Does natural medicine still have a role in the modern world?

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   grumpiornotposted 12 years ago

   Does natural medicine still have a role in the modern world?
   
   Naturopaths and homeopaths (as well as other traditional healers) are often regarded as "alternative" medicine. Is there any place for this in the modern world or should only traditional medicine be used for chronic illness?

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   chef-de-jourposted 12 years ago

   I think there is a place for natural medicines but increasingly naturopaths and other alternative practises are being squeezed out of existence by regulations and laws. From herb teas to meditation and massage, from special diets to plant derived medication natural medicine has a long history and won't disappear completely because some of it works! Natural medicine can help prevent some minor illnesses but the modern world demands powerful and effective drugs for serious illness. I'd like natural medicine to continue to compliment the allopathic treatments.

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      grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Without trying to sound sensationalist, are natural medicines squeezed out by laws or by money... or is that the same thing ultimately?
      Thanks for your comment.

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      artist101posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think its money, its not profitable. If your patient is well they wont return, and natural medicines, and foods are not patentable. A patent on a med lasts 7 years, then a generic can be made. Change one element in the med, the patent runs 7 more

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   mikejhcaposted 12 years ago

   There is a place for alternative medicine.  I don't think people use it enough.  One major advantage to what is considered alternative medicine is that a lot of it does not have bad side effects.  The side effects are often good.  You could use so called alternative medicine to prevent or reduce health problems.  I see the medicine advertised on TV with the long warnings and I think to myself that I would rather meditate and do healing exercises like qigong or yoga than take something that may kill me.
   
   My experience with alternative medicine is limited to meditation and healing exercises but they work well for a lot of problems and they work even better for preventing problems.  I say if something works and it does not have a long list of negative side effects why not take it instead.  Meditation and healing exercises have a long list of good side effects. 
   
   In my opinion natural medicine should be used first.  It should be used to prevent or treat problems.  If it does not work then try the modern medicine.  Modern medicine is a cash grab.  The big money is invested in medicine that people need to keep paying for.

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      grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks and agreed. The natural route is called "natural" for a very good reason, I think. Our bodies respond better to that, with good exercise regimes. But, as you suggest, huge money IS invested in "modern" medicine and works to a degree.

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   StandingJaguarposted 12 years ago

   It is interesting that you used the word "traditional", because it is naturopaths and homeopaths (among others) who are, in fact, practicing "Traditional" medicine. What hospitals and med-school doctors practice now is not traditional at all, but very, extremely, modern and "new".
   
   I think modern medicine has done much in the way of curing and treating acute diseases, but has achieved nothing in the way of chronic disease. It is precisely chronic diseases where traditional (naturopath, homeopath, etc) medicine shines, and modern medicine fails terribly.

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      grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are quite right, StandingJag! My mistake - I meant the last reference to traditional medicine to mean modern medicine... Thanks for pointing it out.

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   Garifaliaposted 12 years ago

   I believe that we all have created a man made earth where natural medicine can do very little. However, I ,as well as others, do rely on nature for minor problems. For the biggies...well, it's the nature of the environment nowadays that it will not allow for natural healing.
   
   Anyway, I believe the best medicine for most problems is unconditional love, understanding and moving to the countryside where to some extent people live closer to nature.

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      grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Garifalia, you've raised an interesting question, which I've also just posted. You make me wonder whether humans are intended to prolong life through medicine or whether that is just harming the planet with over-population... Thanks for your comment

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   ChristinSposted 12 years ago

   This answer isn't popular, but I would trust natural cures/remedies over most pharmaceutical garbage any day.  I didn't used to feel that way until a doctor insisted I take an asthma drug for very mild asthma that I didn't need.  She insisted it would help me lose the need for a regular inhaler over time (patently false, but I trusted my doctor) Most people do trust doctors blindly and I learned the hard way why that is a serious mistake.
   
   Fast forward a year later and a "rare but serious side effect" nearly killed me.  I went into acute respiratory failure while home alone and had to call an ambulance to rush me to the hospital.  Thankfully the ambulance was only 2 blocks away.  Prior to this I had been a very healthy, active 32 year old woman.  This was a purple disk drug that was pushed constantly and doctors bought it. It was later black boxed and the truth came out that it increases your risk of death from asthma. Only someone with COPD or serious lung diseases should ever have been put on it.  Doctors are pushers - they do absolutely nothing to get to the root causes of illnesses and chase symptoms with pills.  There are so many "medicines" it's impossible to know the effects of all of them. It's unfortunate because most docs mean well and buy into the myth that modern medicine is best.
   
   That bout with medicine I didn't need did permanent damage to my lungs, and the drugs they had to pump me full of to save my life (35 shots of steroids over 5 days) ate holes in my brain.  Chunks of long term memory are gone that I can't recover and that is permanent.  It took a year to work through the horrible side effects of all those drugs as they left my system.
   
   After that I completely devoted myself to natural medicine and lifestyle.  I am much happier and healthier because of it.  It's been 7 years and I'll never go back to "modern" medicine.  Not saying it doesn't have any place, it certainly does but it needs more transparency and there will never be any cures as long as there are huge profits in keeping people chronically ill.  Think about it.

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      artist101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, I am so sorry.

