Alternative Medicine: When To Use It and Not

Some of the medical systems and therapies found on the alternative medicine list have been in service for thousands of years, in fact reaching back into prehistoric times to origins unknown. Some of these have remained unchanged for many centuries. Other entities in alternative medicine were a positive answer to the horrific early developments of allopathic medicine as it existed in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Others were the result of accidental discoveries in the relief or cure of certain ailments and health conditions. Modalities in alternative medicine range from highly efficacious to faulty, having no effect whatsoever to downright dangerous to human health. So how do you protect yourself from poor results, alas, life-threatening circumstances coming from the use of alternative medicine?
First, a bit about allopathic medicine.
This is your first step in determining whether alternative medicine is right for you in curing an ailment, pain management or any other health issue. Allopathic medicine has been so named due to its philosophy in treating for symptoms rather than restoring health from focusing on the causes of the ailment. Allopathic medicine is a biomedical entity, meaning it is highly specialized, its treatments are standardized and it is not holistic.
Albeit allopathic medicine holds first prize in having an incredibly large knowledge base about human health and disease. The system is empirically based, is scientific and its procedures rigorously tested. Allopathic medicine does have its dark side however and processes are not always in the best interest of the patient, especially since it is a for-profit industry and would go out of business if disease was eradicated.
An unlikely thing however, allopathic medicine wins the gold metal for its highly technical and effective procedures in medical emergencies and otherwise terminal conditions. Though it is not holistic and can be quite impersonal, the allopathic physician should always be consulted first for any medical condition which can have serious underlying problems.
Is Alternative Medicine No Good?
By all means, a resounding NO! Many medical systems and modalities outside of allopathic medicine are indeed highly efficacious and are great alternatives to the more expensive allopathic therapies and procedures. In non-emergency situations, alternative medicine can often provide equally effective, sometimes even better results without the side effects that often comes with chemical-based therapy.
Your alibi on the determination whether an alternative medicine is effective or is quackery comes from education. Also, what may work for one person may not work for another since each of us are different in our own right. Allopathic medicine has been standardized and through experimentation what a treatment should be is based on what is known to work on most people, caustic as it may be. Alternative medicine is not like this. It is composed of health systems and therapies which are individualized according to the patient and his needs.
Allopathic Medicine and Alternative Health
Though there are many reasons why an alternative health modality may not meet the approval of the American Medical Association (AMA,) the three main reasons are:

• It either has not been tested or is not subject to scientific experimentation.
• It has been tested and proven to be faulty, ineffective and/or detrimental in some way.
• It has been tested but the results are unpredictable or is not useful to allopathic medicine.

Unless a modality has been proven to be a fake or is dangerous, and the health condition is not life threatening, there is little reason why it would be harmful to try it - especially those which have time-tested and have been known to produce positive results. Allopathic medicine does refer patients to complimentary therapy and at times alternative medicine. An example would be complementing or even replacing conventional chemical-based medications with hypnotherapy - a modality that has been proven to work on pain management.
Conclusion:
Alternative medicine can be used with or as a replacement for allopathic medicine if your regular physician deems it proper and you have been cleared of any detrimental underlying health issues. Common sense and education goes a long way. There is a vast quantity of resources out there in just about any health issue and their alternatives. Any modality or alternative medicine that has been around for a long time is probably a good source. They are often more thorough than allopathic medicine, are more personal and based on your individual needs. They focus on your whole being making them holistic.
Top rule here: Always see your regular physician first and follow his advice!

Daniel Euergetes is working hard to helping you rise above mediocrity and reach more satisfactory and more fulfilling planes in living. One of the ways this is done is through education and appropriate resources.
For the health arena, Daniel invites you to check out your alternatives by visiting http://alternativehealthsolutionsmd.com. Here you will find vast resources and answers to your questions about your health options.
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