Is alternative medicine the way to go?

Alternative medicine refers to medical practices that deviate away from mainstream medicine. Modern Medicine is based upon a reductionist approach, tacking diseases and illnesses as it is, as opposed to the holistic approach of alternative medicine, which seeks to achieve overall wellness in order to prevent illnesses. However, I would advocate modern medicine as the way to go, rather than alternative medicine. Alternative medicine is based on a holistic approach, and that ones wellbeing can prevent the onset of diseases. The traditional Chinese focusses on channeling energy from within the body, and it believes that a smooth flow of energy can improve ones health and wellbeing. Much of traditional Chinese practices are based on this theory, such as chiropractic and acupuncture. Another school of thought is that the body requires a delicate balance of yin and yang, and that an imbalance will trigger diseases. Many have reported that alternative medicine has worked for them, and many it has worked well for many in the past. Acupuncture is so effective that it has been used as an effective anesthesia for small surgeries. This indeed shows that it is effective as a painkiller for surgeries. Alternative medicine has been around for a long time, and has been practiced as the mainstream medicine before contemporary medicine came about. These traditional medicinal practices, such as qi-gong, acupuncture and chiropractic has been practiced for many years and has worked for many. However, whether it is the way to go is a totally whole different issue after all. Traditional medicine is based on an abstract theory, where its roots are not very clear. These theories are scientifically unfound, and can be easily disproved by modern medicine. The supposed health benefits and effects may be due to other factors, rather than those proposed by these traditional theories. The supposed pain killing effects of acupuncture may be accredited to the increased release of endorphins, serotonin, norepinephrine or gamma-amino butyric acid, which are part of the bodys natural pain reduction system, rather than the increase in ki flow as proposed by the traditional view. Another possible explanation is that the conductive metal needles provide a path of least resistance for current carried by the electrolytes in the nervous system to flow, rather than be directed towards the brain. However, the supposed health benefits are not proven, although there have been no proven severe side effects of acupuncture. This may mean that illnesses supposedly cured by acupuncture are not in fact cured, but actually only that its symptoms are supressed. Not only so, some traditional medicinal practices such as chiropractic may even prove to be fatal. If a chiropractor manipulates a neck wrongly, he runs a high risk of breaking arteries in the neck, often resulting in a stroke or even death in extreme cases. A documented case is of a former beauty queen Kristi Bedenbaugh died of a stroke after a visit to a chiropractor, due to a split artery in her neck, resulting in insufficient amounts of oxygen reaching her brain, thus leading to her unfortunate death. Many modern alternative medicine have emerged, among them are aroma therapy and fish therapy. It is proven that stimulation through smells can conjure past events and experiences, but there was no definitive proof that that such recall of past experiences helps in aiding with ones wellbeing. Fish therapy has a more direct correlation with its supposed benefits. The Garra Ruffa fishes used are supposed to nibble away dead skin on ones feet. It is used as a form of treatment for psoriasis. However, some state laws mandate that tools and equipment be sanitized or thrown away, and this has resulted in fish therapy being illegal under some state legislations. However fish therapy may

lead to fungal infection of the foot in some cases, due to the unsatisfactory sanitary conditions involved in the therapy, such as disease causing microbes infested water being used by many people at one go. This may lead to gangrene, which can be in turn fatal. Hence, many of these supposed alternative medicine practices are actually invalid or of limited validity, and is not the way to go. Many alternative medicine practitioners may also claim that their practices cure illnesses by promoting holistical wellbeing, and that modern medicine cannot disprove them. However, this is a rather sketchy concept, and that it is also based on unfound claims, and are limited in its effectiveness, with some relying on the placebo effect to show supposed results, and hence is not the way to go. On the other hand, the proven modern medicine based on the reductionist approach is the way to go. Modern medicine offers a direct and targeted way of curing or removing illnesses, via the use of medicine or surgical intervention. This targeted approach can indeed cure illneses, and that there is a direct correlation between modern medicine practices and their objectives. Surgeries, which are indispensable, part of modern medicine, aim to remove the root of problems quickly and efficiently, thus aiding recovery from illnesses. It is an example of the reductionist and targeted approach adopted by modern medicine, which is founded on years of medical research, rather than sketchy concepts used by alternative medicine practices, such as ki and yinyang balance. Modern medicine also excels in emergency procedures, such as appendicitis and accidents. Basically, modern medicine is somewhat based on the approach that something is only as good as the sum of its parts, and hence its targeted and focused approach, as opposed to the abstract concept of holistic health adopted by alternative medicine practitioners. Modern mainstream medicine also has many rules that ensure the rights of the patient, and to safeguard the patient, such as the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors. However, in alternative medicine, it is extremely different. No oath is taken, and although some local legislations may actually limit these practices, but they generally go unchecked by relevant health and medical authorities. Hence, with its scientifically proven and tested practices, contemporary medicinal practices are generally the way to go. In conclusion, contemporary medicine is the way to go, instead of alternative medicine, as alternative medicine approaches and treatments are not scientifically sound, and may even prove to be fatal in some cases. Hence, mainstream medicine is indeed the way to go.