Background of the Study
Definition of Alternative and Holistic Medicine
Complementary and alternative medical (CAM) practices refer to various healthcare strategies and products to prevent and treat human disease. Still, they are not yet considered a part of conventional medicine. The integration of CAM is often intended to achieve holistic medicine, which emphasizes the interconnection of various components in patients’ wellness (Barma par. 1). The implication is that if the patient’s body or mind is working improperly, they can develop health issues.
Thus, healthcare practitioners who practice holistic care use treatments such as acupuncture and look into different aspects of the patients that may be negatively affecting their health. Conventional management has its roots in Eastern medicine, which focuses on treating the whole person and not just their symptoms (Santhakumar par.1). Conversely, conventional Western medicine uses drugs and other medical technologies to kill pathogens and alleviate the pain and symptoms of a patient.
Main Difference with Conventional Medicine
Conventional medicine is grounded on three specific functions relevant to treating patients. First, the doctor must physically examine the associated symptoms (Santhakumar par.6). The diseases are then diagnosed by applying scientific evidence, after which the patient is treated using clinically proven mechanisms with proven effectiveness.
Conversely, conventional medicine is more holistic, with a primary focus on restoring homeostasis (Santhakumar par.6). Notably, there is a wide range of conventional medicine, most of which needs to be backed by scientific evidence or licensed to be treated. The practitioners who practice conventional medicine may not have any formal education.
Purpose and Thesis Statement
Conventional medicine existed before scientific research on human and animal bodies started. It is still a viable treatment option in many African and Asian countries. As many people continue to recognize the relevance of a holistic approach to care, it is expected that many worldwide will start using CAM as a viable healthcare option.
There is sufficient evidence to prove that holistic care has many applications and benefits for users. Moreover, CAM is effective for both mental and physical problems and can be used for people across all age groups without significant adverse effects. The current research paper investigates the viability of combining CAM with conventional treatment to enhance health and wellness. The guiding thesis for this paper is that although alternative and holistic medical care is not based on scientific evidence, it should be integrated into conventional medicine as it has demonstrated various benefits to users.
Study Hypothesis
- Hypothesis 1: Conventional medicine has many benefits, including preventive care, managing chronic diseases, reducing the cost of treatment, and minimizing the use of antibiotics.
- Hypothesis 2: It is possible to successfully combine alternative and conventional treatments without risk of adverse effects.
- Hypothesis 3: People are more receptive to combining the two medical approaches as long as it enhances their health outcomes.
Methods and Materials
The research paper reviews relevant literature to discover the history, application, and viability of alternative medicine when combined with conventional medicine. Particularly, the researcher will review information from websites and research papers. In addition, the research uses a qualitative approach to gather data through interviews with one patient who has had a combined experience of using both the alternative and conventional treatment, a conventional doctor, and an alternative practitioner. The researcher uses purposeful sampling to identify the interviewees and get respondents who can provide the most relevant information. Thematic analysis will then be used to analyze the data, and the specific information on alternative medicine and the possibility of combining them will be evaluated for similarities.
Literature Review
Brief History of Alternative and Holistic Care
Humans have always tried to use different mechanisms to alleviate their diseases. However, alternative medicine was first introduced in the 1800s to distinguish it from allopathic medicine (Kisling and Regan 1). The distinction was necessary for patients to decide the kind of medicine that they preferred. At the time, alternative medicine was marketed as focusing on stimulating the body to align its energy in balance and heal itself.
Hippocrates, broadly accepted as the father of medicine, advocated for using nature as a cure more than 2000 years ago, and many nations embraced his teachings (“A Brief History” par.5). Most alternative medicines were mainly practiced in Asian countries and Africa. However, progress has led people in Western nations to embrace holistic care practices.
Statistical Outlook on the Use of CAM
Conventional treatment has proven to be highly effective in alleviating illnesses and improving the overall quality of life. For instance, in one experimental setting, CAM was implemented at the UC Davis Medical Centre emergency department in the summer of 2021. There was a 42% drop in hospitalization within only six months (Garcia’s par.7). Statistics reveal that 80% of Africans use conventional medicine.
There are more than 11 Asian countries with policies that support the use of CAM (Barma para.3). Alternative medicine is gaining popularity in Western nations due to increased immigration and the sharing of information across countries. In the United States, 38% and 12% of adults and children use CAM, respectively (“Types of Complementary par.1). The finding shows that holistic care has great potential to reduce the burden of care when used alongside.
