1: Understanding Complementary Medicine in .NET

Printing QR-Code in .NET 1: Understanding Complementary Medicine

Some critics argue that complementary medicine is all placebo, that is, that the treatments work simply because the patients want them to work rather than through any value of their own and that benefits are all in the mind or are due to the increased personal attention and time spent with patients in complementary consultations The growing body of scientific evidence doesn t really justify such a claim and yet all treatments involve placebo to some extent For example, studies have shown that, even in orthodox medicine, patients do better if they have strong confidence in their doctor or the treatment/medicine that they re receiving So some researchers argue that placebo is a power to be harnessed rather than dismissed Prince Charles famously said, The unorthodoxy of today may well become the orthodoxy of tomorrow , and so it may prove that some of the therapies that are so maligned and ridiculed now prove to be accepted and commonplace in years to come

Carefully investigating what sort of evidence is available before deciding to undergo a particular therapy is certainly worthwhile However, also remember that orthodox, or conventional, medicine is itself relatively new, and many of its treatments have also developed through trial and error and even accident (such as the discovery of penicillin!) Many of its medicines, such as aspirin, are based on old herbal remedies and even extensive medical research cannot always guarantee safety In fact, certain orthodox treatments have triggered terrible side effects (consider thalidomide) and the British Medical Journal has concluded that many have only limited or unknown proven effectiveness So complementary medicine deserves the chance to be carefully considered and investigated, along with other forms of medicine, rather than being rejected simply because it is unconventional Building barriers may in fact obstruct new learning that could be beneficial to health!

Complementary medicine is now a massive growth industry, with its usage and range of therapies and products increasing all the time Complementary medicine is used by people of all ages and for a wide range of complaints Traditionally, women have been the most common users of complementary medicine, but men are catching up and children are often seen by complementary medicine practitioners too

A special feature of many complementary therapies is their holistic approach Rather than focusing solely on your ailment, the practitioner is likely to be interested in your overall health and will spend time with you, asking about your diet and lifestyle, attempting to build up a picture of how one aspect of your health impacts on another This approach is in line with the World Health Organisation s definition of health as a complete state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not simply the absence of disease Because of this holistic focus, people with the same ailment may be treated quite differently according to their individual make-up or needs For example, two asthma sufferers may have similar symptoms and yet be given different types of herbs, homeopathic remedies, or acupuncture treatments by the same practitioner according to the diagnosis of their overall state of health and the perceived underlying cause of their condition The aim of this holistic approach is often the restoration of homeostasis or body balance, which is believed to facilitate the body s own self-healing mechanisms

Typical users are people who are generally interested in health and diet and who are strongly motivated to look after their own health They may also be disenchanted with, or have been failed by, conventional medicine, such as those with chronic illnesses for which Western medicine has little to offer Other users include people with serious illnesses who want to use complementary medicine alongside orthodox medicine such as people with cancer who may undergo chemotherapy and also choose to utilise nutritional therapy or healing therapies alongside this treatment In the UK, patients have access to complementary therapies via the National Health Service (NHS) in GP surgeries, hospitals, and clinics As one recent example, in Northern Ireland in October 2006 a new scheme was announced by the Health Minister offering 200,000 worth of complementary services as part of health service treatment