alternative medicine

The primary objective of any medicine is to address peoples’ emotional and physical wellbeing. The discipline of medicine has evolved. The biomedical field that defined the US-  health system in the 20^th century persists. Nonetheless, there is evidence that alternative and complementary medicine are competing with the dominant model (Zeng et al., 2018). The medical field will need to adapt to an increasingly pluralistic healthcare system in which various models of care co-exist.

I agree with your take on the question. Many medical doctors are reluctant to diagnose and treat diseases with alternative medicine. The fundamental aspect of medicine is to address the total wellbeing of an individual, which modern health practitioners fail (Giger, J., & Haddad, L. (2021). Modern medicine fails to address the wellbeing of the patients and lacks curative treatment for several emerging and chronic diseases. In addition, the high cost of modern medicine, time constraints from the patient and healthcare providers, microbial resistance, and side effects to the medicine indicate the necessity for an alternative approach. Modern medicine focuses on symptoms, related cure, utilization of eliminative and pharmacological procedures. Alternative medicine focuses on self-medication, convectional healing practices, and systems. I think these factors discussed in the post indicate the necessity to include alternative medicine in contemporary medication. Nonetheless, the co-existence of different healing modalities will require an integrated care system. Otherwise, the uncoordinated healing approach can have counterproductive results.

It is easy to assume that the co-existence of different healing modalities will result in better health. Rather, health practitioners will have to approach the co-existence of different health modalities positively and recommend the best approach to a condition. Each health modality must aim to achieve individuals’ wellbeing as  the fundamental purpose of medication. References

Giger, J., & Haddad, L. (2021). Transcultural nursing assessment and intervention (8th ed.). Elsevier.

Zeng, Y. S., Wang, C., Ward, K. E., & Hume, A. L. (2018). Complementary and alternative medicine in hospice and palliative care: a systematic review. Journal of Pain and symptom management, 56(5), 781-794.

Discussion 2

The discussion undertakes a simplistic observation and personal evidence to support the significance of alternative medicine. The discussion illustrates the ignorance by the medical practitioners to understand and recommend the most viable alternative medication (Giger, J., & Haddad, L. (2021). Many patients are increasingly using alternative medication void of health practitioners’ prescriptions. In todays’ insurance-based medication, physicians do not have adequate time to diagnose and treat the tore causes of diseases. Recent studies indicate that physicians spend 13 to 20 minutes with each patient (Mamidi et al., 2021). Contrary to the medical practitioners, alternative health providers take approximately one hour and concentrate on the root cause of the illness rather than symptoms.

Patients are increasingly relying on alternative medicine. The doctors must respond to the trend in various ways, including being enthusiastic, interested, mystified, and critical. The trajectory indicates that alternative medicine use will continue to increase, regardless of the medical practitioners’ willingness to adopt it. Doctors must understand the fundamental objective of medication is the wellbeing of the patient and not the medication type. Therefore, doctors must comprehend various healing techniques ranging from ‘spiritual healing’ in cancer, nutritional intervention, and acupuncture for pain relief. There is justified concern about the biomedical industry regarding research and clinical practice. The conflict of interest between commercialized biomedical research and result may lead to misinformation (Mamidi et al., 2021). Contrarily, as the discussion indicates, alternative medicines have always been positive. The set of the therapeutic method utilized to enhance the healing process has an essential role in assessing the significance of alternative medicines. Doctors should assess all the available medication before the prescription. Alternative medicine encourages a self-healing system approach, balance and holism, and a clinician-patient relationship

References

Giger, J., & Haddad, L. (2021). Transcultural nursing assessment and intervention (8th ed.). Elsevier.

Mamidi, T. R., Yamini, M., Cherukuri, V. S. P., & Yarraguntla, S. R. (2021). Alternative Medicine: New Ways to Treat Diseases and Therapies. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 83(1), 1-12.