FREE ESSAY ON ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Alternative Medicine
by
Joe Grodjesk
Sociology Of Medicine
Professor Buban
May 5, 2001
Alternative Medicine
Throughout recorded history, people of various cultures have relied on what
Western medical practitioners today call alternative medicine. The term alternative
medicine covers a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies. It
generally describes those treatments and health care practices that are outside
mainstream Western health care. People use these treatments and therapies in a variety of
ways. Alternative therapies used alone are often referred to as alternative; when used in
combination with other alternative therapies, or in addition to conventional therapies
they are referred to as complementary. Some therapies are far outside the realm of
accepted Western medical theory and practice, but some, like chiropractic treatments, are
now established in mainstream medicine.
Worldwide, only an estimated ten to thirty percent of human health care is delivered by
conventional, biomedically-oriented practitioners (Fields of Practice). The remaining
seventy to ninety percent ranges from self-care according to folk principles, to care
given in an organized health care system based on alternative therapies (Fields of
Practice). Many cultures have folk medicine traditions that include the use of plants and
plant products. In ancient cultures, people methodically collected information on herbs
and developed well-defined herbal pharmacopoeias. Indeed, well into the twentieth century
much of the pharmacology of scientific medicine was derived from the herbal lore of
native peoples. Many drugs commonly used today are of herbal origin: one-quarter of the
prescription drugs dispensed by community pharmacies in the United States contain at
least one active ingredient derived from plant material (Fields of Practice).
Twenty years ago, few physicians would have advised patients to take folic acid to
prevent birth defects, vitamin E to promote a healthy heart, or vitamin C to bolster
their immune systems. Yet today, doctor and patient alike know of the lifesaving benefits
of these vitamins. Twenty years ago, acupuncture, guided imagery, and therapeutic touch
were considered outright quackery. Now, however, in clinics and hospitals around the
country, non-traditional therapies are gaining wider acceptance as testimonials and
studies report success using them to treat such chronic maladies as back pain and
arthritis.
The number of people availing themselves of these alternative therapies is staggering. In
1991 about twenty-one million Americans made four hundred and twenty-five million visits
to practitioners of these types of alternative medicine; more than the estimated three
hundred and eighty-eight million visits made to general practitioners that year
(Apostolides). The U.S. Department of Education has accredited more than twenty
acupuncture schools and more than thirty medical schools now offer courses in acupuncture
(Lombardo; Smith). As the number of Western medical institutions researching alternative
therapies increases, the legitimacy of at least some alternative therapies will also
increase.
Does all this recent medical establishment attention mean that the non-conventional
therapies really work? Critics say a definitive scientific answer must await
well-designed experiments involving many patients. Up to now, most of the studies have
relied on personal observation and anecdotal testimony from satisfied patients. The
official position of the American Medical Association (A.M.A.)--alternative medicine's
chief critic--is that a patient's improvement or recovery after alternative treatment
might just as well be incidental to the action taken. This may be true for scientists and
researchers, but the fact is that the people seeking alternative treatments disagree. The
solution is obvious: more research needs to be conducted.
Some alternative treatments, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, have impressive
histories dating back thousands of years. In America, professional and public interest in
the field of alternative care has grown to such an extent that, in 1992, the U.S.
government established the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) within the National
Institutes of Health (NIH). Its mission is to speed the discovery, development, and
validation of potential treatments to complement our current healthcare system. One of
the OAM's first tasks was to develop a classification system for the dozens of various
therapies and practices. The systems of alternative medical practice the OAM has
classified so far share many common therapeutic techniques. Traditional oriental medicine
and naturopathic medicine, for example, both use herbal remedies, acupuncture, and
mind/body control. However, some alternative systems, such as environmental medicine and
homeopathic medicine are distinct and separate. Following are some the more popular
alternative therapies Americans use.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an example of a therapy once considered bizarre which has some scientific
basis. An integral part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years, it is based on the
belief that energy, which the Chinese call Qi (pronounced 'chee'), circulates along
meridians in the body in the same way that blood flows (Furman). A diagram of the
meridian system looks similar to those of our circulatory and nervous systems (Crute).
