What are the Best Roles for Western and Alternative Medicine?

I think it's very confusing for patients to decide what the best roles are for Western medicine and alternative medicine.

In this article, I'll try to clear some of that confusion with a few simple principles. I can tell you how I view the difference between the two systems of medicine and you can decide what to do for yourself and your family.

First, a short explanation of alternative medicine. It is often also called complementary medicine, integrative medicine, wellness or holistic health.

Alternative medicine is a catch-all term that includes many healing methods from many countries and cultures. From India it includes yoga, ayurveda, chakra healing, and herbal medicine. From China it includes tai chi, chi gong, acupuncture, acupressure, massage and another set of herbal medicines. From North America it includes homeopathy, naturopathy, massage therapy, reflexology and many other types of therapies.

By Western medicine, I mean the usual type of medicine used here in the U.S. and Canada. Pharmaceutical drugs, antibiotics and surgery are the most commonly prescribed treatments under Western medicine.

The name alternative medicine makes it sound like these therapies should be used instead of Western medicine. But this really isn't the case. Hardly anyone ignores Western medicine and just focuses on alternative medicine.

My own approach can be summarized in four principles:

• Use the safest, cheapest, effective remedy first.
• Use alternative medicine for chronic or lifestyle ailments.
• Use alternative medicine for prevention.
• Use Western medicine for acute and life-threatening ailments.

Again, this is my way of looking at alternative and Western medicine. You need to decide on your own approach.

Using the safest, cheapest, effective remedy first is sensible, I think. Use safe, cheap remedies with no side effects first, then progress to stronger, more dangerous, more expensive treatments later.

A good example of this is when my wife's allergies come on in springtime. She starts by taking an aromatherapy combination that she rubs on her nose and forehead. Most of the time, this works.

But when it doesn't, she moves on to a homeopathic remedy for allergies. Usually, that will solve whatever problem the aromatherapy couldn't help.

But if neither one works, she moves on to an off-the-shelf drug for allergies. And that usually fixes whatever symptoms the first two couldn't work on.

I suppose if she was still suffering after that, she might go to the doctor and get a very strong prescription treatment. That hasn't happened yet, thankfully.

Why not just take the over-the-counter drug first? Because it has bad side-effects. It makes her sleepy, it dries out her nose making it bleed, and lots of other bad stuff. And it is costly. But that's worth it if she's already tried the other safer, cheaper remedies.

In another example, when I have a back problem, I'll go to a massage therapist, rolfer or Feldenkrais practitioner. They can usually help me. If not, I go to a chiropractor. Chiropractors are great for relieving back pain. If that doesn't help, then I'll think about taking off-the-shelf pain medication. If that isn't strong enough, I go to the doctor to get a prescription drug that can knock the pain out while I have the bodyworkers help me with the actual problem in my back.

My second principle is that I use alternative medicine for the everyday problems and the chronic problems. By chronic, I mean the problems that linger day-after-day, week-after-week. Alternative medicine is well-known for helping people with the chronic ailments like diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, etc. Chronic problems can also be less severe like back pain, soreness, obesity, chattering mind, etc. Western medicine seems clueless when it comes to these problems.

Third, I use alternative medicine for wellness and prevention. I go to see a massage therapist even when I don't have any problems, just to help me stay healthy. I go to see a naturopath as a "checkup" every six months or so to make sure I'm on the right track and to report any seemingly small symptoms that may turn into something worse down the road.

Fourth, I definitely turn to Western medicine for acute or life-threatening problems. If my appendix starts hurt, I'm not going to see a massage therapist or reflexologist. I'm going to trot over to the hospital emergency room. If I've been involved in a car accident and my legs got crushed, I want the best surgeons to put me back together.

I follow these principles, not just because they are healthier, less risky and more prevention-oriented, but also because of another consideration.

Cost.

Western medicine, especially when used as a "first resort," is just too expensive for me. My health insurance policy has a high deductible, because my wife and I are both self-employed and we cannot afford thousands of dollars a month for health insurance. So I want the best possible healthcare for the best price. And that seems to be alternative medicine more often than not.

Daryl Kulak is the author of Health Insurance Off the Grid, a book that provides a simple, effective plan to reduce insurance costs for the self-employed, unemployed and underinsured. The book puts the new Health Savings Account (HSA) together with alternative medicine to create a workable, cost-effective plan for many Americans. The book is available at the Website http://www.healthoffthegrid.com

---

Body Work

Body Work is more than just a massage, it's a whole concept. Body work theororizes that within our anatomy, is a story of unresolved problems and past... Read More

Super Bee Nutrition

Bee's and Bee NutritionWhat is the buzz about bee Nutrition? Well, you cant get more down to nature then bee products. Powerful anti-oxidants, skin creams, supplements, and... Read More

How Many Bowel Movements Should You Have Each Day?

