Comparing and Contrasting Alternative and Convential Medicine

The use of alternative medicine in health care should be taken seriously as they can improve a person’s health without the serious side effects of conventional medication; alternative medicine is becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States and it also focuses on prevention rather than intervention. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. Usually alternative medicine is lumped together with complementary medicine which, instead of being used instead of conventional medicine, is used along with it, and abbreviated together as CAM. The controversy surrounding CAM practices is quite prevalent in the health care world. Many conventional practicing physicians believe that alternative methods of treatment†¦show more content†¦Chemotherapy used to treat leukemia can wreak havoc on a person’s health, they become weak, their immune system is weakened and they can lose their hair. However researchers found that the Madagascar’ s Periwinkle plant can be used along with chemotherapy to help in the treatment of many cancers, especially leukemia (Foster 347). By using a medicine derived from an organic source it lets the patient receive less conventional chemotherapy, sparing them from some of the harmful, debilitating effects of the conventional treatment. Many alternative medicines can be found in grocery stores or health food stores, unlike many prescription medicines because most of them have ingredients that can be dangerous. Most CAM products are natural substances that have been used for years, alternative medicine is claimed to be just as effective, yet less harmful than drugs (Goldrosen, Straus 912). CAM products are considered by the FDA to be dietary supplements, not drugs. They are not considered drugs because of their content, herbs and vitamins are organic matters, not artificial or harmful such as some content in conventional drugs. The fact that CAM medicine is allowed to be on the shelves for the general public to access easily rather than behind the pharmacy counter, only accessible by a doctor’s prescription, proves that CAM medications are safer than conventional drugs. In the last 25 or so years the population of the United States has started turning toward