Wellness and healthy lifestyle - Essay Example

Wellness and Healthy Lifestyle Table of Contents Introduction What 2. Kinds of Alternative Health Medicine (Literature review) Why 2-3 3. Methodologies How 3-4 4. Advantages and disadvantages (Analysis) When 5 5. Results and recommendations What 6 6. Conclusion Where 7 1. Introduction- Alternate health medicinal field is the growing option that is fast gaining popularity across the world with a major portion of the market occupied by acupuncture, massage and chiropractic therapies (Adams, 2005) among the various available alternatives to conventional allopathic treatment. The conventional medicine which uses pharmaceuticals are observed to have side effects along with the desired physiological and psychological effects and the lack of side effects with the alternative health remedies makes it a more desirable among all age groups and for all kinds of treatments. While it is observed that the "conventional medicine uses scientific approach to understand and combat disease very effectively, it is found to be costly" (Treweek, Heller, 2006: 131) whereas the alternative medicinal therapies are economical. Also, there is another kind of remedy called Complementary therapies which are used in conjunction with the conventional medicine. Both the complementary and alternate therapies are not based on evidence and hence fall out of the realm of conventional allopathic medicine which is evidence-based and is tested for efficiency and safety (Health Care, 2009). Complementary and Alternate Medical (CAM) therapies are designed to prevent illnesses and enhance the overall health of the person by considering the physiological as well as the psychological health of the person. It is categorised into five basic realms of approach or practices to therapy. These are the Whole Medical Systems, Mind-Body Medicine, Biologically based practices, Manipulative and Body-based practices and Energy Medicines (NCCAM, 2009). This paper explores the alternatives to the conventional biomedicine and the various advantages they offer against conventional medicine as well as against each other. It is also studied how the various alternative medicines are chosen to treat the illness and how they affect the holistic health of the person. Further, the reasons if any to choose alternate therapies is considered along with the disadvantages of each kind of therapy. Data is gathered for the ways in which the different therapies are advocated and administered and the analysis of these different therapies for their usage and effectiveness is determined with particular reference to multi-vitamin supplements as an alternative medicine. It is observed that the choice of using a particular therapy is purely based on the illness and its intensity as observed by (Health Care, 2009). It is observed that almost 65-80% of the world's population use traditional or alternative medicine as primary form of health care according to World Health Organisation (WHO) (Health Care, 2009). 2. Kinds of alternate health medicine (NCCAM, 2009)- a. Whole Medical Systems- These therapies are "built on complete systems of theory and practice and include systems evolved from Western culture like the Homeopathic medicine and Naturopathic medicine, and non-Western cultures like the Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine Yin-Yang. i. Homeopathy- This kind of alternative medicine originated in Europe and focuses on the body's ability to heal itself although it uses very small doses of highly diluted substances that are administered to stimulate the healing process. ii. Naturopathy- This kind of treatment uses the body's ability to heal itself by bringing about some dietary and lifestyle changes. This therapy uses both complementary and alternative medicine techniques. iii. Ayurveda- In this therapy, the aim is to integrate the body with the mind and soul of the human as these are interconnected in affecting the health of the person. iv. Yin-Yang- This therapy originated in the Chinese culture and is based on the simple concept of the balancing the yin-yang and improving the flow of qi which when disrupted result in diseases. This therapy uses a mix of herbs, meditation and massage to treat the disease. b. Mind-Body Medicine- This kind of therapeutic technique uses a variety of techniques that are designed to enhance the mind's capacity to affect the functioning of the body and symptoms of illness. Therapies include meditation, yoga, hypnosis, etc. i. Yoga- It is based on the therapeutic nature of healing by certain postures to control the flow of blood under controlled breathing. ii. Meditation- This is based on the concept of controlling the body and relaxing the mind and body by focussing attention in a specific posture. iii. Hypnosis- It is the controlling of the mind by constant and focussed attention using an external force. c. Biologically based practices- These use ingredients from natural substances and include various kinds of dietary or health supplements, herbal products, etc. i. Dietary supplements- These are not considered medicines but are