When is alternative medicine harmful or helpful?

Answer 1

Alternative medicine is helpfull!!!!! I take it everyday.

Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments. Complementary medicine describes alternative medicine used in conjunction with conventional medicine. The term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an umbrella term for both branches. Alternative medicine includes practices that incorporate spiritual, metaphysical, or religious underpinnings; non-European medical traditions, or newly developed approaches to healing. There are almost 500 such systems.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine defines complementary and alternative medicine as "a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine". It also defines integrative medicine as "[combining] mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness". Ralph Snyderman and Andrew Weil state "integrative medicine is not synonymous with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It has a far larger meaning and mission in that it calls for restoration of the focus of medicine on health and healing and emphasizes the centrality of the patient-physician relationship".

Proponents of evidence-based medicine regard the distinction between conventional and alternative medicine as moot, preferring "good medicine" (with provable efficacy) and "bad medicine" (without it). "Bad medicine" is any treatment where the efficacy and safety of which has not been verified through peer-reviewed, double blind placebo controlled studies, regarded as the "gold standard" for determining the efficacy of a compound. It is thus possible for a method to change categories in either direction, based on increased knowledge of its effectiveness or lack thereof.


I do have some alternative medication (nutritional supplement & therapies) may help to prevention and maintaining good health. It's safe and natural. you can email or call me to know more.

There were people with serious problem (Hepatitis, Diabetics and .......) get cure after taking the nutritional supplement & therapies that i have. I hope i can help and bring good health to everyone.

My email is [e-mail] I live in Singapore. My telephone number is [phone]

Answer 2

Hi!
Helpful when your alternative therapist knows his or her limits!!!
Helpful when they respect you and the other therapists/doctors you choose to work with.

Harmful when they don't! And this goes for all kinds of therapies, allopathic or natural!

Lots of therapists out there make their therapy their religion, beware of those. A thereapy whatever it is should help the patient, if you see that it does not, stop!
Also beware of people that tell you to stop your pills or doctor's treatments in order to be treated by them. It is of course an extra hurdle when a person is on medication, you have to take the effects into account in your treatment, some remedies might not work but it is all a question of cooperation between the different people involved. After all, everyone involved is there to help the patient get better!
Always tell your doctor if you choose to go the natural way. Stopping a prescribed drug can have drastic results leading to death.

But when all the above is clear on both sides, alternative medecine can be a wonderful way to go and to heal.

Answer 3

I, personally, have yet to be harmed by an alternative therapy. In fact, I haven't been to an allopathic doctor in 12+ years and have never felt better. Alternatives have done for me what allopathic medicine couldn't.

What makes any therapy harmful is when you relinquish complete control and just do whatever they tell you to, whether it makes sense to you or not. Folks just don't ask enough questions. Too many people do not want to participate in their own health care; they want somebody else to "fix" them.

Answer 4

I think it's benficial when used in conjunction with traditional medicine, and can be harmful when used solely in place of traditional medicine.

In other words, if you see your regular doctor for back pain and he sends you to physical therapy - that's good. Seeing a chiropractor for an asthma attack - not so good.

Answer 5

too many wackos, self proclaimed psychics, all manner of "healers" and so forth in the game. Trust your instincts and take a walk, a walk away that is from most if not all of this lot. By the way, so called credentialling is largely a joke in that they all credential each other with bullshit degrees, herbalist diplomas, mail order naturopathy societies and on and on. Eat well, laugh, work out, sit quietly, get laid and or loved and avoid organized anything, especially religion and other cults and you'll be well.

Answer 6

Here are a few instances where it is harmful (these are just the ones I have seen myself):

When your alternative therapist gives you mega-dose vitamin C and inhibits your chemotherapy and you die from your cancer

When your chiropractor adjusts your baby and causes quadriplegia

When your alternative therapist treats your gangrenous leg with magnets for 6 months and you eventually get so sick you have to go to ICU and have an amputation

When your chiropractor adjusts your neck and causes vertebral artery dissection and a stroke

Answer 7

Alternative medicine can be very helpful for things such as infertility and depression.

Answer 8

http://www.skepdic.com/tialtmed.html