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I agree with the OP. There are, however, more and more Allopathic Doctors who are embracing "integrative" medicine, though. Thinking about cardiologists Dean Ornish, Stephen Sinatra-- and general doctor, Andrew Weil.
But for most traditional physicians, as long as the medical schools give scant attention to diet, nutrition, supplements, and herbs, we can expect business as usual in being prescribed medications without attention to integration.
As a nation, we're way behind other nations in this. For example, in Germany, one of the first considerations for high blood pressure is using hawthorn, which does a good job of lowering blood pressure without the rather nasty side effects of prescription medications (ask me--I know from personal experience).
I wish we were more enlightened in medical integration. Western medicine is terrific in certain areas -- not so much in other areas.
Of course Hawthorn has side effects in some people including:
"nausea, stomach upset, fatigue, sweating, headache, dizziness, palpitations, nosebleeds, insomnia, agitation"
The idea that something can be both biologically active (i.e. does something desired in your body - like lower BP) and yet be miraculously also be not biologically active (the effects in the body that you don't want i.e. "side effects") is just a silly nonsense. The extent of, and acceptability of, side effects within a population of users does of course vary from drug to drug. But if its doing something in your body - then its doing something in your body. It doesn't work by magic.
Simply being natural doesn't mean there are no side-effects. Your body can't tell if the molecule was made in a lab, found or evolved to be produced in a plant. Some of the most toxic substances in the world are entirely natural. Your body won't like you eating too much Foxglove. Don't put belladonna in your tea. And try to avoid eating a whole puffer fish liver, uncooked purple yam, rhododendron root. The list is very long. Nature isn't a happy fairy who only dishes out good.
One could go on and on about ingesting too much of this and that. We always get to that road...
Yep, its one of those useless/endless debates: Big Pharma versus Little Herbal. But then, herbal/supplements have become Big Herb now, too. A long way from when herbalists picked baskets of flowers, plants and twigs from the meadows and woods and compounded teas, poultices, tinctures and such in their kitchens or teepees.
I'm not at all adverse to Western medicine when needed -- thank goodness for antibiotics. What I am adverse to is bringing out the big guns and over-prescribing when a more gentle method might be utilized first. That's just what integrative doctors do.
Yep, its one of those useless/endless debates: Big Pharma versus Little Herbal. But then, herbal/supplements have become Big Herb now, too. A long way from when herbalists picked baskets of flowers, plants and twigs from the meadows and woods and compounded teas, poultices, tinctures and such in their kitchens or teepees.
I'm not at all adverse to Western medicine when needed -- thank goodness for antibiotics. What I am adverse to is bringing out the big guns and over-prescribing when a more gentle method might be utilized first. That's just what integrative doctors do.
Before Big Pharma exploded my parents worked with all they knew from the non drug worlds. Everything has taken off in this 21st century and will continue...did we ever dream of a driverless auto.
Ah, each and every time I hear Dr. Darrow on PRP/Stem Cells, I learn something or a lightbulb goes on. A person called in and said he and his wife are very healthy he's 69 works as a painter, immaterial, but said his wife has been going to doctors for migraines for years and all the doctors do are prescribe drugs.
Then he said traditional medicine workers = tunnel vision.
Of course, this means combining all the best of treatments for their patients and that's just not done. Pharma won't allow that.
Last edited by jaminhealth; 03-24-2018 at 03:48 PM..
I cannot imagine any alternative treatment that could safely remove part of the stomach, part of the pancreas, and the entire duodenum resulting in 16 more years of life.
Alternative medicine has never claimed it was an alternative to surgery. Sometimes surgery is the only option, but that in no way contradicts the philosophy of alternative medicine.
What irks me is that we who embrace Integrative Medicine believe in the effectiveness of both allopathic and so called "alternative" medicine (when needed).
But those who fully embrace allopathic medicine refuse to acknowledge ANY effectiveness (even if backed by studies and/or the testimony of many people who have benefited from their use).
It's that blind loyalty to pharmaceutical medicine that puzzles me.
They always demand studies, but sometimes studies are scant due to funding. There's not the big backing for alternative or herbal medicines that is found in pharmaceutical drugs.
Meanwhile, it's up to us, the human who seeks good health, to weigh and determine what best suits our personal well-being.
Me, I will always try a more gentle natural approach, including herbs, diet and exercise lifestyle choices, before accepting a pharmaceutical approach.
For example, when, on the rare occasion when I have an uncertain stomach, I will brew a cup of ginger or peppermint tea, rather than take some OTC or prescribed medication with the probability of unwanted side effects.
However, when I'm having an extremely painful diverticulitis attack, I go for the allopathic antibiotics -- even though the side effects can be horrid. I've not found an alternative/herbal cure for a serious diverticultis flare-up. Open to suggestions.
So, from now on, I vow not to debate the effects of "alternative" medicine versus allopathic medicine. It's like debating the benefits of green versus purple. A matter of personal choice.
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