Medicine has greatly improved the life duration of an average human being over the course of years. Scientists from all across the world have developed different ways to treat different illnesses. It can be easily said that today there are two main types of medicine: alternative medicine and conventional medicine. A major shift can be observed in the mentality of masses as they try more and more alternative therapies. However, the efficacy of complimentary medicine is very much debated by the masses.
Like many, you must also be wondering whether it is worth considering an alternative medicine therapy to compliment the conventional one. Here are a few pros and cons of alternative medicine therapies.
Alternative Medicine: Pros
- Holistic Approach: Most alternative medicines consider all symptoms as one and zero in on the cause instead of the symptoms of a disease. They focus hands-on on the measures; fundamentally treating the condition, not the symptoms. In doing so, it targets the whole body. Most alternative medicines focus on whole body care rather than parts of it. Practitioners of alternative medicine address not just the physical body but also the patient's spiritual and emotional health.
- Personalized Attention: Whereas traditional medicines are mass produced for global consumptions, alternative therapies are personalized to suit the patient's requirement. Alternative therapies cannot be mass produced because the principle is to focus on the patient's body which is unique to individuals.
- Reduced Stress: Stress is a vital factor in making your immunity weak. Modern medicine does not account stress when curing a disease. It accounts stress as a part and parcel of modern living and ignores it completely. Alternative therapies such as yoga and meditation, identify stress as a major factor and try to reduce it to combat illness such as high blood pressure or hypertension.
- Less Expensive: Most alternative therapies are cheaper than their conventional counter parts. Many therapies use herbs to treat the diseases. Since the herbs do not need manufacturing or research to develop, they cost a lot cheaper and are more convenient as well.
- Less Damaging: Antibiotics cannot distinguish between the viruses and bacteria that cause damage and the ones that are beneficial for your body. As a result, they eradicate the friendly flora and fauna along with the bacteria or virus, thus causing damage to the body in the long run.
Alternative Medicine: Cons
- High Healing Time: Because most alternative therapies work on eradicating the disease from its roots, they do not offer any instant healing. So, if you are looking for a temporary fix, conventional medicine is certainly the way to go.
- Requires Dedication from the Users: Conventional medicines are mostly 'pop-in-your-mouth' pills. However, alternative medicines require many lifestyle changes to be made for the therapy to work. They require serious dedication and discipline on part of the user to have any effect on him.
- Limited Research: Because of the limelight, many alternative medicines have now been scientifically tested and have been proved effective. However, a large part of these medicines have not been scientifically tested and are not approved by any governing body.
To sum up, sure, there are some arguments both for and against alternative therapies. Do your due research before opting in for any particular one and try to be aware of both methods before you make up your mind.