actually consumed in addition to the regular food or medicines to gain more advantage and a healthy lifestyle. Dietary supplements are quite popular and are mostly considered as food products made of herbs, vitamins, minerals, etc. and marketed as food supplements with as much information being provided about the product (Talbott, 2002: 2). Talbott further observes that the reason for the near to 10% annual increase in sales of the food supplement products is due to the increased awareness of the consumers to self care and advantage of use of natural remedies for an improved health and lifestyle. Also, the increased marketing is one reason to boost the sales of these products while there is still a need to enhance the transparency in terms of the uses and safety of these products (2002: 2-3). It can be observed that the market for this kind of alternative medicine is higher than that of other medicines as witnessed from the increasing sales of the products. Also, since these are considered to be made from natural ingredients and are not considered medicines but are food products, consumers are found to be more comfortable using them to control the benefits of self-care. d. Manipulative and Body-based practices- These therapies are based on the movement and manipulation of the affected body parts to give relief and include therapies such as massage, Chiropractic, etc. i. Massage- This kind of treatment aims to improve the flow of blood and oxygen to the massaged area and heal the area of any ailments. This is achieved by rubbing, pressing and moving the muscles and other soft tissues in the affected area. ii. Reflexology- This is similar to massage treatment and is based on the fact that certain spots in the human body control the functioning of the other parts and hence they are to be gently moved to increase the working of the controlled parts. iii. Chiropractic- This is a technique used to adjust the spinal or other bones and muscles to increase the nerve function (Haldeman, Dagenais, 2004: 5). e. Energy Medicines- These kinds of therapies usually consider the energy within the human body and also the energy radiated from the chemical compounds. i. Reiki- This type of healing utilizes the nature of the energy to be transmitted and hence the practitioners aim to heal the person either from a distance or by placing their hands near so the spirit is healed which in turn heals the body. ii. Acupuncture- This is a particular treatment for certain medical conditions that are invigorated by stimulating the various acupuncture points in the human body with the use of needles through piercing them into the body at the pressure points which affect the functioning of the body parts that need to be treated (Acupuncture Guide, 2007). 3. Complementary remedies- These are administered in addition to the conventional remedies to increase the chances of curing the physical or psychological condition of the patient. Aromatherapy is one such therapy that is advocated along with the conventional medicine to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. a. Aromatherapy- This therapy uses the scents of essential oils from herbs, flowers, and trees which are inhaled to treat a wide range of illnesses (NCCAM, 2009). 4. Advantages and disadvantages of CAM- Unlike the mainstream medicines which have effects to treat the symptoms of illness and in addition produce undesirable side-effects, the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are found to have a range o advantages that make them the preferred choice of treatment among the more conscious users who prefer subtle medicines and a long term benefits. Also, these CAM therapies are considered to have the advantage of the nature's healing powers and use natural and whole substances like whole foods, herbs, etc. that are naturally available and do not cost as much like the conventional medicines which are pharmaceutical based products. The treatment with CAM is focussed on the physiological and psychological health of the patient and the benefits these treatments can offer to treat the illness rather than the symptoms of the illness which the conventional medicine focuses on. Further, the CAM treatment is considered a dynamic and a slow long-term process which focuses on the well being of the individual as a whole and hence enhances the standard of living (Health Care, 2009). Thus, CAM helps assess the health and well being of the human. Further, among all the remedies of CAM, it can be observed that the use of dietary supplement is more prevalent and is fast growing among all ages as this is seen as a long-term treatment through the intake of natural foods or derivatives of natural foods that are needed to combat the age related health conditions in almost all ages. As seen from the data that there is a 10% growth of these products suggests that these dietary supplements are seen as complementary medicines and are used for self-care and most of the times do not need the prescription of the medical practitioner (Talbott, 2002: 2-3). Hence, there is a regulation to impart as much information for the