Reasons for the Rise of Alternative Medicine
Sedentary Lifestyle Leading to a High Prevalence of Chronic Diseases
The increase in sedentary lifestyles has increased the prevalence of chronic diseases across all age groups. Most alternative medicine promises to help alleviate pain and other medical conditions associated with alternative care. For instance, complementary integrative therapies (CITs) have shown high efficacy in decreasing pain intensity among cancer survivors (Maindet et al. 3119).
In addition, alternative care such as acupuncture and full body massage can help relieve aches from sitting down for long hours while still helping the body remove toxins. Some herbs are effectively used to prevent or reduce hypertension and diabetes. Thus, people who have a sedentary lifestyle due to the nature of their work can benefit from occasional CITs.
Benefits of Alternative and Holistic Medicine
One of the key benefits of alternative medicine is that it is natural, which can help clients avoid chemicals and toxins often present in conventional treatments. The other benefit is that the treatment is holistic, targeting the wellness of the entire body and not merely some specific body parts (“Benefits of Holistic” par.1). Alternative treatments such as yoga and massage can treat chronic pain in the short term as the effect is felt for about three to five months (Trivedi et al. 1). There is a significant emphasis on prevention, given that the primary goal of holistic medicine is to increase the patient’s level of awareness. For instance, the practitioner may tell their client of an impending illness and make them take precautionary measures to prevent the development of the disease.
The other advantage of CAM is that it integrates healing with the patients’ environment and routine, making it a functional medicine. Holistic medicine practitioners work with their patients to empower them to take control of their personal well-being. Treatment is explained to the patient to empower them with information and help them in carrying out some of the practices at home with limited instructions from the caregivers (“Benefits of Holistic” par.5). Moreover, the practitioners provide teaching by example and provide evidence for the benefits of the treatment. For instance, a yoga teacher must understand the meditating positions and postures and practically demonstrate them to the client.
Low Cost of Treatment
Holistic practitioners practice their treatment more and learn new skills, techniques, and herbs within their natural environment. Conversely, doctors, nurses, and other medics practicing conventional care must undergo formal education for many years before they can be given an accrediting license. The impact directly affects the cost of treatment, as many doctors charge exorbitantly for treatment, drugs, and medical equipment.
Patients who cannot afford the treatment may not receive quality care. However, given that the cost of becoming a holistic medicine practitioner is relatively cheap and the treatments are mostly natural, their charges are relatively reasonable. Providing cheaper healthcare will help 46 million Americans without access to treatment, primarily due to the cost of a better alternative, Tais (Setareh and Erica 2). Despite the low cost, the treatments are still effective and help enhance the patient’s wellness from within.
Perceived Fewer Side-Effects of CAM
There are many side effects of conventional medicine, such as drugs and chemotherapy treatment. Some patients can experience adverse effects from the kind of treatment offered due to the chemical and radiation effects. However, there are minimal side effects for people who use the alternative treatment because the care is primarily natural and involves stimulating the body or using herbs to achieve balance and improve wellness. One study found that using alternative treatment can potentially lead to reduced use of antibiotic drugs (Baars et al. 29). The relevance of not using antibiotics for an extended period is that it prevents developing resistance, where the drug ceases to be effective and a different regimen has to be introduced in the body.
Types of Alternative Medicine
There is a wide range of alternative treatments that patients can select from depending on their preferences, illness, or targeted area of wellness. One of the forms can be categorized as traditional alternative medicine and involves acupuncture, Ayurveda, homeopathy, oriental medicine, and naturopathy (“Types of Complementary par.2). In addition, other treatments involve touch and are often combined with the mind, such as massage, Tai Chi, yoga, and chiropractic. The use of diets and herbs has existed for centuries, with many Asian and Indigenous tribes having traditional medicine men who are taught about the different trees and their components.
In addition, external energy, such as Reiki and electromagnetic therapy, is used to refresh the body. Mind games, meditation, and yoga are effective in calming the nerves and helping the patient to enjoy some internal peace. Sensory alternative healthcare, such as the use of art, dance, guided imagery, visualization, and music, are becoming famous due to their ability to enhance both mental and body wellness (“Types of Complementary par.7). A person does not necessarily need to become sick for them to seek this form of treatment because they enhance wellness and have minimal adverse side effects.
Western Versus Eastern Holistic Medicine
Most medicine is the most common healthcare system practiced worldwide to enhance people’s health. Allopathic medicine, mainstream, conventional, or evidence-based care can all be used interchangeably to mean Western treatment (Kisling and Regan 1). Medical professionals, including nurses and physicians, are the primary care professionals in such treatment. The places to find care are hospitals, clinics, or other formal healthcare organizations.
