Discuss the roles of alternative medicine today.

Since the dawn of human civilization, the mind was considered an integral part of healing and health. But with the emergence of the Renaissance, these ideas were redefined. As the mind split asunder from the body, diseases and pathological changes were emphasized greatly over balanced state of body and mind. Today, centuries later, the ancient healing techniques are being revisited in new light. Though scientific community receives its benefits and effectiveness with skepticism, that does little to change public trend: already hundreds of millions favor alternative medicine for its benefits of not only healing illness but also enhancing experiences. Whats more, all these benefits come at low monetary cost. The actual cost, including potential side-effects and the actual effectiveness, however, are not fully known yet; so, the alternative treatment may as well be harmful while the willpower and faith of patients, curing the ailment. Like conventional medicines, alternative medicines relieve the body of any pain and bring about desired changes, both physical and physiological. Pain, in fact, is cited as the most common reason for the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), as concluded by a survey in National Health Interview. To curb this physical pain, patients go to chiropractors in case of abdominal pain, apply home-made ointments in case of mild headaches and fever and make use of local herbal medicine to heal wounds. Even in cases of osteoarthritis, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) found, patients have opted to undergo acupuncture foregoing any conventional treatment. On the physiological side, yoga has helped people breathe better, sleep better and even function better. In a survey of 66 people conducted by NCCAM, it was found that tai chi most benefits people with fibromyalgia by improving sleep quality, mood and quality of life. Similarly, yoga has been found to improve cardiovascular efficiency, normalize weight and improve posture. Furthermore, yoga could improve the immunity system of the human body and even maximize athletic performance; after all, athletes and sportsperson take such discipline not without a reason. But the vast benefits of alternative medicine do not end with the mere cure of illness. Unlike doctorprescribed medicines, CAM can enhance cognitive, spiritual, social and psychological experiences as well. Unusual as it may sound, alternative medicine have the potency to bring about cognitive changes: while yoga and tai chi improve concentration, memory and attention, cognitive behavior therapy like reframing can help patients to identify stimulus that trigger stress and pain and respond to it differently. Even incidents of improvement in spiritual well-being due to the usage of alternative medicine have been recorded many a times. In spite of her skepticism in the beginning, Betty Carlson, 79, for instance, felt spiritual experiences in course of a Reiki therapy she had been taking after undergoing open-heart surgery. Likewise, meditation has been a medium to many to witness spiritual awakening while attaining a tranquil state of mind. Then, there is the betterment of social character. This is usually done in yoga by elevating self-acceptance and thereby increasing social adjustment. Music and art therapy, too, help patients express selves better in an atmosphere of absolute relaxation. Also, in cases of alternative treatment, there is a development of a bond between doctors and patients; it is because of this relation that the doctor can better understand his patients and offer appropriate remedy. The psychological benefits of alternative medicine, moreover, are more diverse than others. A treatment as simple as touch therapy can alleviate pain and anxiety miraculously (as it did in the case of Linda Aron, who despite feeling anxious before an operation grew completely calm after a massage therapy); simple stretching and breathing of yoga can help improve psychomotor abilities like co-ordination, balance and grip, reduce stress and lighten up ones mood; simple transcendental meditation can help students reduce stress and improve coping strategies, a 298-college students study by NCCAM concluded. Benefits to body as well as mind are not the only reasons to the presence of alternative medicine over the conventional; there is another factor at work: cost. As health care costs continue to outpace inflation and wage rate combined, ever so more people are compelled to turn to alternative medicine as substitutes. One single radiation therapy to treat cancer and a small dosage of insulin may cost a fortune to the poor, but alternative medicines are within the reach of the little money they have. Since the results are mostly

similar, and sometimes even better, the 80 million American adults who use some form of alternative medicine mostly do not mind. These are the very people who consider the bitter juice of bottle gourd better than the best of medicines that conventional doctors prescribe. The choice of medication is definitely patients to choose but the switch from conventional medicine to alternative medicine brings a pressing issue to the forefront: since people go to conventional doctors less often, they are four times less likely to be uninsured, so are more vulnerable. To some extent, side effects and efficacy may have added to the benefits and low cost, contributing in emerging this trend of alternative medicine. But neither the effectiveness nor the side effects of the treatments have been accurately confirmed yet since their effect has not been studied under cell culture. Hitherto, alternative medicines have been assumed to have no negative side effects since they are natural. But we know better: natural does not necessarily mean safe. Even after casting this appeal to nature fallacy aside, the negative side effects still could be very less. In homeopathy, the solutions are usually so diluted that the toxic ingredients rarely have any effect while the effective ingredients are preserved and brought to effect by the memory of water, a phenomenon first observed by Jacques Benveniste. Other side effects may too arise, but these are mostly the result of ignorance of the doctor. A Swiss healer, for one, was accused of infecting 16 patients with HIV through acupuncture needles. As for the efficiency of alternative medicine, studies can speak for themselves: a 2004 Harvard study identified 181 research papers on yoga reporting it being suitable to treat an impressive array of aliments, ranging from depression to hypertension, from high blood pressure to heart diseases, from diabetes to even cancer. Still, many skeptical scientists attribute such effectiveness of alternative medicines to the placebo effect. Perhaps, they are true; perhaps they are not. Edzard Ernst, the worlds first professor of complementary medicine, recorded in his Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine that around 95 percent of treatments examined in diverse alternative treatments were only placebo effect and only 5 percent went beyond that. Even in the case of conventional medicine, it has been found that larger pills work better than smaller pills and colored pills, still better than white pills for the same amount of active ingredients. After all, the placebo effect accounts for about a third of the benefits of any conventional treatment even those that were fully tested. But does this finding mean that leaving the entire treatment in the hands of faith is fair? Certainly, not. The risk involved in letting patients let go any conventional treatment, leaving the entire matter to be decided by faith healing is too great to allow. Else, we may as well live in the stone ages if we even consider such matter. All in all, alternative medicine may not be the panacea of all diseases, so long as it does not have negative side effects, it may still be a preferable choice since the benefits to the body as well as the mind, actual or not, are too great to be overlooked. Whether it is a trick or a treatment, the integration of CAM with conventional medicine will make available patient-centered service, enhancing hospital experience and may just be the silver bullet the health sector so desperately needed. NIRAJ