medicine is in a period of profound change. Everyday, more and more ideas from other cultures are being transferred and integrated into our society. Many treatments that people are now familiar with have come from other traditions. Aspirin and quinine are two familiar examples of treatments that have been “westernized” by science. Alternative medical traditions will not replace western medicine, but instead are adding a new dimension of treatment that will only strengthen modern medicine. Western medicine is the clear leader in infectious disease, some cancers, heart disease, surgery, emergency medicine and trauma care. However, for the ordinary complaints of everyday life, the aches and pains of joints, bones and muscles, alternative medicine is the best choice of remedy.
Scientific medicine does save many lives through surgery or pharmacology drugs, but all of the advances of western medicine have inadvertently led to new problems. For example, living longer allows more time for development of chronic and degenerative diseases. “Iatrogenic” problems (illness caused by the medicine itself) as well as chronic illnesses have forced people to turn toward other dimensions of care. Conventional medicine is learning much about the complexity of human biology, but it is also learning less about how to handle difficult situations and adapt to crises arising from alternative treatments. Natural, non-invasive therapies, manipulative therapies and mind/body approaches are coming of age and taking on a partnership role with western medicine, affecting it for the better. Alternative treatments can no longer be considered suspect because the evidence of their contributions to the health care system are so overwhelmingly clear.
There are many different traditions that make up alternative medicine. Some of these traditions are very closely related in their beliefs and techniques and herbal remedies are certainly a common bond that is shared between them. However, the following four alternative treatments will be explored:
-Chinese medicine
-Ayurveda
-Homeopathy
-Naturopathic medicine
Other countries’ cultures and traditions can teach modern medicine that there are many more ways to treat and cure diseases, and hopefully the realization will lead to a more holistic approach to medicine. The joining of conventional and alternative medical traditions will allow people to have a more balanced quality of life, and will ultimately enhance the total health care system.
When a person chooses what form of medical treatment is right for them, they must consider these factors that will influence their decision:
1) Family History -the easiest way to decide what treatment is the best is to use the tradition in which a person grew up with.
2) Introspective Approach -base the decision on philosophical or religious considerations.
3) Personal Relationship with the Practitioner -people may base their choice not on the tradition itself but rather on the relationship to the practitioner.
4) Economic Consideration -because the allopathic tradition is so institutionalized in society, people who must rely on insurance coverage or government programs may find a narrow range of freedom of choice.
5) Proximity -large population centres have the greatest availability of the full range of medical traditions. Therefore, people outside of these areas are usually limited to allopathy.
6) Scientific Support - the government and its regulatory agencies have asserted that scientific evidence should be the basis of evaluation for all forms of medicine.
Chinese Medicine
Chinese Medicine is a nature-based model of medicine. Nature and the laws that govern the natural or “outer world” are used to help people to understand the “inner world” the world of the body. The person is seen as a microcosm of a holistic universe. Chinese medicine offers a cosmological perspective, one in which the person is viewed as an ecosystem embedded in, and related to the larger ecosystem around us and governed by the same basic laws.
As a form of primary care, Chinese medicine does well in certain acute conditions such as colds, flu, allergy and headache. It also had success in the treatment of many chronic illnesses with which modern medicine often does not deal with successfully. Conditions whose disease process is not clearly understood in allopathic terms are readily addressed by the Chinese tradition.
“An estimated nine to twelve million patient visits per yea are made to practitioners of Chinese medicine in the United States. Most of these patients are seeking acupuncture for treatment of pain symptoms after unsatisfactory results with western medicine.” There are between nine and ten thousand practitioners of acupuncture including about three thousand physicians who have varying amounts of training in continuing education programs through American medical schools.
The principal of Yin and Yang state that “human health is a function of ever-changing patterns of energy constantly seeking harmony and balance.” The common principle of Chi is that “health is a function of a balanced, harmonious flow of chi or energy and illness results when there is a blockage or imbalance in the flow of chi. The human being has pathways called meridians through which the chi flows.” The body has been mapped with these meridians, which pass through all of its organs. Specific meridians correspond with specific organs or organ systems. Health is an ongoing process of maintaining balance among all of the organs and systems of the body.
The Chinese practitioner seeks to connect unrelated symptoms and come up with a unified explanation as to what is going on with the person’s chi on a global basis. This is the opposite to the allopathic approach with its use of specialists for different symptoms and different parts of the body. Acupuncturist Harriet Beinfield said, “What Chinese medicine can do is not necessarily attack the disease but it will improve the function of the organs and the general health of the body which includes the immune system.” To correct a person’s chi, the main treatments work directly with the flow of chi. The goals of treatment are like the Western ideas of strengthening “ host resistance,” the body’s defences and overall ability to resist disease.
In Chinese medicine, the Chinese equivalent to the term “herb” is used to describe any natural material of plant, animal or mineral origin or any traditional or modern preparation of the of the natural materials short of preparing an isolated chemical. Herbs are selected to introduce certain influences or qualities into the body and to balance or harmonize the dynamics that are currently present and may be involved in disease. Some herbs act like highly concentrated medicinal foods that nourish the organ networks. There is an intimate interaction between the energy qualities of the herbs and of the person. The herbs serve to influence healing and harmonizing the organ networks.