benefit of the consumer to choose the product for self-medication to suit his nutritional needs. However, all of the CAM remedies come with some disadvantages which restrict their use as they need to be practiced under the supervision of certified practitioners except dietary supplements. As the CAM techniques rely on the direct treatment or manipulation of the affected area or the stimulation of the functioning of the various parts of the body and mind, care has to be taken in diagnosing the exact condition to advocate the particular treatment. Also, as these complementary and alternate medicines involve the integration of the stimulation and treatment of the mind, body and spirit, it is considered a complex exercise and hence needs to be administered by a practitioner after thorough understanding of the patient's physiological and psychological health condition, which is time consuming and not always accurate with today's practices. Another disadvantage of using alternative medicine is the lack of availability of right information for the safety and effectiveness of the treatment. 5. Results and recommendations - It can be observed that the complementary and alternative medicines are useful where long-term results are desired and also that the complementary medicines are frequently used to treat the inherent disease along with the conventional medicines which treat the symptoms. Further, it can be observed that the Acupuncture, massage and Chiropractic therapies are used more than the other CAM remedies. Also, the CAM remedies help address the holistic approach to treatment but are time consuming and needs prescription by a medical practitioner except with the use of dietary supplements. Further, it is observed that these alternative techniques do not have any safety and efficiency information which make them secondary to the more efficient and safety tested practices of the conventional medicine. Also, the dietary supplements are used as a need for self-care additional remedies to treat health related conditions that may arise due to ageing and other conditions and although have no adherence to safety regulations, are considered safe as they are derived from the natural products. To increase the use of CAM remedies along with or in place of conventional medicines which are costly, there can be regulations that require the testing of the CAM practices for safety and efficiency so these can be used on par with the conventional remedies and also render them more cheaper, effective and safe for the holistic treatment of the patient. 6. Conclusion- It is observed that the complementary and alternative medicine is gaining popularity and with the dietary supplements, it is even more from the data gathered by World Health Organisation (WHO) that a majority of the population rely on alternative medicine for the treatment of illnesses. Although there are a range of advantages of using alternative remedies which are cheaper than the conventional medicines, the lack of right information about the safety and effectiveness of these remedies is limiting the extensive use and prescription by the medical practitioners. It can also be concluded that the dietary supplements as the alternate and also the complementary primary form treatment for probable health conditions with age is a fast growing trend with almost 10% increase of sales of these products annually. Hence, the evidence-based conventional treatment is the preferred prescription of the medical practitioners even though they advocate complementary and alternate remedies in some cases as an addition to the conventional treatment. However, it is observed that as the use of dietary supplements does not require the prescription by a medical practitioner due to the availability of much information with the product and the interest of the consumer in self-care, it can be considered the preferred alternative medicine for all ages with or without conventional medicine and any illness even. References- 1. "Alternative medicine-Difference between conventional and alternative medicine", Health Care, IndiaMART, 2009< http://health.indiamart.com/alternativemedicine/alternative-conventional-med.html>. 2. "Introduction to Alternative Medicine", Health Care, IndiaMART, 2009< http://health.indiamart.com/alternativemedicine/alternative-medicine-intro.html>. "What is CAM", NCCAM, National Institute of Health, March 27, 2009 < http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/D347.pdf>. 3. 2007, "Introduction to Acupuncture", Acupuncture Guide < http://www.accupuncture.org.uk/>. Adams, Mike (2005), "Allopathic doctors divided on benefits and advantages of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)", NaturalNews < http://www.naturalnews.com/011778.html>. 4. Haldeman, Scott, Dagenais, Simon (2004), "Principles and practices of Chiropractic", Published by McGraw-Hill Professional. 5. Talbott, M. Shawn (2002), "A guide to understanding dietary supplements", Published by Haworth Press. 6. Treweek, L. Geraldine, Heller, Tom (2006), "Complementary and Alternative Medicine", Published by Routledge. Read More