Most doctors don't ask you about your regularity. They may think it is not important to have a bowel movement every day. In fact, some doctors think... Read More

Benefits of Wheatgrass Juice - What, How, and Why!

Since the late 1960's, wheatgrass has become frequently discussed in health and medical circles as one of natures greatest gifts. Classified as one of the most abundant... Read More

Toddler Stuttering

Some parents have the shock of hearing their young child start to stutter as a toddler. I am somebody who runs a speech centre in Birmingham, England,... Read More

Gout Pain Relief With Cherry Power - How To Ease Pain By Eating Fruit

We can all learn something new every day! And good doctors are constantly alert to learning from all of their patients. It takes a lot to surprise... Read More

Holistic Methods: Hemp Seed Oil and Aromatherapy in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Aromatherapy is a well known holistic method for healing, but when boosted by the quickly penetrating carrier hemp seed oil, the healing potential is magnified exponentially. No... Read More

What Exactly is Alternative Therapy and How Does It Boost Your Health and Well-being?

My first yoga retreatI never wanted it to stop. It was a wonderful feeling of joy, love compassion and connection to everyone who was there with me.... Read More

The Tribrain and Trauma Therapy

When someone experiences a trauma they go into immediate shock. This is very similar to hypnosis. Under hypnosis a person is more suggestible and tends to remember... Read More

Hypnosis for Change

Change is what we want. Change is what we fear. Hypnosis offers a resolution for this dilemma. How does it do that? Hypnosis does it by recognising... Read More

The Basics of Hypnosis

You've seen the stage acts where a hypnotist selects someone out of the audience and when he claps his hands, the unwilling participant struts around the stage... Read More

MSM: Enhance Your Overall Beauty, Your Hair, Nails, And Skin While Reducing Allergic Reactions

Welcome to another exciting issue of "The Home Made Medicine e-zine".This time you are going to be blown away by the article I'm about to put in... Read More

Boost Self Confidence Through Hypnotherapy

What is self confidence and how do you get it? The compact oxford english dictionary is simple in its definition: "a feeling of trust in one's abilities,... Read More

Exploring the Mystery of Aromatherapy Through Biotechnology

Aromatherapy originated in Ancient Egypt. About a hundred years ago, a pharmacist from France used an innovative method which led to a breakthrough in aromatherapy techniques. In... Read More

Stuttering Self Help

I am Stephen Hill from Birmingham in England. I started to stutter in childhood at the age of four or five. I attended a lot of different... Read More

Alternative and Complementary Medicine: Old Medicine, New Synergies

The terms alternative medicine and complementary medicine are often wrongly used as synonyms. Actually, the term alternative medicine refers to medicine systems like Ayurveda or Acupuncture that... Read More

What is Tea Tree Oil? Benefits?

Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) has a proven history of over sixty years of safe usage. Some call it the medecine cabinet in a bottle!Tea Tree 100%... Read More

Treatment Options for Hand and Foot Eczema

There are many kinds of eczema, and too few people who can tell you how to cure them. Scientists are trying get a better handle on the... Read More

Lead Poisoning in Environment and Our Children

Pollution is generallyy defined as the release of harmful environmental contaminants. Pollution can take two major forms: local pollution and global pollution. In the past, only local... Read More

How to Benefit from The Mind-Body Connection

Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of "Love, Medicine and Miracles" was once a distraught surgeon who fretted over his inability to effectively serve his cancer patients. Dr. Siegel's... Read More

The Effects of Diet on Infertiltiy

Overwhelmed by studies, research and the constantly changing diet, nutrition and food recommendations? With so many conflicting opinions and studies it's a full time job trying to... Read More

How to Prevent Snoring?

Snoring is noisy breathing through the mouth and nose during sleep. It can occur when you are breathing in or out. Snoring is often worse when a... Read More

Aromatherapy ? Part II: Mind and Emotions

The Sense of Smell forms the greater part of our Sense of Taste (note how your sense of taste and smell is affected when you have a... Read More

Everything Old Is New Again: Rebuilding Your Vision

Glasses, contacts, or surgery. These are the usual choices offered to those of us with bad vision. Orlin Sorensen, though, needed an alternative. A commercial airline pilot... Read More

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Infertility

Although health and healing are the common goals of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and allopathic medicine, their ideas on the etiology of disease, disease itself and the... Read More

Ayurveda - The Natural Remedy

The word Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words ayur and veda meaning 'life' and 'knowledge' respectively. Taken together they mean the 'science of life'; in... Read More