Conventional Medicine Vs. Alternative Medicine Conventional medicine is same as traditional medicine that the most of us are familiar with; local doctors, clinics, hospitals, even pharmacies. It’s the kind of medicine that an average physician practices. Alternative medicine includes a kind of philosophy and practice which is inclusive of different world cultures. When it comes to medicine and treatment, we often live in a bubble, with the assumption that traditional medicine is the only right way. Recently, because of global communication and the openness of the internet, more and more people are now becoming aware that there are other alternatives to traditional medicines. However, some doctors are strictly involved in traditional practices, others are strictly alternative, and there are also some who practice both together. The major difference between traditional medicine and alternative medicine is the approach to it. While traditional medicine treats symptoms and problems of a certain given area, alternative medicine on the other hand focuses on cause, prevention, overall health, and also non-traditional, sometimes natural treatments. There is emphasis to enhance and strengthen the immune system to ward off diseases. Treatment is also individualized to meet specific needs. There are a variety of alternative medicines which include Osteopath, herbal medicine, massage, acupuncture, homeopath and chiropractic. There are people who are hesitant to try alternative medicine, and this is majorly because our society has been bred from the start to suspect anything that is different from the status quo, or anything that hasn’t been approved by the FDA. Now, we are gradually emerging from the dark ages when it comes to embracing alternative ways to stay and live healthy. Alternative medicine is not less effective or less reliable; sometimes it works when nothing else works, it is simply misunderstood, and those that question alternative medicine are probably uninformed or misinformed. Alternative medicine is accepted widely and used throughout the world. One major advantage to alternative medicine is the cost. It is less expensive to seek and also to use natural or alternative remedies. We should ask ourselves, does medicine have to be really expensive to work? As regards conventional medicine, diagnosed symptoms are addressed with drugs or surgery. For example, if your liver is giving you trouble, it is your liver that becomes the focus, not the entire body. For instance, think of all the specialists who focus on one organ of the body, a cardiologist focuses only on the heart, a neurologist focuses only on the brain while a lung specialist focuses only on the lungs. With all the focus being in one area, one can now see why traditional medicine sometimes falls short in addressing the entire wellbeing of the patient. Traditional medicine is also based on research, lab experiments, and also trials. While this is the accepted approach, it may not be the best approach for a particular individual. Individuals have different individual needs that even traditional medicine may not address. These days, it is becoming more and more common for doctors to combine both traditional and alternative medicine together. Most times, it is not only the latest state-of-the-art machine that will help a patient get better, it is also using alternative medicine along with it, using methods that have been used successfully for centuries in other cultures and countries.
