Medicine is a necessity to life however as the field develops and as medical scientists continue to search and discover new kinds of drugs, the debate remains on the effectiveness of these new discoveries compared to ancient forms. In ancient times, people resorted to herbal and spiritual medicine to ease the pains and injuries they have. Simple as these may seem, our ancestors have put their full trust in their effectively. In the advent of technology, medical scientists evolved and thousands of discoveries in the field cropped - each claiming effective curing properties. New drugs flooded the market. With its development in the early Renaissance, modern medicine became more specific and was separated into different fields. Healthcare providers focused increasingly on the technology that was enabling them to make dramatic improvements in patients' health. With the synergy of modern technology and medical science, health care was then equated to this type of medication which gradually pushed herbal or alternative medicine on the sidelights. Modern medical practitioners believe that traditional medicine is unsafe and ineffective - these, they claim further aggravates the patient's condition rather than ease the pain. Traditional medical practitioners, on the other hand, rebut these claims saying, modern medicine only aggravates the condition of the patient as their prescribed drugs are too expensive and somehow out of reach.

In remote areas of the world, in communities who strictly adhere to traditions, they look at modern medicine as an intrusion to their beliefs. They are not open to the idea of taking in prescribed and over-the-counter drugs to cure their illness. They feel that modern medicine is only for the "financially gifted" and that they are not among these people. In the later part of the century, however, the heightened debate yielded somehow positive results. Modern medical schools and scientists, although still with reservations, have taken cognizant on the effectiveness of traditional medicine. While they continue to criticize traditional medicine, modern medicine likewise has its share of the flak. But these criticisms of modern medicine led to some improvements in the curricula of medical schools, which now teach students systematically on medical ethics, holistic approaches to medicine, the biopsychosocial model and similar concepts.

Modern medicine claims to offer a handy remedy to illness but reality says otherwise. While modern practitioners deny, the fact remains that there thousands of patients who do not get well with their prescriptions, worst even loose their lives. With its inability to properly address many common complaints, many people are prompted to seek support from alternative medicine. Although most alternative approaches lack scientific validation, some may be effective in isolated cases. The paradigm of medical science and alternative health care may differ to such an extent that what constitutes scientific evidence is contested. Although efforts were started to make both beliefs meet, only very few physicians practice alternative medicine alongside modern approaches. Many still ignore the value of alternative medicine. As medical scientists religiously search for new technology and new drugs, practitioners of alternative medicine continue to fight for their niche in the medical field. However, as the debate never stops, the poor patients remain the silent victims. They would want to have their illnesses cured but do not want to take the risk and get caught between the debates. For them, at the end of the day, what really matters is not

What method was used but that they are alive...

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