Conversely, Eastern medicine consists of treatment procedures that are not part of standard medical care. It is referred to as an alternative or natural treatment. It emanates from Chinese traditional medicine and the use of Ayurveda techniques, all of which are holistic and existed long before the Western kind of medicine (Santhakumar par.2). Alternative medicine is more holistic as the practitioner is more concerned with the restoration of the balance of the whole person. Moreover, whereas Western care is more treatment-focused, Eastern medicine focuses more on prevention.
Logic in Combining the Treatments
Both conventional and alternative medicines have several advantages that can be complementary and more effective in treating patients and enhancing their satisfaction levels. Evidence indicates that cancer patients being treated using the conventional method benefit from massage and yoga, which helps relieve pain in their bodies (Garcia’s par.7). The implication is that combining the treatment leads to better health outcomes. The patient’s health is restored quickly. The other logic is that it may reduce the overall cost of treatment because alternative medicine, such as herbal teas, can replace the medications for diabetes and high blood pressure, which can be expensive for some people.
The other reason for integrating conventional and alternative medicine is to enhance the patient’s experience with the treatment. Notably, given the high workload that Western patients always work, it is easy for them not to spend the required time attending to the patient (Mayer par.4). However, the alternative care practitioners take more time to listen to the patient, empathize, and try to fix a personalized treatment strategy for the patients.
Moreover, many patients already combine the two types of medicine without informing their doctors. For example, one study revealed that across 14 countries, about 24 to 71.3% of the patients used some holistic treatment (Lee et al. 734). It is better if the practitioners agree to inform the patient better on the best way to combine the treatments and get the best results.
Findings from the Interview
Hypothesis 1: Benefits of Conventional Medicine
The results from the interview show that both the beneficiaries of using integrated conventional and alternative medicine, the Western medical doctor, a traditional acupuncturist, and a massage specialist, believe that combining the two medical approaches is excellent for the patient. For example, one of the interviewees, a cancer survivor, said he benefited from the chemotherapy treatment and surgery to remove a head tumor. However, after the chemo, he would feel exhausted and experience excruciating pain.
He decided to go and see a holistic healthcare practitioner who recommended that he get a restrictive diet, which enhanced his healing process. In addition, he received occasional massages, which helped to relax his body and remove the internal toxins from the radiation. The result is that his recovery process was faster than that of most people with a brain tumor diagnosis.
The Western doctor concurred that there is a place for conventional medicine in the modern era, where many chronic diseases emanate from lifestyle changes, not microbes. His response consists of research studies that show that in the future, many people will be combining conventional and CAM to address multiple health challenges (Czerska 803). The acupuncturist held a similar opinion and noted that it is especially vital for Western doctors not to undermine naturalistic medical procedures. Thus, if the patients and the practitioners from either side agree that combining the medical practices will have a positive impact, the Ministry of Health can start considering the best approach for integration (Sierpina 667). In the future, hospitals can have a section for naturalistic medical practitioners.
Hypothesis 2: Combining Alternative and Conventional Medicine is Not Risky
The findings from the current study reveal mixed results on the issue of combining the two treatment approaches unless practitioners from each side are fully aware that they are working together and that the care is coordinated. For instance, the patient interview reveals that he did not suffer any adverse effects from the diet regimen that the naturalistic medicine man gave him. Moreover, the massage he got a few days after the chemotherapy helped alleviate pain and catalyze his recovery process.
His responses are consistent with research findings showing that alternative medical practices effectively relieve chronic pain among cancer patients (Maindet 3130). However, the two doctors differed with the patient, stating that combining the two approaches, such as using herbs in combination with conventional medicine, may affect the effectiveness or even cause some adverse effects to the patient. Thus, combining the two medical approaches is safe only when practitioners from both sides know the treatments the patient is receiving.
Hypothesis 3: Receptiveness of People to Combined Medical Practices
From the interview responses, many people are willing to try combining the power of science and nature to enhance their health. For instance, the patient responded that he appreciates both conventional and alternative medicine as helping to speed up his recovery. The conventional doctor stated that he believes that with proper planning and coordination, it will be possible to combine efforts to enhance the welfare of the patients. Similarly, the acupuncturist stated that combining conventional and holistic treatment is essential, especially for those with chronic conditions such as cancer.
Conclusion
Integrating holistic care practices with conventional medicine can potentially increase positive health outcomes and wellness for patients. All the hypotheses of the study were confirmed, indicating that there are benefits to the combination, the risks can be managed, and both the doctors and patients are willing to try working together to realize the full benefit of science and nature. The study used a non-representative sample of three respondents, which may limit the generalization of the findings. Thus, future researchers can replicate the study using a different methodology with more samples. Nonetheless, literature and analysis of primary data collection indicate that the future of combining holistic and conventional medical practice is promising for patients and practitioners.
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