When the flow of energy becomes blocked, an imbalance is created, resulting in pain or
disease. To restore the proper balance and energy flow, acupuncturists stimulate specific
points of the body along these meridians. Puncturing the skin with a needle is the usual
method, but acupuncturists may also stimulate the acupuncture points with
finger-pressure.
Although Western physicians and researchers do not truly understand the concept of Qi,
there is evidence that acupuncture can influence the movement or release of many
chemicals in the body. Research conducted by Dr. Bruce Pomeranz, a neurophysiologist at
the University of Toronto, established that acupuncture releases naturally produced,
morphine-like substances called endorphins (Crute).
In addition to releasing endorphins, doctors and clinicians know that acupuncture can
provide at least short-term relief for a wide range of pains by inhibiting the
transmission of pain impulses through the nerves. Furthermore, recent studies also show
acupuncture to be effective in alleviating bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and
stroke-induced paralysis (Apostolides). I'm a healthy skeptic, says Johns Hopkins
psychiatrist Mary McCaul (Apostolides). But look, we don't have all the answers. Patients
who choose acupuncture feel calmer. Even if it's a placebo effect, placebos are powerful
things.
Mind-Body Healing
Relaxation techniques like meditation and biofeedback--which teach patients to control
heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and other involuntary functions through
concentration--have also given respectability to alternative medicine and are routinely
taught to patients and medical students. The basic premise of mind-body medicine is that
the power of the mind can be used to help heal the body by improving the person's
attitude and also, as recent research has shown, by direct effects on the immune,
endocrine, and nervous systems (Epiro and Walsh). Although many of the biochemical and
physiological mechanisms remain to be identified, an increasing body of evidence is
showing that the healthy mind is indeed capable of mobilizing the immune system-and that
the troubled mind can dampen the functioning of the immune system and contribute to
physical disease. 
There is little doubt that state of mind and physiological processes are closely linked.
The connection between stress and immune system response, for example, is well documented
(Epiro and Walsh). Some scientists suggest that the power of prayer and faith healing,
like some forms of meditation, might also be physiological in that they may protect the
body from the negative effects of stress hormone norepinephrine. In addition, experience
shows that relaxation techniques can help patients enormously. Medicine is a three-legged
stool, says Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School (Epiro and Walsh). One leg is
pharmaceuticals, the other is surgery, and the third is what people can do for
themselves. Mind-body work is an essential part of that. In addition to preventing or
curing illnesses, these therapies provide people the chance to be involved in their own
care, to make vital decisions about their own health, to be touched emotionally, and to
be changed psychologically in the process. Many patients today believe their doctor or
medical system is too technical, impersonal, remote, and uncaring. The mind-body approach
is potentially a corrective to this tendency, a reminder of the importance of human
connection that opens up the power of patients acting on their own behalf.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy, despite the American Medical Association's characterization of it as a pseudo
science, is a popular alternative that is drawing increased attention. Founded in the
eighteenth century by German physician Samuel Hahnemann, it is based on the idea that
like cures like (Kees); that micro-doses of substances, known in large amounts to cause
illness, can treat that illness by stimulating the body's own natural defenses and
curative powers. In some respects, treatment with homeopathic medicines, nontoxic
compounds derived from plants, animals and minerals, is akin to immunization or allergy
treatments in which similar substances are introduced into the body to bolster immunity.
A substantial number of American doctors--among them Wayne Jonas, a family practitioner
who is director of the National Institutes of Health's Office of Alternative
Medicine--have been trained in homeopathy, as have countless nurses, veterinarians,
chiropractors. While critics contend that homeopathic remedies are no better than water
at worst and placebos at best, a survey of studies published in the British Medical
Journal a few years ago indicates that some are actually more effective than placebos,
and a number of reports document their efficacy in treating hay fever, respiratory
infections, digestive diseases, migraine and a form of rheumatic disease. I do what works
best for my patients, says Dr. Jennifer Jacobs of Edmonds, Washington, a family
practitioner and member of the NIH Alternative Medicine Advisory Committee (Squires).
