Comparison of Western Medicine and Alternative Medicine - Essay Example

Is Western medicine better than alternative medicine? Introduction Many people living in the civilized world have the advantage of choosing from two major options, when seeking healthcare services. These two, distinctive lines of medicine include alternative medicine, which is reputable for being more natural in nature and less harmful to the human body. The second option available to the patient is that of western medicine, which has often been pointed out as harsh system, which is capable of utilizing damaging chemicals that can cause a chain of long-term health risks; these health risks are commonly referred as side effects. However, in the area of problem diagnosis, western medicine has gained reputation as a better option, as alternative medicine is known to rely on unfounded conclusions and diagnosis systems. This paper will explore the differences between western and alternative medicine, so as to prove that, despite the promising nature of alternative medicine, western medicine offers better solutions and answers for the health needs of patients and the field of medical practice. The accuracy of diagnosis under the two fields of medicine In exploring the importance of accurate diagnosis in the field of medicine, Wiwanitkit discusses the diagnoses systems available for dengue infection, which is an arboviral infection that can cause very acute illness and symptoms (53). However, Wiwanitkit emphasizes that the accuracy of the diagnosis for the infection is instrumental to the success of the treatment process, which confines the diagnoses of the infection to the diagnosis systems that allow for the accurate diagnosis of the problem (54). Mamede et al. also emphasizes the importance of accurate diagnoses in guaranteeing that clinical judgments and service delivery meets the needs of different conditions. In particular, the diagnosis of complex and unusual diseases or conditions is best addressed, after an accurate diagnosis of the case is done, which allows the field of medicine to gather more knowledge about the newer conditions. Taking note of the importance of conducting accurate diagnosis for diseases, in judging the best medication and medical procedures to be offered to a patient, western medicine offers a better promise than alternative medicine. In this critical area of problem diagnosis, western medicine offers better solutions, when compared to alternative medicines. This is evident from the imaging of urine, stool and blood tests, through which western medicine can explore a wide variety of the angles to the functions and the processes taking place inside the human body. Through the extensive explorative outlook of western medicine diagnoses, medical personnel are also able to detect the chemicals that are flowing inside different body systems, particularly those that are likely to contribute to the condition under diagnosis. On the other hand, alternative medicine diagnoses procedures are most times effective for conditions related to food-allergy intolerance (Passalacqua 48). Apart from being effective for one field of diagnosis, many of the alternative medicine diagnoses are not methodically credible, which makes their interpretation difficult. The comparison of the accurately-informative diagnosis models of western medicine and the vague diagnostic processes of alternative medicine shows that western medicine offers better solutions for patients (Wiwanitkit 58). This is particularly the case, noting that the diagnosis of a medical condition or disease is crucial to medical personnel, during the determination of the medication or the processes to prescribe. The unquantifiable nature of medical outcomes and side effects Debas, Laxminarayan and Straus explored the field of alternative medicine, and arrived at a number of conclusions (1281). The conclusions of the study include that alternative medicine produces favorable medical outcomes, but the researchers also noted that its helpfulness and side effects are not quantifiable. Due to the fact that the outcomes and the side effects of alternative medicine cannot be easily quantified, the success or the failure of medical practices cannot be explained (Debas, Laxminarayan and Straus 1283). In addition to the lack of solid information about the short term health outcomes and side effects of alternative medicine, nothing is known about the likely long term side effects. On the other hand, the procedures and the medicines used in western medicine are explored through successive trial studies, which allow medical researchers to quantify and give information about the verified and the potential side-effects and the benefits of western medicine (Rhodes, Battin and Silvers 327). The wide difference in the information and the evidence-backing discussed earlier, between western medicine and alternative medicine shows that, there is little or no information-backing for alternative medicine. Due to the wide array of reasons, it becomes very clear that western medicine is more advantageous than alternative medicine; it is the option to be taken, because the positive and the negative outcomes that result are more predictable. The benefits of western above alternative medicine include that the outcomes of western medicine are supported by research and short and long term outcomes and side effects are documented. The convenience offered by the health insurance coverage of western medicine Taking into account, the vital role played by healthcare insurance in the delivery of healthcare services, it becomes imperative that the insurance sector is one of the pillars keeping the service delivery going (Shi and Singh 270). In comparing the coverage of western and alternative medicine by insurance services, it becomes clear that only western medicine has been fully covered. On the other hand, alternative medicine has not been accepted by insurance coverage agencies, and in the cases where it is applicable, it is only covered on a case-to-case terms (Hales 389). The factors underlying the lack of insurance coverage for alternative medicine include that the documentation and the practice models of care delivery are not standardized, which complicates the process. For those reasons, it is more advantageous for the consumers of healthcare services, particularly those that are not financially capable of financing their care totally, to pursue western medicine because the burden of services is covered by insurance (Holtz 208). Apart from the emphasis on the insurance coverage of western medicine, western medicine is more manageable and predictable, and therefore is more likely to offer more convenience. Conclusion Many consumers of healthcare have the benefit of choosing between the options of western medicine or alternative medicine. The benefits of the two fields of medicine are well known in the modern society, despite the fact that the outcomes and the side effects of alternative medicine are not supported by empirical evidence. The superiority of western medicine is derived from the accuracy of the diagnosis models used and the quantifiable nature of medical outcomes and side effects, which are not available in alternative medicine. Further, western medicine is a better option for the consumers of healthcare services, taking into account that alternative medicine are not covered by healthcare insurance; the lack of coverage requires the patient to bear the burden of financing care in its entirety. For the different reasons explored through this paper, western medicine offers a better option than alternative medicine, despite the fact that alternative medicine has sent a promise of safer healthcare solutions. Works Cited Debas, Haile, Laxminarayan, Ramanan, and Straus, Stephen. “Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd edition. Eds. Dean, Jamison, Joel, Breman, Anthony, Measham, George, Alleyne, Mariam, Claeson, David, Evans, Prabhat, Jha, Anne, Mills, Philip, Musgrove. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications, 2006. Print. Hales, Dianne. An Invitation to Health. Brief Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2008. Print. Holtz, Carol. Ed. Global Health Care: Issues and Policies. Second Edition. Global Health Care: Issues and Policies, 2013. Print. Mamede, Silvia, Schmidt, Henk, and Penaforte, Julio. “Effects of reflective practice on the accuracy of medical diagnoses”. Med Educ, 42.5(2008):468-75. Passalacqua, Giovanni, Compalati, Enrico, Schiappoli, Michele, Senna, Gianenrico. “Complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment and diagnosis of asthma and allergic diseases”. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis, 63.1(2005):47-54. Rhodes, Rosamond, Battin, Margaret, Silvers, Anita. Medicine and Social Justice: Essays on the Distribution of Health Care. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Print. Shi, Leiyu, and Singh, Douglas. Delivering Health Care in America: A Systems Approach. Third Edition. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2004. Wiwanitkit, Viroj. “The importance of accurate diagnosis of dengue fever”. Future Virology, 7.1(2012): 53-62. Read More