Alternative Medicine, The Unknown Benefits
We live in a complex world with so many modern day conveniences and advancements in technology, yet one area we have yet to succeed in is the cure and eradication of illnesses like cancer, AIDS or even the common cold. In the United States of America, death rates from Heart Disease and Strokes continue to shorten the lives of countless Americans, while our infant mortality rate is higher than many other less advanced countries including China. Why is this so? With Doctors, Hospitals and Urgent Care Facilities available 24 hours a day, it would seem that we should be the healthiest nation in the world.
Western Medicine Vs. Alternative Medicine
Many people do not realize that Western medicine, which is based on the Scientific Method, is a relatively new system, whereas many alternative methods of healing have been successfully used for many centuries worldwide. In modern medicine doctors treat an individual symptomatically, meaning the symptoms of your ailment are treated as with the specific problem in mind. The doctor typically takes note of your symptoms and through his reasoning and training will determine what he thinks is the cause of the disorder, prescribing medication or procedures to resolve the issue. With this system, there are often side affects to the medications and procedures, which can be just as damaging as the problem they are treating. Also, many conditions are misdiagnosed as doctors cannot always identify many modern day illnesses and are take the easy way out by prescribing drugs, which only mask the illness or take away the pain, instead of resolving it. Noted alternative healing author John Robbins (Diet For A New America, and Reclaiming Our Health) states: “In our society – the medical myth has led to an emphasis on intervention, instead of prevention that has generated a crisis in health care of epic proportions.”
Compare this to alternative medicine, where in most therapies such as Chinese Medicine, the person is treated as a whole, thus using preventative medicine as well. This means that the practitioner is concerned not only with the area of the body that is diseased, but also treats the body as a whole being aware of the well-being of the body, mind and spirit.
The Origins of Alternative Medicine
By looking back the history of the world we can find answers to modern day health problems. There is physical evidence that the use of herbal remedies dates back 60,000 years to ancient Iraq, where a burial site at the Shanidar Cave was discovered in 1960. The remains of a Neanderthal man were uncovered who had been buried with eight different species of plants. Seven of these species are still commonly used for medicinal purposes today. In China, Traditional Chinese Medicine has been successfully used for thousands of years. Herbal remedies have been used for centuries in many
European countries and are still used by American Indian tribes as well as South American countries with great success.
Author Chris Kilham, author of the book Hot Plants, is a renowned author and ethno-botanist. He has traveled the world investigating medicinal plants and has recently revealed that plant medicines are the most widely used medicines in the world. 5.1 billion people (85% of the population) use plant-based remedies for both chronic and acute health conditions. While the U.S. has been slower to turn to plant based medicines, they have still been used as the original source material for approximately 40% of all pharmaceuticals.
Why Many Turn to Alternative Medicine
From my own personal experience, I was blessed to discover Alternative Medicine many years ago. This was after contracting a modern day illness, in which western medical doctors were unable to do anything more than offer me drugs, such as anti-depressants that had little to do with the cause or cure of my ailments. I began to realize that the western medical establishment did not have all the answers as I searched for answers that led me outside the realm of my HMO to find healing. Around that time, a former roommate of mine had been battling Lymphatic cancer and instead of being treated with Chemotherapy and Radiation had decided to turn to alternative medicine in hopes of finding a cure that would not compromise her immune system. I had been praying for deliverance from my health problems, which included debilitating headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, panic attacks, weight gain and bloating in my abdomen. My friend found great success and not only beat the cancer after several surgeries and being told that she only had 6 months to live repeatedly. She is still going strong after 10 years and is one of the healthiest people I know. She had to make serious changes in her life-style as a result and is a vegetarian to this day, but she was able to beat the odds.
Following her lead, I found a local Acupuncturist who practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine. He was able quickly determine the cause of my health problems and identified that I was experiencing a severe systemic fungal infection known as Candida Albicans, brought on by the over-use of antibiotics. I was treated with acupuncture, herbs and a weekly massage and was healed and able to return to a normal life, in a relatively short period of time. Since then, I have come across many others who have found healing from serious health conditions, including other forms of cancer through Alternative Health methods.
How to find the Alternative Treatment that is right for you?
I found my acupuncturist in the local Yellow pages, and subsequent holistic doctors by word of mouth. The Internet is a great source of information as well. One resource that I have found vital to my health and well-being is the book: Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by Balch and Balch. This can be purchased at many health stores as well as online and has an incredible wealth of information regarding Nutrition, Alternative Remedies, Health Conditions as well as many types of treatment options. I consider it my health bible. Also, if you are looking for a holistic practitioner, you might want to check with your local health food store for a recommendation.
Since the time I first found healing with alterative medicine, I have had many more health problems arise over the years. Although I am also an advocate of western medicine and continue to receive care from the traditional healthcare system in the U.S., I have turned to alternative medicine many more times and I have always been healed. Other times, I have had to turn to alternative medicine to find cures for the damaging side effects of some the treatments of western medicine (such as prescription drugs). I do not advocate that you give up your Primary Care Physician, but I would follow your intuition and have learned that it is imperative that we become our own advocates for healing. We must take control of our bodies, lives and our health even if it takes us out of our comfort zone. Not only are there many rewards from alternative medicine, but also the results just may save your life or the lives of your loved ones.
