Is there a difference between alternative medicine and complementary medicine?
If alternative medicine means that it is exclusive of and a substitute for conventional medicine, then it should be avoided at all costs. However, when non-conventional therapies are used in conjunction with conventional medicine they can be considered ‘complementary’, although still being totally distinct from orthodox practice. In reality, the boundaries of all these types of therapies are blurred. There are alternative treatments even within conventional medical care.
For example, a woman with cancer of the breast may decline a mastectomy operation in favour of the alternative approach of a combination of radiotherapy and hormone treatment. She might at the same time take advantage of a visit from a reflexologist or an aromatherapist while she remains an inpatient in a NHS hospital bed. She may also derive benefits from attending some yoga classes or trying some herbal preparations to complement her medical care when she gets home. For someone like her, all the therapies blend together into an all-encompassing and highly satisfactory integrated model of holistic healthcare.
There is no doubt that complementary medicine is growing very fast. But while it is attractive to have the luxury of a whole hour spent with a sympathetic therapist, there is much hype surrounding the price and benefits of complementary medicine, despite much of it being anecdotal and unscientific. Just because something is natural, that does not necessarily mean that it is safe. Likewise, just because the therapy is derived from some mystical ancient folklore, that does not necessarily mean we can abandon the orthodox trappings of conventional medicine. We would only do that at our own peril.
The benefits of orthodox medicine
Modern 21st century medicine has dramatically revolutionised the health and welfare of the entire world, and its achievements should never be underestimated or belittled. That the planets population has effectively doubled in the last 50 years bears testimony to this, and provides ample evidence of the success that orthodox medicine has had in the struggle against overwhelming and life threatening disease. Life expectancy has shot up and infant mortality has improved dramatically. Any death from infection these days is a surprise, whereas at the beginning of the last century every other baby born died before reaching the age of five, often from infectious diseases that are now considered trivial and harmless.
The limitations of orthodox medicine
The brave new world anticipated during the middle decades of the 20th century has not been realised. The AIDS pandemic and the increasing resistance of superbugs to existing antibiotics have forced many to reconsider the threat from infectious disease. An increased longevity has left many apprehensive about degenerative diseases, heart disease and cancer. Care of the chronically or terminally ill leaves many patients feeling unsupported and without hope. Many people with polysymptomatic disorders, such as ME or IBS, feel hopelessly let down by orthodox doctors with a dismissive and judgemental approach when faced with symptoms that science itself struggles to explain. Modern medicine has become depersonalised, and many people crave a personal approach and the concept of having a little magic with their medicine.
The benefits of complementary therapy
Dissatisfaction with conventional therapy has undoubtedly encouraged millions of people to find solutions to their health problems in complementary medicine. This is often considered as a gentler, more natural, and safer form of medicine, with a more relaxed approach based on prevention rather than cure, with lashings of empathy where the patient stays in control of the treatment. Unlike general practice in the UK, where the average consultation time is a mere 7.5 minutes with the doctor, going to a complementary therapist often gives you the luxury of an hour’s conversation with someone who apparently has time for you and seems to care more. Increasingly the better of the complementary therapies are also now supported by robust scientific evidence that they can be just as good as, or superior to, orthodox treatments when used appropriately.
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The limitations of complimentary therapies
The media bias, which has been so instrumental in destroying much of the population’s faith in conventional medicine, has enjoyed a 20-year love affair with complementary therapy. This endorsement, however, is not always supported by scientific evidence and there are many exaggerated and misleading claims for these therapies, which at best can do the patient no good, and at worst actually do them harm.
My personal view
In my 40 years’ experience of practising medicine I have come across and been impressed by a number of complementary therapies, to the extent that I have incorporated them into my own medical practice. I have carried out hypnosis, osteopathy and acupuncture successfully, and have helped many patients with whom a conventional approach was neither appropriate nor effective. That said, there are also a number of so-called complementary therapies that are scientifically baseless, utterly ridiculous and potentially harmful. Here is my brief list of the good, the bad, and the ugly of complementary therapies (although the list is by no means comprehensive).
The good
- Acupuncture can dramatically relieve acute and chronic pain, allowing patients to reduce medication and the unpleasant side effects accompanying them. It is an excellent treatment for addictions also and may even be practised without needles. For these reasons, it has been adopted by the majority of NHS hospitals.
- Osteopathy involves physical manipulation of the body’s musculoskeletal system (the bones, joints, ligaments and muscles) in order to alleviate pain, improve mobility and enhance general health. Osteopathy is particularly good for relieving back problems, especially discomfort and limited movement in the neck. It can also relieve pins and needles going down the arm, which originate from minor nerve irritation in the cervical spine. In the same way it can treat sciatica, sports injuries, migraine, tension headaches, dizziness and giddiness.
- Shiatsu, literally translated, means finger pressure. In addition the therapist can use thumbs, elbows, arms, knees and feet to move and position the patient’s body and apply pressure to certain points known as Tsubos scattered about the body’s main energy channels. In a way it is like acupuncture but without the needles. It is surprisingly effective for stress-related disorders and for back and neck problems.
- Hypnotherapy or hypnosis, contrary to popular belief, is not a state of deep sleep but an induced trance-like condition where the patient is actually in an enhanced state of awareness concentrating entirely on the hypnotist’s voice. Hypnotherapy can help with pain relief, the treatment of addictions and even the discomfort and apprehension felt by terminally ill patients.
The bad
- Iridology is ‘the ugly’ side of complementary therapy for me. Iridology refers to the examination of the iris of the eye to assess the patient’s health and their susceptibility to any emotional or physical ailments. Unfortunately, in reality, the characteristics of the iris do not change in response to internal disease, and ironically it’s about the only part of the eye that does not! How convenient it is that the circular iris resembles the clock face and is divided by iridologists into 12 sections? Scientific studies have shown iridology to be of no more benefit than guess work, with some studies showing that important diagnosis of disease had been missed, whereas other people have been told they have a disease—when in fact they do not.
The ugly
- Radioics uses specifically designed instruments to analyse and correct energy imbalances that can cause illness and mental, physical or emotional problems. The patient may never even see the practitioner, as therapists claim to be able to tune into a patient’s vibrations by analysis of a nail clipping or a lock of hair. For many scientifically minded people, radionics is the epitome of quackery and charlatanism. This is one to avoid.
Conclusion
There are many contrasting styles in conventional and complementary medicine and some complementary therapies can offer more than others. However, it is always important to make sure that the practitioner you see is registered with a recognised professional body, and has medical indemnity to protect you as a patient should any harm arise from their treatments. In the right hands, helpful forms of complementary therapies can indeed complement the more direct and powerful treatment available elsewhere on the NHS.
SEE ALSO: Healthy alternative remedies
