This entails a discussion on the debate between modern medicine and holistic healing. It consists of some general pros and cons to each kind of treatment.
Pros of Western Medicine
Many Tools at Its Disposal For Diagnosis and Treatment
Western medicine has many tools at its disposal for helping people get what they need to be done in terms of diagnosis and treatment. They have X-rays, MRIs, blood workups, ultrasounds, PET scans, etc. With these tools, they can find out what is wrong with someone pretty quickly while also giving them a way to fix it with surgery or medication, if necessary, while not having to come up with very expensive treatments or medications because others will do that for them. They also have a pretty good system of having several different types of doctors for different treatments, so if you are sick and need something specific done, they will most likely be able to figure out what it is that you need. Furthermore, they offer hospitals that can take care of people immediately if their problem is serious, saving lives every day.
The Tools in Western Medicine Encompass a Specific Disease or Condition
The tools available in Western medicine encompass just about every single disease or condition out there. If you need surgery, there is a good chance it will be available to you through western medicine. They also have antiviral drugs and antibiotics for people who need something to combat viruses or bacteria. Surgery is probably the most invasive type of treatment, though, because someone has to cut open your body before fixing whatever they see wrong by stitching up whatever they have cut so it can heal on its own afterward. Many surgeries today use robotic devices that go inside the body to do very precise work without needing a doctor, so you will not always require a surgeon for an operation in Western Medicine, but when one is needed, a doctor can still do what needs to be done from the outside with great results if they know what they are doing.
Western Medicine Allows Use of Health Insurance Coverages
Traditional Western and holistic medicine approaches use different means to treat the same ailment. The differences lie in the approach and ethical beliefs behind both types of medicine. Both treatments can be effective, but traditional western medicine is cheaper than holistic medicine since insurance does not cover holistic treatment methods. Although it may seem like a financial loss overall, treating diseases in holistic ways may save money for future generations compared to using expensive modern medicines. Traditional western medical techniques such as chemotherapy often have harsh side effects, such as hair loss and nausea. There has been an effort to permit health insurance coverages for alternative therapies because it is believed that they are less costly over time.
Cons of Western Medicine
More Waiting
Now that people must schedule their doctor’s appointments weeks or months ahead of time, they often have to take more sick days from work than necessary, so they do not miss two days should they need to go in. It is also not uncommon for people to put off going in and trying first to treat themselves with over-the-counter medicine because it takes valuable time away from work and family if they have to make the trip to the family doctors office.
Money, Money, Money
Western medicine often requires copays and those costs vary from doctor to doctor and location to location. The bills that come in after treatment can easily shock people as they receive what seems to be an incomprehensible price tag for something as simple as having your blood pressure taken or getting a prescription filled. Even generic prescriptions can leave people out hundreds of dollars if their insurance coverage does not cover them at 100%.
Pros of Holistic Medicine
Many Treatments Options
Holistic medicine also has its advantages compared to Western Medicine in treatment options. When western medicine fails to treat someone’s illness, the best thing to do is turn to other systems because there are some things that modern medicine does not know how to deal with yet or does not have the equipment necessary to diagnose accurately. For example, one type of treatment used in holistic medicine to treat cancer is called Gerson Therapy, and while it is very effective, it cannot be diagnosed with modern equipment. Another thing that holistic medicine has for it is that they are willing to try other things, besides just medication and surgery, because sometimes those two can do more harm than good in some situations.
Many Treatment Types Are Natural
The holistic medicine tools are impressive, but many treatment types are natural rather than chemical or surgical. Though certain conditions cannot be treated with anything but surgery, if you have something very serious, you will not be able to fix things alone because there are not enough people who know how to do it without machinery. Everything else falls under the realm of possibility, so you will still have a lot of hope even though surgery is not an option for you because holistic medicine does have other options. Moderation will always be the key to maintaining good health in any situation, and if you overdo it on natural treatments, you can always wind up with negative side effects. The most common holistic treatments are acupuncture, homeopathy, chelation therapy, aromatherapy, meditation, tai chi, and reiki. Some of these methods are only really limited to non-invasive surgery because there are not many people who know how to do it naturally on their own without help from machines.
Providers Take Time to Understand the Patient as a Whole
Holistic medicine takes a whole-body approach to treatment. The practitioners start with their patient’s health history and then perform a physical exam before treatment. During an exam, doctors look for underlying causes of disease instead of just symptoms by asking questions about the patient’s medical background, family history, diet habits, and overall lifestyle. Based on this information, medical practitioners will suggest dietary supplements or exercises to help improve certain conditions.
Holistic chiropractic is one of the chiropractor alternatives that treat patients holistically through natural means rather than drugs. It focuses on finding the cause behind problems rather than treating only the symptoms like mainstream chiropractors do with medication and surgery. Chiropractic adjustments are a common chiropractic treatment, but they are not the only chiropractic technique.
Holistic chiropractors do other treatments such as soft tissue massage and deep breathing exercises to help patients relax and alleviate any tension present in their muscles. Chiropractor alternatives need to find the cause of disease rather than treat only symptoms because this is what mainstream chiropractors often miss or ignore.
