Tuesday 8 December 2009

Alternative medicine - does it really help?

Steven Bartman in his book The Alternative Medicine Sourcebook describes alternative medicine as something "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine". In other words alternative medicine is a group of techniques used for many years by simple people with no doctor degrees. Problem with this "simple people" is in lack of control of what they are doing. Alternative medicine is a subject of lessons in respected medical universities, or if it is, it's described in negative ways. There are a lot of frauds running the alternative medicine clinics, they are telling lies to their patients, which could affect at their lives. But at the other hand there are specialists who are well educated in human morphology and they have big knowledge about healing. Who haven't heard about people cured of terminal diseases by mysterious healer from little village in China. Sufficient alternative healers make alternative medicine reliable and they are hated by doctors with diploma who think about them self as the only people capable of saving lives. In my opinion alternative medicine should be used when other means have failed, if you have simple flu please go see your doctor.

Alternative medicine have many variations, most popular are: herbalism, homeopathy, meditation, yoga, acupuncture and hypnosis. I'll try to describe some of them more precisely.


Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, and phytotheraphy. The scope of herbal medicine is sometimes extended to include fungal and bee products, as well as minerals, shells and certain animal parts.

Definition from:
Acharya, Deepak and Shrivastava Anshu (2008): Indigenous Herbal Medicines: Tribal Formulations and Traditional Herbal Practices


Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine, first proposed by German physician Hahnemann Samuel in 1796, that treats patients with heavily diluted preparations which are thought to cause effects similar to the symptoms presented. Homeopathic remedies are prepared by serial dilution with shaking by forceful striking, which homeopaths term "succussion," after each dilution under the assumption that this increases the effect of the treatment. Homeopaths call this process "potentization". Dilution often continues until none of the original substance remains.

Definition from:
"Dynamization and Dilution", Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Meditation is used as a broad term for practices done by a sole practitioner without much, if any, external aid, often for the purpose of self-transformation. Often, though not at all necessarily, meditation is done as part of a religious tradition.

Definition from: Aunt Wikipedia.









Hypnosis is a mental state (state theory) or set of attitudes (non-state theory) usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions.

Definition from:
"New Definition: Hypnosis" Division 30 of the American Psychological Association

21 comments:

  1. I think that alternative medicine might be helpful in treatment of some diseases. In my opinion herbalism is the most succesful method. It uses some therapeutic plants which are also used in producing medicines. I think that there isn't big difference between taking that plants in pills or in some traditional stocks. Effect must be similiar. Next interesting and useful method might be meditation. In my opinion it could give many positive effects in treating some mental diseases like neurosis.

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  2. I think that some kind of alternative medicine can be really helpful, for example herbalism. Of course, not everyone can use herbs to treat people, we should have technical knowledge if we don't want to harm anyone.
    In my opinion alternative medicine shouldn't be treaten as the only way and possibility but it's sometimes very helpful, especially when we know how important is the power of suggestion which in some cases works better than medicines.

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  3. In my opinion herbalism can useful if you want to make your body immune system stronger, but you must know which herbs can help you, how prepare them and in which condition you have to preserve them.
    Meditation, on the other hand, will help you to calm down and relax. I belive it will help you espacially if you live in a hurry all the time.
    Generally I think that alternative medicine won't hurt you and work mainly on your mind. Sometimes patient recover faster if he thinks more positively than in normal situations.

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  4. In my opinion most of the alternative medicines are just frauds to cheat ill people. I don't like very much all the quacks and "cure hands". But I think that for example herbalism is very helpful in many diseases. Personally I drink many herb teas when I'm sick and everyday for good mood. I've heard many good things about acupuncture but I don't know if I would try it myself.

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  5. In my opinion alternative medicine can be halpful but if we use normal pill. I think that harbalism maybe helpfull but some like means to aid conventional medicine. Moreover some times when we use only alternative medicine it will be abd for us. But in my opinion in this way we can to aid our cammon fit and our mood.

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  6. I also agree that alternative medicine works mainly on our mind, but if in this way it helps we shouldn't condemn that. I believe in herbalism, but rather as a medication on improving mood than a curative on serious diseases. In my opinion if we are really ill we should go to the doctor and don't make experiments with our health. However some of these techniques can be helpful especially when we are stressed and need to relax.

