Contents:
- Medical Video: What Happened When I Stopped Taking My Medication
- What is alternative medicine?
- Alternative medicine should not be prioritized as a therapy to treat disease
- Alternative medicine remains vulnerable to the risk of complications and side effects
- Be careful choosing alternative medicine
Medical Video: What Happened When I Stopped Taking My Medication
Many people prefer to go directly to alternative medicine without consulting a doctor first. Because in addition to the more affordable price and easier access, alternative medicine is favored rather than chemical drugs because it uses natural ingredients so that it is considered to be at minimal risk of complications and side effects. But is prioritizing treatment at a traditional medicine clinic a wise action as the main step to cure disease?
What is alternative medicine?
Alternative medicine is a form of health service that uses methods, tools, or materials that are not included in the standard medical treatment that is usually carried out by doctors or other health professionals (such as nurses and physical therapists). Some people also refer to it as "integrative," or "complementary" treatment.
An example of alternative medicine is acupuncture, bruise, aura treatment, herbal medicines and herbal medicine, reiki, ceragem (jade massage), reflexology, hypnosis, to gurah.
Alternative medicine should not be prioritized as a therapy to treat disease
The terms complementary or alternative medicine are often misunderstood by many people. As the name implies, the word "alternative" itself means "other choices". Complementary treatment functions not to replace, but only used as an addition / supplement in addition to conventional medical treatment. That is, ideal disease healing therapy should still prioritize medical treatment for doctors.
Because, traditional medicine does not promise cure for any disease. Alternative medicine in the community today does not have strong scientific evidence because most are based solely on suggestions and experiences from patients. A new therapy or drug is arguably effective and safe to use by the public when it has been tested repeatedly and goes through various scientific verification processes to show its safety, effectiveness, and quality.
This lack of medical evidence can mean that the use of alternative medicine is not recommended. Moreover, each method of traditional medicine can cause different reactions between one person and another. Even though you have the same complaint, not necessarily the treatment that turns out to be suitable for you will provide the same benefits to your child or neighbor. In addition, many professional health experts believe that the potential side effects of traditional medicine outweigh the benefits.
Alternative medicine remains vulnerable to the risk of complications and side effects
Alternative medicine is usually new to show its benefits if done regularly in the long run. Noteworthy, some of the ingredients or methods involved in this treatment may carry the risk of complications and / or certain side effects if done too long or carelessly without a doctor's supervision.
For example, even though reflexology is generally safe, this technique can cause early contractions in women who are less than 38 weeks' gestation. Early contractions place pregnant women at risk for premature birth and miscarriage. Another story with the method of acupuncture. If done carelessly by a non-certified therapist, risky needles are pushed too deep so they can pierce internal organs, especially the lungs. This is a complication that is very rare in the hands of experienced doctors.
Another example is Herb and herbal medicines. Temulawak, for example, claimed to be effective as a drug for constipation, but not many know that ginger has blood thinning properties that can cause acute kidney bleeding in patients with liver disease. If you happen to drink herbal tea elephant trunk leaves while undergoing chemotherapy, the effects of additional chemotherapy from the leaves of an elephant's trunk are suspected of increasing toxicity to organs.
In fact, it does not rule out the possibility if the traditional treatment you are taking can hamper the effectiveness of chemical drugs prescribed by doctors. As a result, the recovery process will run longer or may even worsen.
Research conducted by a team of researchers at Yale University found that the risk of cancer patients dying was even higher when prioritizing complementary medicine to treat cancer. Of the 560 participants who had breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer who tried alternative medicine rather than being treated by doctors, 281 people died of cancer complications that were not treated as a whole.
Be careful choosing alternative medicine
The explanation above does not mean that alternative medicine is bad. Legitimate to undergo alternative medicine. But again emphasized, do not prioritize traditional medicine to cure disease. Alternative medicine is only done to maintain general health, reduce symptoms, restore disease, or reduce the risk of illness - not the main way to cure. To cure the disease, prescription drugs and therapy are needed from a doctor.
So, it would be better if you prioritize your treatment plan with medical care obtained from doctors and other health professionals. But if you really want to try alternative medicine, talk first with a doctor who understands your condition. The doctor will give the best recommendations so that you recover quickly, instead of worsening your condition.
Finally, make sure that the practice site, alternative medicine expert, and / or the product you choose has a legal permit from the Ministry of Health to ensure its security.