Holistic chiropractors also see diet, nutrition, stress levels, and exercise contribute to illness. They will recommend dietary supplements or changes in your workout routine if they feel that these factors are causing problems. This patient-centered approach can uncover health issues that traditional chiropractors may otherwise have unnoticed, who tend to treat symptoms in their chiropractic adjustments. Holistic chiropractors try to find the cause of these problems because this makes treatment more effective and efficient at alleviating any noticeable symptoms.
Work to Treat the Underlying Cause of Disease or Condition, Instead of Just Treating the Symptoms
Conventional medicine is often criticized for treating only the symptoms of an illness, not its underlying cause. For example, knee pain can be due to osteoarthritis, treated with knee replacement surgery. However, knee pain might also be due to rheumatoid arthritis or gout. A holistic approach can be used in knee pain treatments and their root cause(s).
Holistic techniques are not guaranteed to work for everyone, but they are known to help many people. Holistic medicine stresses that true health cannot be achieved through a simple medication or treatment regimen. It comes from within the individual.
Work to treat the underlying cause of disease or condition instead of just treating the symptoms. This may involve a variety of methods that differ from conventional medicine. Unnecessary drugs and surgery are often avoided to allow the body to heal itself naturally. Instead, treatments such as massage therapy, physical therapy, and other natural remedies are implemented first at your family doctor’s office. The approach is typically used by those who believe that a person’s mental, spiritual, and emotional health greatly affects their physical well-being.
Mind-body therapy can be used as an alternative or complement to more traditional forms of treatment. These include acupuncture, biofeedback, meditation, relaxation techniques, and yoga and tai chi chuan exercises. Some people find herbal remedies helpful for the treatment of certain problems. Natural remedies can range from herbs to bee venom, and they are becoming more popular as people search for alternatives to drugs.
Offer Safe, Natural, and Effective Medical Treatment Options That Will Include Lifestyle and Self-Care
Holistic medicine is one of the most helpful and promising medical treatment options that many people are turning to today when conventional Western medicine fails. Western doctors often turn to expensive surgery and strong medications, which often do more harm than good in the human body, contrary to popular belief. Alternative medicines are becoming increasingly widespread. Many people find safe solutions for their health problems through dietary supplements, herbal medications, aromatherapy oils, acupuncture treatments, chiropractic care, massage therapy, aromatherapy baths, and colon cleanses, among other holistic methods.
Holistic medicine is a medical treatment option that includes using lifestyle and self-care to naturally treat symptoms, conditions, illnesses, and injuries. There are no side effects from holistic treatment options, ranging from massage therapy to acupuncture. Holistic treatments can include foods, herbs, or supplements designed for the body’s natural healing on a cellular level. Often, conventional Western medicine can be harsh on the human body because it typically attempts to mask symptoms with medication rather than taking an approach that treats the cause of symptoms on a cellular level. In contrast, holistic medicine looks for underlying causes of illness or disease by looking into nutrition and other aspects that could elicit symptoms.
The Primary Goal Is Prevention
Health is on everyone’s mind, especially with the holidays fast approaching. Many are looking for ways to improve their quality of life by following diets, changing workout routines, or simply getting plenty of sleep at night. While these may seem like small changes, they can have a big impact on your overall health.
One change that more people should be considering is switching to more holistic medicine practices. Holistic medicine treats the whole person, body, mind, and spirit, not just an illness or injury symptoms. This type of medical practice is on the rise, with many professionals, including an oncologist, already able to provide holistic options to their patients at all stages of cancer treatment.
The idea centers on prevention rather than treating a disease once it occurs. An orthodontist can even advise which foods are best for healthy teeth and gums. It also considers how patients’ mindsets contribute to poor health outcomes and seeks to empower each individual with knowledge of how best to care for themselves.
Cons of Holistic Medicine
People Rationalize What They Are Experiencing Rather Than Seek Appropriate Medical Attention
A major disadvantage of holistic medicine is that many people will try to rationalize what they are experiencing rather than seek appropriate medical attention. Holistic eye care service can be helpful if the eye problem has a more spiritual cause, such as eye strain or vision impairment due to emotional distress. This ailment may require chiropractor adjustments in habits, lifestyle changes, diet, etc., all of which are included in holistic eye treatments.
There has been much debate about animal urgent care vs. animal hospitals. Those who take their animal to the animal hospital believe that urgent animal care can harm their animal because they do not know what they are doing. However, those who use urgent animal care say that animals feel more comfortable at urgent animal care than at animal hospitals because animals can sense that animal urgent care technicians are animal lovers who only have their animal’s best interests.
In this day and age of fast food, easy-to-use flu shots, and increasing dependence on prescription drugs, several people have turned their eyes toward holistic medicine. An intuitive healer is a person who claims to be able to heal the body through means other than those used by modern medical science. These means can include everything from acupuncture to being in touch with divine powers.
Not all conditions call for a lifestyle change or going the natural route. Some diseases are caused by viruses or genetics and cannot be prevented at all costs. With these kinds of personal conditions, patients should try out holistic medicine instead of conventional. It may take longer for them to affect the body.