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  7. Well I don't agree that alternative medicine works mainly on our mind. It's not a placebo. Most of herbals have very strong impact on our body and we may not be aware of. What's more most of the "artificial" medicines have their counterpart in natural form. Of course it's very dangerous and we shouldn't experiments with them. but still it's worth using it.

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  8. In my opinion alternative medicine could be helpful. I doesn't use it, but I know people who tried it and said, it is good. They felt better and more relaxed.
    Everyone hear something about hypnosis or acupuncture, but I think that interesting (but a litlle funny for me) is something called "mudra". It is a special "compose" of our hands, which helps us concetrate or make us feeling better. It is a part of Hinduism yoga and religion.

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  9. In my opinion alternative medicine is matter of choice. There are many therapies and techniques to choose from that can fit in our ideas about health and well-being. Alternative medicine can help with a variety of conditions illnesses and approaches helath in a holstic way.

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  10. Cool story bro!!! THE BEST BLOG POST EVER!!! :P xD rotfl

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  11. :D

    I think that the most important difference between alternative and conventional medicine is that the first treats illness completly, not only symptoms. And it is applied since the year dot and it works. Of course, we should benefit from achievments of conventional medicine but without exaggeration which is very common f.ex. in using antibiotics.

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  12. In my opinion alternative medicine, or at least some kind of it, can be really healpful in treatment some illnes. I think that the most effective type of alternative medicine is harbalism and homeopathy, I have been useing it since childhood and I haven't got any problems with my health. Really usefull is also meditation and yoga, it has positive inflence on state of a soul and allow to muffle ourself.

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  13. I think alternative medicine is a waste of time! When we have a disease, we should go to the doctor rather than drinking tea or making an acupuncture. It's a bit ridiculous, and both strange, that people believe in it. I don't know anybody who said he or she check this type of medicine and it help them to keep health. It's not the lottery that many people are studying six years to be the doctor, and another suggest you stay in mental-trans or prepare for you something for drinking.

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  14. herbalism is only successful alternative method of treatment in my opinion.

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  15. I think, that both conventional and alternative medicine can be helpful or harmful for us - it depends of our reliability, trust for a doctor or another person, who's doing something connected with medicine and competention of this person. With all due respect for doctors and their knowledge - I personally know the doctor, who prescribes some medicines (antibiothics also) almost without examining patient and sometimes makes bad diagnoses. Of course, we can see similar situations in cause of alternative medicine, even more often, than with cnventional one.
    So once again - all depends of us and people, who cure our diseases - especially of our and their responsibility. In my oppinion, we can't relay only on methods like homeopathy or herbalism, but we shouldn't also take strong anthibiotics, when we have only a cold.

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  16. I think that alternative medicine is good for our health. Many people practice herbalism and it helps them, so if it works, why they shouldn't use them? In my opinion, it is much healthier for our organism than chemical medicines. Besides, I believe that practicing natural medicine and meditation can help people to prevent some illnesses and keep physical and mental balance in our daily routine.

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  17. In my opinion this alternative medicine is really good, and it helps...maybe not if you have flu, but just cold. I use some of this variations and I must say that it really help me. I think it is the same with normal medicine-sometimes it helps and sometimes don't....

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  18. I agree that most alternative therapies are effective and helpful. Naturally, they cannot cure all diseases especially those more serious ones. But for sure it is better for your health to treat, for example, cold with natural medicine than with strong pills that would cause side effects. In my opinion, if we learn how to combine alternative and conventional medicine we will achieve far better results in treating many illnesses.

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  19. I think that somethimes alternatives therapies are good and effective, but only that if people think that it help them it can help. It can't replace the medical professional, which is probably the greater part of improving our health. But I don't belive that hypnosis can help and this is true, that people rember what happen in they last life...

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  20. In my opinion, nothing can replace traditional medicine,Howeveer alternative medicine, , may turn out very helpful, for example, treatment with herbs. Going to different biotherapists also is not bad if you really believe that they can help you. Then there is the power of our suggestions that can work wonders (which is scientifically proven) when people believe in themselves they become their own doctors

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  21. Herbs have been used in medicine for ages and it is nothing new to treat with them. Some kinds of alternative medicine are worth popularity but others are a waste of time and money. There are people who want to make profit but they don't help and simply cheat poor people.

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