Regular And Alternative Medicine Need To Be More Integrated

           In the last ten years alternative treatments have become more universally accepted as an important part of the world of medicine.
          More people are becoming open minded to these complementary therapies.Based at the University of Colorado Hospital, Dr. Lisa Corbin is the head of Integrative Medicine. She believes that there is a place for the blending of all available medicine to provide people with the best possible care available.
           With a more positive attitude towards less conventional options like acupuncture, there will be a higher level of awareness by the general public.
           Corbin has evidence to prove what she is saying, patients that have benefited from a combination of both mainstream and more alternative medicine.
            Michelle Smith has been battling breast cancer for over five years, she is one of many now having acupuncture sessions as part of her chemotherapy course. It is the only solution to nausea besides taking yet another drug.
            Smith states that without these various other treatments, she would not have been able to tolerate her long course of chemotherapy. Obviously the effect of any treatment including traditional ones is different for everyone.
           However, at least therapy like massage and herbal remedies can be tried without the possibility of harmful side effects. Michelle Smith swears by her integrated treatment for her cancer and recommends that others try it for themselves.
           Dr Corbin suggests that individuals should talk to their own doctor about the different treatments available to them. Once deemed too experimental or voodoo like, medicines of a more unusual nature are increasingly shown to be an essential part of today’s more evolved approach to health.

Ten Percent Of Americans Try Alternative Medicine

            Every year over ten percent of all Americans look to alternative Medicine to ease pain and find cures.
           A research team from Harvard discovered that people are prepared to use more of their hard earned cash on chiropractors or naturopaths than ordinary healthcare.
In recent years, consumer demand for the various alternatives to the mainstream health care system has grown steadily.
            Dr Carl Hammerschlag believes that this is because these, often ancient, treatments offer people hope and he strongly believes that a totally integrated system is what should be offered to the whole population.
Hammerschlag and many others are convinced that most patients would prefer to know every available alternative when being diagnosed and discussing their options.
            A massive eighty three percent of individuals that used natural medicine were being prescribed traditional medicine at the same time, although more than seventy percent kept that knowledge to themselves.
             The Office of Alternative Medicine was set up well over a decade ago, specifically to look at all the different alternative therapies. The latter covers many areas from nutrition to massage and brings together traditional methods from around the globe.
             Increasing doctors are appreciating the benefit of alternative methods to their patients, some even going as far as taking basic courses to learn techniques, in most cases it is good for their business.
             Professionals who have been practicing skills like meditation for many years can’t help but be dumfounded by the about turn in opinion.
              Suddenly everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and you cannot blame these experienced practitioners for mulling over the irony.

Alternative Health Practitioners Not Keeping Up With Latest Research

           The assumption is that any professional running a clinic in their own particular field will be aware of any relevant research carried out.
            Furthermore when the information is out there these experts in alternative medicine can understand any implications that are involved for their patients.
           In the area of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), two large clinical trials, funded by the United States government have taken place in recent years.
           However a survey has recently shown that, alarmingly assumptions should not be made and that often significant findings resulting from detailed studies remain unknown or are not fully comprehended.
           This means that over two billion dollars worth of research which has been instigated by the American National Institute of Health has potentially been wasted, with forty percent of a large number of different therapists, including naturopaths and rheumatologists not knowing of their existence.
          Of the over fifteen hundred clinicians interviewed for the Archives of Internal Medicine publication many were unable to understand what they had read anyway.
          In fact very few of these, amongst others, internists and acupuncturists, felt truly confident enough in their ability to study the data and interpret the final conclusions.
           Often the ability to translate research findings into practical matters was based purely on the background of the professional in question.
           In other words if they had previous experience of research material etc in a more academic environment, usually specialists like rheumatologists, had a greater understanding of its relevancy.
          It is vital that this gap in research data and it’s use in medicine, be it traditional or modern, be sorted out, maybe the NIH need to divert some few dollars towards an awareness campaign for the medical fraternity.