“Chinese herbs improve survival rates for patients with nasoparyngeal, lung, throat and breast cancers who used herbs in combination with radiation or chemotherapy, as opposed to conventional treatment alone.” “There was no significant drop in white blood counts and platelet counts after three cycles of chemotherapy in a group of eleven breast cancer patients using an herbal treatment.” “In 181 patients with pre-cancerous throat lesions, only nine percent of those treated with herbs developed cancer within five years, as opposed to twenty-six percent in the untreated group.” “A study of 136 patients with abnormal blood lipid levels found the herb Rosa multiflora to be as effective as two common conventional drugs for reducing blood lipids.”
Chinese medicine does not view itself as exclusive of any other form of medicine. For many ailments, it works well on its own but it also can support or complement other forms of treatment. It has shown important benefits in combination with radiation and chemotherapy, including reducing side effects. In pain control, Chinese acupuncture has been found to enhance and be enhanced by certain allopathic drugs.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a science that deals with physical healing, diet, herbs, and massage or bodywork. It was originally intended as a means to support the body so that spiritual development could be pursued unharmed by health concerns. Ayurveda is the traditional health care approach of India that involves the eight principle branches of medicine: pediatrics, gynecology, obstetrics, opthamology, geriatrics, otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), general medicine and surgery. Ayurveda is built upon a concept of vital energy called prana. Prana is the primal energy that enlivens the body and mind and is an unseen power that is the basis of all life and healing. Prana is thought to have the qualities of a nutrient that can be taken in the body through the breathing. Therefore, breathing exercises play an important role in the promotion of health. Breath is considered to be a direct way to draw in the promotion of health. Breath is considered to be a direct way to draw in and build life energy within oneself. Ayurveda uses different breathing exercises called pranayama for imbibing prana and using it to enliven the body and promote health.
The main idea of Ayurveda is that all of existence comprises four basic principals of elements: earth, air, fire, and water. These terms represent principals of action and interaction that guide and shape all the life processes. The actions of and interactions of these elements serve as the basis for understanding health, illness, individual constitution and how to restore and maintain harmony in the body.
In the body, these four elements revolve around the concept of dosha. Three metabolic principles that govern individual physiology are: vata (air) which is responsible for all body movement; pitta (fire and water) which produces energy and heat and helps digestion; and kapha (earth and water) which provides the body’s substance and solidity. Altogether, the three doshas are organized into a person’s tridosha. The relative proportions of these three forces determine a person’s body type. The unique pattern that these elements take in a person at conception is called prakriti. The prakriti for each person is diagnosed and described according to which doshas naturally predominate and which are least influential in a person’s functioning. Health is a state of balance and harmony among all of the forces within the person and between the person and their surroundings. The optimal state is one in which the person is living according to their prakriti at conception.
Illness occurs when a person falls out of equilibrium with their inborn pattern. Imbalances in specific doshas can be causes by chronic stress, eating certain foods, inadequate rest, environmental toxins and by repressing emotions. The resulting state of lowered resistance and the build up of toxins in the body. These toxins are called ama. They circulate throughout the body and build up in certain locations causing symptoms and ultimately disease. Diseases are classified according to whether their origins are psychological, spiritual or physical; where they manifest in the body and what dosha they represent.
The diet therapy of Ayurveda is oriented toward rebalancing the doshas. There are specific diets for reducing or pacifying each dosha, depending on which one is out of balance. The tastes of food are key in Ayurveda because they provide important clues as to which foods are helpful and which are harmful in balancing one’s dosha. Examples of these tastes are:
- sweet (sugar, butter, milk, rice, breads, pasta)
- sour (lemon, cheese, yogurt)
- salty (salt)
- pungent (spicy foods, hot peppers, ginger)
- bitter (turmeric, green leafy vegetables)
- astringent (lentils, pomegranates, beans)
Ayurveda most commonly treats allergies, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, colds, colitis, constipation, depression, diabetes, flu, heart disease, hypertension, immune system disorders, inflammatory diseases, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, liver problems, menstrual cramps, neurological disorders, obesity, pre-menstrual syndrome, skin problems and ulcers. Ayurveda is considered to be quite successful in treating these ailments.
The treatments recommended include meditation, yoga exercises, purification procedures, and dietary and behavioural changes. Herbs have also been traditionally recommended for good health...
American Association of Acupuncture & Oriental MedicineJournal Article, Washington, D.C., 1994.
Collinge, William, Alternative Medicine.
NewYork, N.Y., Warner Books, 1996.
Cummings, S. & Ullman, D., Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines.
NewYork, N.Y., Putnam Books, 1997.
Dachman, K., and Kinnan, J.P., The Self Health Handbook.
NewYork, N.Y., Facts on File, Inc., 1996]
Grossman, Richard, The Other Medicines.
Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday & Co., 1995
Helms, J., Physicians & Acupuncture in the 1990’s: A Report for the Subcommitee on Labour, Health & Human Services & Education of the Appropriations Committee,
Washington, D.C., 1994
Hoffman, David, Holistic Herbal.
Shaftesbury, Eng., Element Books, 1996
Jainger, Oscar and Golberg, P, A Different Kind of Healing,
NewYork, N.Y., Putnam Books, 1994.
Lytle, C.D., An Overview of Acupuncture,
U.S. Dept. Of Health & Human Science, Public Health, F&D Adminstration.
Washington, D.C., 1993.
Zwicky, John, Hafner, A., Barrett, S. & Jarvis, W.,
Readers Guide to Alternative Health Methods.
Milwaukee, Wi., American Medical Association, 1993.
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