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      grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry to hear about the terrible effects of the medicine and thanks for sharing your personal story with us. It seems the benefits of natural medicine are often overlooked in favour of the big-money modern medicine.

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      fitmomposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's awful! I'm all for natural remedies and do not take any medicine unless I really need to. There are so many terrible side effects to medicine. It's all about generating money for the pharmaceutical companies and such. I'm glad you're better.

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   artist101posted 12 years ago

   I like to refer to alternative medicine as holistic medicine. Treat each person as an individual, each requiring a different set of healing measures. Each of us are an individual with different needs, that require individual analysis. No two thumb prints, or snow flakes are exactly alike. We all have different back rounds, different living conditions, as well as chemical make up. Not just by gender, but genetic back round, demegraffic area, state of home life, and stress levels. So, therefore, each individual should be assessed according to those factors before proceeding with any healing method. Whether it is natural, alternative, conventional, or otherwise.

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      artist101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for choosing my answer. I believe in what I am writing about. I have seen miracles, when I was written off, with very little hope other than a life of pills, I discovered holistic medicine. I new God had a plan for me, other than that.

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8. 72

   samnashyposted 12 years ago

   Absolutely, However I do believe we do need conventional medicine for more serious complications and multiple chronic conditions.  If we all adhered to a healthy diet, exercise, clean living, without chemical products etc.  (by the way myself included) then preventative natural medicine would also play an even more significant part in our lives.

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      grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yup, it seems that modern medicine does still fill some gaps where natural medicine is not conclusive. It would be ideal if more natural treatments could be the answer, but it seems that is not viable, yet.

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   fitmomposted 12 years ago

   Absolutely! I think it is growing in popularity, and I hope that it continues to do so. When there are natural treatments that work, why come up with a high cost, synthetic, drug-induced treatment? The answer to that question is money and modern medicine is all about generating money. Besides money, modern medicine is full of egos and power.
   
   In my experience, natural medicine offers better treatments (far superior to allopathic) that are more cost-effective and without the harmful side-effects that are riddled by drugs.
   
   I've had many personal experiences where prescriptions made my health worse and I tried natural rememdies for the same problem. The problems were fixed so quickly, were very cheap, and didn't have side effects.
   
   There are times when modern medicine is necessary. I'd try all other options first.

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      grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Awesome answer and I must agree that the huge financial angle of modern medicine does raise my hackles. If there are other options, it seems "natural" to explore them, I think...

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    Lipnancyposted 12 years ago

    I hate to tell you this. I always consult my Natural path first, and then I allow my medical doctor to fill in the gaps. For example, I use my a visit to my medical doctor so I can get a blood test and work on my high cholesterol with natural cures. But I am always honest about what I am doing and believe it or not sometimes my medical doctor will suggest a natural cure.

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       artist101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I do the same thing.  That way at least I know what I'm fighting, and can investigate the best natural cures for that particular ailment.

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       grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       It seems that each route has its own strengths and should play to those. Hopefully people will become more open to the route of combining them.

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       artist101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Definitely, physicians are slowly coming around to that way of thinking. Pharmaceauticals have been ingrained so deeply into the health word, that seems to be the first and only route for most physicians. There are so many more therapies available.

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    NaturalHealthVetposted 12 years ago

    Hi
    
    The study of individual nutrition bearing in mind our own unique genetic makeup is generally termed Nutrigenomics. Unfortunatley I do think we are still a long way from being able to make the best use of this type of tailored nutrition.  I am a practicing veterinarian and have seen many of the negative side effects of drug treatments first hand. I started using natural alternatives to drugs almost ten years ago and now very rarely have to resort to drugs. I have an holistic approach to animal care so look at every aspect of the animals I treat and consider the body as a whole living being. When I first started treating animals I faced a lot of resistance however over the years my clients have seen the benefits of this and now actively encourage me to look for natural alternatives. Drugs do no generally treat the underlying condition but only tend to mask the symptoms. It is interesting to me that many of the same people and companies that were rubbishing the use of natural products are now slowly coming on board. Many pharmaceutical companies have there own ranges of products now! Although I am sure this is more for profit reasons than because they think it will help. One of the favourite arguments against natural medicine is the placebo effect however I have seen too many cases of animals that don't know whether they are receiving a drug or a natural alternative getting better using a natural product to know that this is not a placebo effect.

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       grumpiornotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Fascinating! I had no idea that the concept could be applied to our pets as well. Thanks for your input.

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    Delila1posted 11 years ago

    There already is and it is on the rise. More and more are returning to traditional or natural medicines. Such forms of medicines are used as preventive, complimentary medicines as well as to treat common ailments. In some cases, people with terminal illnesses also turn to natural medicines as last resort. At the end of the day, the aim of any medicine is to heal the patient and whether conventional treatment or otherwise, professionals in the field will understand that and work together. Indeed, what is wonderful about many natural medicine systems is that they are holistic so what you eat, your lifestyle, stress levels are all taken in to account.These medicines are also not symptomatic based. It is not just a question of having a long life, but of having a healthy life in mind, body and spirit and one that makes you feel connected and aware that you are not seperate from the whole.

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       artist101posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Great answer. If we could just get conventional medicine to catch up. There is overwhelming research, and clinical trials to support what holistic doctors have already proven. Treat the patient as a whole, with the very best medicine, or procedures

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