Editorial: Alternative meds can work as well
Oct. 9, 2008
Claire Taylor
Lariat Staff
Sickness has always been a part of life, but the way people have gone
about curing ailments has changed. Pills and expensive surgeries are a
Western answer to treating or curing sickness. Pharmacies line nearly
every major street and are even located in common retail shopping
centers, ready to dispense medicine to the common citizen.
From instant relief from the flu to curing major ailments such as
heart disease, the world of medicine has increasingly turned from
natural remedies to chemicals produced in a laboratory. With so many
options to treat illness, it can be stressful finding the best one.
It's not necessarily a bad situation to have. Western medicine has
made significant advances, such as the discovery of penicillin, which
led to the creation of immunization vaccines for diseases such as
polio and malaria. Science has even moved beyond natural substances
into human-made compounds that do not exist outside the lab. With
synthetic medicine, millions of people can receive cures for a
fraction of the cost of last century's medicines.
But Western drugs are not the only option. People can also look to
herbal medicines for some of their medical needs. Natural supplements
are available as an alternative to mainstream medication.
Currently, anti-depressants are part of a multi-billion dollar
industry. Although medicines manufactured by pharmaceutical companies
can be effective in treating depressing, they are also very expensive.
St. John's wort, a natural supplement, can be just as effective in
mild cases of depression and related conditions, according to the Web
MD Web site.
An alternative to pain treatment is acupuncture. The process involves
applying pressure to key locations on the patient's body with needles,
suction or direct pressure from small objects, which, in turn,
redistributes tissue weight around nerve receptors.
In a 2007 survey of physicians, conducted by CNN, acupuncture was the
No. 1 recommended pain treatment alternative to traditional pain
medications, because of its ease of application and effectiveness.
Although many Americans associate needles with acupuncture, that isn't
always the case. In 2004, movie star Gwenyth Paltrow appeared at a New
York film premiere wearing a back-baring dress that showed off what
seemed to be numerous circular welts. She later admitted that the
bruises were a result of a procedure known as cupping.
Cupping is a form of acupuncture in which suction cups are attached to
the skin at the pressure points. Suction is formed either by directly
pumping the air out of the container or lighting a flammable substance
to burn all the oxygen inside the cup, which then has to be quickly
applied to the body for there to be enough suction. The pressure loss
in the cup forces the blood to the surface, bringing toxins out of the
bloodstream. The procedure takes between five and 15 minutes per day
for ,an average of one week.
According to Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda, the director of the Institute
for Traditional Medicine in ****tland, Ore., the procedure helps pain,
stomach disorders, paralysis and respiratory problems, along with
several other medical conditions.
Even Baylor has taken steps toward alternative medicine. Recently,
Baylor's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience,found that using
hypnosis could reduce hot flashes. Supplemental estrogen injections
are the current cure in Western medicine.
Though Western and alternative medicines can be effective in relieving
and even curing certain medical conditions, a simple, positive
attitude can go a long way toward feeling better.
Patients visit the doctor to get better, and many times the treatment
isn't what makes them healthy.
According to The New York Times Magazine, in 1994, Bruce Moseley, a
surgeon, brought in 10 patients who had arthritis in their knees. He
told them that they were going to get an experimental surgery to
relieve their arthritis. Some patients were given the full surgery,
while others received just a cleaning of the knee cap, which had no
effect on the arthritis.
After six months, all exhibited positive reactions, even though only
some received the actual surgery for arthritis. It's part of the so-
called placebo effect, where a patient's mentality, in this case,
affects the way they physically feel. By simply thinking that they had
been treated, they actually started to feel better.
For people looking for relief or a cure, they should keep their eyes
and minds open for more than just a pill or standard surgeries.
http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=53509
|