There are certainly situations where modern medicine is appropriate and lifesaving, but
perhaps the pendulum has swung too far toward technology and standard pharmaceuticals and
not enough toward some of the early healing methods that have a track record in many
cultures.
Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractic science is concerned with investigating the relationship between the human
body's structure (primarily of the spine) and function (primarily of the nervous system)
to restore and preserve health. Chiropractic medicine applies such knowledge to
diagnosing and treating structural dysfunctions that can affect the nervous system.
Chiropractic physicians use manual procedures and interventions, not surgical or
chemotherapeutic ones. In 1993, more than 45,000 licensed chiropractors were practicing
in the United States (Krizmanic). Chiropractic specialty areas are pertinent to other
medical specialties, such as radiology, orthopedics, neurology, and sports medicine.
Current chiropractic research focuses on back and musculoskeletal pain and reliability
studies. 
Although chiropractic clearly has its drawbacks, notably its stubborn insistence that
spinal misalignments cause or underlie most ailments, including those not related to the
backbone, its use of vertebral manipulation has proved useful in treating acute low-back
pain and other muscular and neurological problems. Osteopaths, licensed physicians whose
education is essentially the same as that of M.D.'s, also include manipulative therapy in
their treatments. Studies at the University of Miami's School of Medicine Touch Research
Institute have found that premature infants gain weight much faster after being massaged
than babies in an unmassaged control group (Cooper and Stoflet). Massaged infants cry
less and are calmer than those who are only rocked. It is surprising that only now, in
the late 1990's, are we discovering the fact that not only infants but also children and
adults respond favorably to the human touch--both emotionally and physically.
Conclusion
Many Americans flock to alternative practices either because their suffering has not been
alleviated by standard medical or surgical treatment, or because the traditional
treatments themselves are too expensive or dangerous. These patients often feel that the
intrusion of increasingly complicated and impersonal technology has widened the gap
between mainstream caregivers and patients. Too many doctors are thought to be coolly
professional and emotionally distant, inclined to cure a specific disorder
narrow-mindedly without comforting or caring for the patient. Americans have made it
clear with their pocketbooks that they find this unacceptable.
Thomas Roselle, a licensed chiropractor and acupuncturist who runs an alternative-care
practice in Falls Church, Va., states, Traditional medicine shines in crisis
intervention, but where it fails at times is in day-to-day-care. We see a lot of
different things where traditional medicine has failed to do anything about it. Too often
the question of why the body is broken down isn't asked (Lombardo). Of course, acceptance
of alternative medicine by the medical establishment will not occur until research has
proven its efficacy. However, with so many Americans already using alternative
treatments, doctors need to better understand the principles of alternative medicine. It
is incumbent upon doctors not only to know what medical treatments their patients are
using, but what effect those treatments have. Only then can doctors provide effective and
safe health care.
Works Cited
Apostolides, Marianne. How to Quit the Holistic Way. Psychology Today Sept./Oct. 1996:
34-46.
Cooper, Richard and Sandi Stoflet. Trends in the Education and Practice of Alternative
Medicine. Health Affairs Fall 1996: 226-237.
Crute, Sheree. The Acupuncture Alternative. Heart & Soul Oct./Nov. 1996: 90-91.
Epiro, E. and Nancy Walsh. Alternative Medicine--Part Two: Mind Body Medicine--Expanding
Health Model. Patient Care 15 Sept. 1997: 127-145.
Fields of Practice-Herbal Medicine. (10 Dec. 1997).
Furman, Bertram. Trendy Traditional Medicine for a Modern Age. San Diego Business Journal
10 Mar. 1997: A7-8.
Kees, Michael. Alternative Medicine: Down the Slippery Slope. Modern Medicine 1 Jan.
1997: 68-70.
Krizmanic, Judy. The Best of Both Worlds. Vegetarian Times Nov. 1995: 96-101.
Lombardo, John. Alternative Medicine Gains Credibility with Some Doctors. St. Louis
Business Journal 30 June 1997: 16B.
Smith, Brad. Alternative Treatments Gain Acceptance. Denver Business Journal 18 July
1997: 2B-4B.
Squires, Sally. The New Medicine. Modern Maturity Sept. 1996: 69-70.