Conventional Medicine vs. Alternative Medicine

While working in a pharmacy, I have realized that many people rely on conventional medicine to get rid of any pain or disease they may be suffering from. Conventional medicine defines health as the “absence of diseases.” These medications’ roles include only treating symptoms rather than their underlying causes.  Most people take such medications hoping that it will treat their symptoms and ignore any preventative methods that are out there. For example,

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I notice many patients that come to the pharmacy every week to get certain medications to treat certain symptoms such as pain. Although the conventional treatment does work for them, it does not consider the effect of future side effects that may appear. This is why it is important to look at other options of treatment that have preventative measures as well as prolonged treatment and success in your health in the long run.

Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine as it focuses on preventative treatment and looks at strengthening the body’s own defenses and restores balance. The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)defines alternative medicine as “a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not

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presently considered to be a part of conventional medical treatment.” Some examples of alternative medicine include yoga, massage therapy, herbal medicine and acupuncture. The main role of alternative medicine is to put emphasis on using natural therapies and using the body’s own healing powers rather than relying on drugs and other Western treatments.

According to research done at the University of California at Los Angelas,  75 percent of medical students surveyed think it would be beneficial for conventional medicine to integrate with complementary and alternative medicine.

I think it would be beneficial to incorporate alternative medicine with conventional medicine as it has many advantages. The first key advantage of is to note that there are no side effects. This is because alternative medicine works with the body instead of suppressing certain symptoms like many modern drugs in conventional treatment work. They are also cost effective and “green,” taking into account that it includes natural methods of treatment that can be processed simply.

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In general they help in the overall mind and body healing process so that when diseases occur they can help strengthening resistance towards it. It is something to consider for your overall health and well-being and not just when you get a cold. For further information on the competition between conventional medicine versus alternative medicine take a look at Dr. Muhammad Aslam’s article and his discussion on how alternative medicine “empowers patients.”