The Use of Alternative Medicine by Doctors

In the past, alternative medicine has been viewed as home medications or old wives' tales.

Solicitous in alternative medicine, who has been covering alternative medicine for almost 20 years, said that when first started, they "could count on one hand the number of MDs who practiced with herbs and supplements". Now, in recent years, "the numbers of MDs who approve alternative medicine have grown exponentially...". This happened because progressively more patients are wanting to become healthier without having to take medication.

They would rather do this using natural herbs, supplements, mind exercises, or even by the food they are putting into their bodies.

It is not only patients who are looking for other opportunities. Many doctors have started to use alternative medicine instead of writing prescriptions. Many claim to have swapped because of a patient who got better by using herbs or supplements than they ever did on medication.

Another big part of doctors switching has to do with the fact that our medical system keeps patients on multiple drugs for years with no cure in sight". The reason for this lies in how our medical system is constructed. According to Martha Howard, a family practitioner, this system "requires doctors to match a disease to its code number, and for every code, there is 'appropriate' pharmaceutical treatment". This causes doctors to prescribe medicine that just restricts symptoms instead of curing the patient.

By using alternative forms of medicine, doctors can willingly suggest what may help a patient feel satisfactorily in the short-run and even get rid of what is ailing them in the long-run.

Although using alternative medicine is still in its younger years, both doctors and patients have seen results come from it. These results will direct to further research into the effectiveness of alternative medicine, and, if found effective, will put a burden on doctors to broaden their horizons and stop writing prescriptions for everything.