I continue to be blown away by the absolute miracle that I am! Wait a minute, that's not my head swelling all over the page. I'm referring to how awesome a miracle my body is. I've had mine for just over 55 years now and it never fails to amaze me with its ability to take care of itself. Considering what I've put this body through and the amount of abuse I've subjected it to, mine continues to exceed my very best expectations.
I've studied and used "Alternative" or "Natural" healing techniques for a little over half my life now and I'm a stand for its effectiveness. I've, also, had those times when my body needed some drastic assistance and I go to a conventional doctor for those times. For such drastic situations, Conventional Medicine is just what the Doctor ordered.
First of all, I find the very terms we use to describe these two approaches to medicine to be turned around. We call natural medicine "Alternative" when it precedes AMA type medicine by, at least, a few thousand years and we call the newer form of medicine "Conventional". How twisted is that?
But I digress. I have always been amused by the sibling rivalry, and sometimes out and out hatred, between these two approaches to healing when they have so much to compliment each other. What a tremendous waste.
I blame the AMA and the FDA for most of the conflict, however! Before there was an American Medical Association or a FDA, healers were often Barbers with a sideline interest in general health and before that there was only herbal/natural healing methods usually dispensed by a tribe member or midwife with a gift for helping people.
Then, as humans will do, groups of these healers would gather and compare notes. That led to a desire to organize and format all that knowledge so that all of it would be available to everyone in the group. Presto, the American Medical Association (1847). It was then decided that a uniform set of rules and procedures were needed and that lead to the concept of uniform formal study of medicine and various licenses to practice it. Viola! Doctors and Nurses.
As I see it, the fly in the ointment came when companies formed to produce combinations of herbs, barks, leaves, roots and Chemistry and marketed them to the public in the form of "Snake Oil" and to Doctors & Nurses in the form of "Preparations" which saved them time and energy.
The most famous of these "Snake Oil" remedies is what we now call Coca-Cola, which up until the 1950's contained a concentration of Cocaine and was marketed as a cure all for whatever might ail you. It made people feel better,,, imagine that! Dr. Pepper was another. The 3 numbers on Dr Pepper bottles produced up until the 80's referred to the times of day the remedy should be taken.
With that kind of medicine being bought sold all over the country it was no surprise that some supervision of drug companies was in order. Viola! The Food & Drug Administration (1862) popped up to fill the need. Eventually the drug producers, drug regulators and drug prescribers became so cozy with one another that Natural medical preparations got pretty much pushed aside by the medical establishment as "Old School" and lumped into the same category as the old "Snake Oils".
The 1960's brought in a re-awakening of interest in nature and its healing properties and that's when "Alternative" medicine came under fierce political opposition from the medical "Establishment". By then the medical establishment had too much to lose to allow people to regain control over their own health care.
But, back to my original point; both approaches to medicine and healing have their strengths and their weaknesses. However, the two together make a powerful combination to support the whole healthy human. For preventive care and maintenance, "Natural" or "Alternative" medicines have no equal. For critical or catastrophic health conditions, "Conventional" medicine has no equal.
I long for the day when these to siblings just admit that they are both unequalled in their own special area of care and start working together for the good they have in common towards the proper care and maintenance of the Whole Human Being.
For more information about "Alternative" or "Natural" health care and maintenance please visit http://www.gonatures.com We'll be happy to fix you right up!
Much Love, Gregory Franklyn.
I would choose conventional medicine in both cases, but when it comes to chronic conditions and other diseases, should we place all our faith in medical doctors?
According to a recent survey in the New England Journal of Medicine:
95% of all doctors admit they had "contact" with big drug companies;
35% have been reimbursed by these companies for costs associated with attending medical meetings and conventions;
28% were also paid for lectures and consulting work; and
7% accepted free tickets to professional sports games, concerts and other events.
This evidence raises the question of whether doctors are working for the best interests of us patients or their drug suppliers.
For most of my life I've taken my doctor's advice. But after watching my two closest relatives lose their lives within 21 months of each other while under the care of top rated, board certified oncologists, I began to reassess my beliefs.
