Alternative Medicines, was
formerly termed quack medication. All these can go in three categories
like
1. Genuine: already tested
and proved safe and effective. These confirmed works.
2. Experimental: not yet well tested widely but
going through investigation. These not confirmed as works
3. Questionable: alternatives are almost
groundless, lack of any scientific explanation or data and can be termed as not
sure to work.
There are different types
of
practitioners and proponents on Alternative Medicines, some
conventional need skill capabilities and beliefs. Practice of Alternative Medicines depends
on economic, cultural and even political condition of the patient and place
treatment. Focus on fundamental issue to be considered is, Patient, Target
dieses, and Treatment, which will require convincing data on safety and
therapeutic efficiency.
According to Dr. Arnold
Relman, M.D. there are two kinds of medicines, Conventional and Unconventional.
Similar opinion is of Dr. Andrew Weil and his friends.
The Alternative Medicine
movement is towards rejection of Science as the only method of determining
truth. Alternative Medicines promoters gain public sympathy, as it is treated
as close to nature, rather synthetic. They also publicize these as personal,
emotional experience and satisfaction, which is taken as hard evidence.
In editorial of New
England Journal of Medicines, advocates against use and practice of Alternative
Medicines, as most of these has not passed through official rigorous testing,
required by FDA, to be certified. Though many of the conventional medicines in
use has passed through all the required test of FDA.
Alternative Medicines can
be distinguished as ideology and ignorance of biological mechanism relies
mainly on ancient practices of natural remedies, more potent and less toxic.
The natural herbs and mixture of herbs are considered superior to the compounds
prepared synthetically in the laboratories.
Any product, having used
or practiced by some one feel better is the actual goal. Naturally credit goes
there for whatever done. Even serious conditions can have day to day
variations, or get temporary relief, for which Alternative Medicines should not
be given all the credits. Off course many failures are not recorded or
publicized, as there are no guide or recognized governing body for the checking
the quality of Alternative Medicines.
Medical facts are
determined and recorded through a process of examination reexamination by thousands
of scientists; sharing and recording of their findings observations in journals
play a very important role. Expert panels constituting by Government agencies,
professional groups and other health related agencies contribute to get a
correct authentic findings on these drugs and medicines, which are absent in
the case of Alternative Medicines.
Science does not believe
in existence of Supernatural Power or Coherent body of knowledge. “Alternative”
approaches are based on the theory of “vitalize” concept of body function
depends on Life Force, distinct from Physical Forces explainable by Physics and
Chemistry, which is detectable by scientific instruments. Practitioners of
Alternative method, think diseases should be treated by stimulating the body’s
healing ability. Homeopaths think illness comes due to disturbance of vital
force, which can be corrected by few drops of Homeopathic medication in atomic label.
The acupuncturists claim that the dieses are from the imbalance of flow of life
energy, which can be corrected or balanced by twirling needles in the skin. Chiropractors
claim to heal by the adjustments of patient’s spine. Naturopaths depend on “Vis
Medicatrix Naturae”. Ayurvedic physicians depend on Hindu Puran. All these can not be measured any scientific
methods.
Some Alternative
practitioners who have strayedfrom