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ChloeMacdonald NaturopathicCollegeofNewZealand The Benefits of Alternative Medicine Compared to Pharmaceutical Drugs Throughouttime,naturalmedicineshavebecomethe‘alternative’whilepharmaceuticaldrugs haverisentothefront-lineofpublichealth,particularlyindevelopedWesternsocieties. Alternativemedicinesincludemodalitiessuchasnaturopathy,nutritionaltherapies,herbalism, massage,energyhealing,AyurvedaandTraditionalChineseMedicine.Manyofthesehealthcare approacheshavebeenpasseddownthroughhistoryforthousandsofyears,holdingancient wisdom,andmanyarestillbeingdiscoveredandresearchedtodayusingmodernscience.Here, Iwillexploresomeofthedifferencesbetweenpharmaceuticalandalternativemedicines, highlightingsomeofthemanybenefitsofusingalternativemedicineincomparisonto pharmaceuticaldrugs. Whiletheadministrationofpharmaceuticaldrugsisfocusedonsymptommanagement,many alternativepractitionersworkusingaholisticapproachthatconsidersthewholebeing.Many factorsareinvolvedinthedevelopmentofdisease;therefore,manyfactorsshouldbe consideredintherestorationofhealth.Allareasofwellbeingincludingthephysical,mental, socialandspiritualmayneedtobeaddressed,andusingthistrueholisticapproachsupportsa deeperhealingthansymptom-suppressingpharmaceuticalmedicationsthatdonotworkto addresstherootcause. Foodsandherbscontainthenaturallyoccurringcofactorsandenzymesrequiredforfull utilisationinthebody.Pharmaceuticalcompoundsproducedbychemistsoftenmimicthe molecularstructurefoundinplants,butlackthesupportingco-factorsanddonotworkin synergywiththebodycausingundesiredsideeffects,deemingsyntheticmedicationssecondratetonaturalproducts.Tuningintothissynergisticrelationshipbetweenhumansandplants supportsourconnectionwiththeearthallowingtheearthtocareforus. Theconvenienceandavailabilityofpharmaceuticalmedicinesiscausingagreatdisconnect betweenindividualsandtheirbodies.Manypeoplemakepoorlifestylechoiceswithout associatingthemwiththehealthconcernsthey’reexperiencing.Whenonevisitstheirtrusted GP,theyareoftenseenfor15minutesandusuallyprescribedpharmaceuticaldrugs.While therearesomemajoradvantagesofpharmaceuticalmedications,theirover-administrationand lackofpatienteducationmaybedestroyingpeople’saccountabilityoftheirownhealthand lifestylechoices. Pharmaceuticalscreatesideeffectsthataremanagedbyissuingmorepharmaceuticals.An exampleofthisisthecommonlyprescribedNSAIDswhichweakenthestomachlining, increasingtheriskofulcerthereforerequiringaproton-pumpinhibitortoreducestomach acidity.Lowstomachacidimpairsdigestionandincreasestheriskofinfection.Alternatively, naturehasprovideditsownanti-inflammatoriessuchascurcumalonga(turmeric),containing theactiveingredientcurcumin.Naturaltreatmentsrecommendedbyalternativemedicine practitionerssupportmanybodysystemssimultaneously,ratherthansupportingoneorganat thedetrimentofanother. Theancientwisdomof‘alternative’medicineshouldnotbeunderestimatedandisrisingagain inpopularityaspeoplearebecomingincreasinglydisappointedbythepharmaceuticalindustry. Alternativemedicineusesthesynergisticrelationshipbetweenhumansandtheearthto supportatrulyholisticwellbeingwithreducedriskofsideeffects.Itisoftenfocusedtowards discoveringtheunderlyingcauseofdiseaseratherthanmerelysuppressingsymptoms.The Earthcanprovideallthatweneedtosupportlifeandremainingoodhealth,andinchoosing alternativemedicinewesupporttheEarth,wesupportourhealthandwesupportour communities.