One of the hardest things about breast cancer treatments is the avalanche of available, often conflicting, information about which treatment or therapy is best.
At the end of 2002, my 65 year old mom's breast cancer returned after 19 years in remission.
In the spring of 2003, my 43 year old sister was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time.
They both benefited from some of the "best" conventional medical care in the San Francisco East Bay Area.
I know because the shelves of their medicine cabinets were lined with bottles of prescription medicine, a good proportion of which were experimental drugs.
They also had access to leading alternative health therapies too.
Acupuncture, essential oil therapy, deep tissue massage, and herbal treatments are considered viable, highly respected alternatives in northern California.
But not to their highly respected, board certified oncologists at the hospital.
They had to sneak around their oncologists when they went to their see their naturopaths or have acupuncture treatments.
In many cases, these alternative treatment alleviated the debilitating side effects of "conventional" drugs and chemotherapy.
Having to downplay or even hide the truth of what they were doing certainly did nothing to calm or ease the stress of their respective situations, either.
I don't blame the doctors or hold them accountable in anyway for the eventual loss of my loved ones, but I was frustrated and very disappointed by their across the board refusal to explore or even allow for open discussion of alternative therapies.
Whether they be conventional practitioners or alternative healers, credentials and word of mouth are two key factors when choosing my own health care providers.
I had a sit down interview with primary care physician and asked pointed questions about his experience treating asthma and allergies and the types of patients he had under his care.
He was forthcoming and personable and admitted that he would never have all the answers.
My acupuncturist and chiropractor were friends of friends before becoming integral members of my chosen family.
There are lots and lots of credentialed and non-credentialed experts on the internet.
Who's advice do you trust?
What information do you believe and why?
Mostly it's instinctual. Or really good word of mouth.
Depending on the activity, it's pretty easy to put your trust in a total stranger. When you're in line for a movie and the previous show is letting out, how often do you listen to the 'off the cuff' reviews of exiting moviegoers?
When's the last time you went to new restaurant without reading a review or talking to a friend or co-worker first?
How about buying a new cell phone? Or digital camera?
Reviews, testimonials and recommendations from satisfied customers often make the difference between a pass and a sale on the internet.
People inherently distrust anything they don't understand or have never heard of before, so other people's opinions and insights usually make the difference between giving up the cash and clicking back to that page of Google search listings.
But, and this often gets overlooked in the decision making process, what works for one person doesn't always work for another.
This is particularly true when if comes to your health.
The internet is a primary tool for disseminating information on any health topic -- virtually everything you buy comes with a money back guarantee.
But we don't really want our "money back", we want to feel better. We want the guarantee of success that the advertised "health benefits" promise.
That's what we really want.
We all want to feel better and get help for our ailments and we spend increasing amounts of time online looking for answers.
This is what we all are doing with ever increasing regularity.
Finding the information is easy. Trusting your gut and the opinions of others when making a decision about your health can require a little more time and effort.
Stay informed. Read testimonials. Send emails to eBook author or product manufacturer. Get your hands (and eyes) on as much FREE information as possible.
Your doctor can only do so much for you beyond checking your vital signs and writing a prescription; It's your responsibility to seek your own answers by surfing responsibly on the internet.
As I've grown more confident in making my own informed judgment about my health, I've thought about asking my doctor if he's ever been able to CURE any of his patients of asthma and allergies.
Both Gregory Franklyn & Jay Greene are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gregory Franklyn has sinced written about articles on various topics from Alternative Medicine, Family and Alternative Medicine. For more information about All Natural Alternative Health Products please visit http://www.gonatures.com. Gregory Franklyn's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Jay Greene has sinced written about articles on various topics from Alternative Medicine, Fitness and Detoxification. Jay Greene has been doing regularly scheduled maintenance on his body since 2002. He has recently defied the laws of nature by becoming one of the youngest looking 40 year olds on the planet. His new eBook, The Ultimate Detox Reference Guide, offers the. Jay Greene's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.