Advantages and disadvantages??

Question

what are the advantages and disadvantages of these things things?

1. Westernised Medicine = Drug Treatment

2. Complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) = Homeopathy

3. Traditional Medicine (TM) = Maori, Pasifika

Answer 1

Most westernised medicine has undergone rigorous scientific testing. If you look up a drug on Google, you can find out how it was tested, on how many people, and what effects it had compared with a placebo (dummy drug).

Homoeopathy uses doses so small that the only way it works, when it does, is by the power of suggestion.

Some traditional medicines are excellent. The trouble is that we don't know which ones, for lack of testing.  There is even a branch of research called ethnopharmacology, which consists in finding out about traditional medicines especially herbal medicines, seeing if there is evidence that they work, and, if they do, identifying the active ingredients.

The bottom line is, ask for the evidence.  Individual cases don't count because that could be down to luck; you need proper tests on statistically significant numbers.

Answer 2

Drugs are only a part of conventional medicine. CAM includes anything "alternative": TCM, acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, herbology, massage, etc.

Once studies showed that the public was substantially paying out-of-pocket for alternative healing modalities, the term Complementary and Alternative Medicine was coined to give the illusion that conventional medicine had befriended all the wonderful benefits that alternative medicine has to offer. In reality, conventional medicine was attempting to piggy-back on the popularity of alternative practitioners. Panic set in when it was found that holistic practitioners were diverting money from HMOs and pharmaceutical companies.

In terms of differentiating the two, conventional medicine tends to be suppressive, and alternative medicine tends to be curative. They are doing opposite things, moving in opposite directions.

I'll summarize these ideas below. It is important to remember that these lists are comparisons of philosophies, not of practitioners. In the end, the practice of medicine depends upon the view of the practitioner. Some conventional practitioners practice more in line with the terms under alternative medicine. Conversely, some alternative practitioners practice more in line with the terms under conventional medicine.

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Alternative Medicine

1. Energetic

2. All symptoms considered

3. Useful for chronic condition, although in the correct context is very helpful in acute disease also

4. Holistic

5. Connectedness

6. Transformative

7. Labor intensive, uses natural remedies

8. Curative

9. Gives responsibility to the person

10. Not state supported (UK, most U.S. states)

11. Cheap (this is distorted by the fact that state support is not available here)

12. Disease is merely a term applied to a group of symptoms

13. Disease will change if symptoms change

14. Symptoms are result of energetic imbalance

15. Symptoms are useful, positive, force for change

16. Health is a balance of energies and freedom from limitation

17. Cure is balance of energetic disharmony

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Conventional Medicine

1. Physical

2. Emphasis on physical symptoms

3. Useful for crisis intervention, life-threatening situations

4. Separatist

5. Disconnectedness

6. Eliminative

7. Reliant on technology, chemicals

8. Suppressive

9. Gives responsibility to the disease (and hence to the doctor)

10. State supported

11. Expensive (in the UK, due to the National Health Service, citizens have the mistaken idea that health care is free)

12. Disease is independently existent entity

13. Disease is fixed state - you have it or you do not

14. Symptoms are caused by disease

15. Symptoms are unpleasant, negative, to be got rid of

16. Health is the absence of symptoms

17. Cure is removal of symptoms

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Years ago, established in practice, I was invited to represent homeopathy on a CAM panel at a large hospital in our city. My MD friend was the "gatekeeper" for new patients. Long interested in natural healing modalities, and dissatisfied with patient results, he split his practice 50% established traditional family practice (out of respect for existing clients), and 50% integrative health center.

A host of professionals with "alternative" practices throughout the city met with this doctor twice-monthly for 2 hours. We volunteered our time and expertise in advising what he might "holistically" recommend for new patients. Family practice patients had insurance. People coming for integrative medicine, however, paid out-of-pocket: at the beginning, $300 for an hour visit, $200 for a half-hour follow-up. Yet, people found a way to pay the doctor for his "holistic" services. Sometimes, they were then referred on to see one of us.

It was a start; at least, the non-alternative minded public now had a bridge, local awareness was expanded. And, the doctor's heart was in the right place. This integrative group continues today.