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Some seem to be harmful, and for others the evidence is mixed or simply hard to find. Colon cleansing as a detoxification and weight loss procedure can cause dehydration. Ayurvedic medicines sometimes heal, but they can contain harmful heavy metals, and because the manufacturing is not standardized, the amount of the effective substance can vary from batch to batch of the same medicine. So they are not always safe, and they may have side effects too (in fact, anything when taken in excess has ’side effects’, or harms the body, even water). Many alternative medicines are not proven. This is important to remember if you are thinking of taking alternative or complementary treatment for something serious like cancer or AIDS. There are conventional treatments that have been proven to cure or improve the prognosis for these illnesses, even though they make you feel worse in the short term. On the other hand, if you go for alternative treatments, you may not have to deal with going bald or severe nausea, but you are choosing to trust the unknown. No alternative/complementary treatment has been proven to cure serious diseases, and if you reject conventional treatment altogether you may be seriously risking your health. Some people use alternative medicines as an adjunct to conventional treatment, but it is best to be open about this with your doctor because herbal medicines change the way other medicines work. You need to investigate alternative medicines, just as you investigate conventional medicines. Nothing is totally safe. Susan Vinodh Pandian Read some more about alternative and conventional medicine: 1. About alternative and complementary medicines 2. Alternative medicine health news 3. Debate on complementary medicine misleads patients TAGS:alternative and complementary medicine, alternative medicine vs conventional medicine is alternative medicine better |
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Sometimes it is, but not always. And sometimes, we simply don’t know.