Alternative forms of medicines are ineffective and could be dangerous

Alternative forms of medicines are ineffective and could be dangerous


Alternative forms of medicines are ineffective and could be dangerous.
Agree or disagree with the statement, stating your reasons.


There has been a revolutionary growth in the medical science in the past few decades. Cure for even the most dreadful diseases have been invented and many more are under research. Every year, medical science surprises us through its new developments and inventions.

However, there have been certain side effects of this sprawling growth as well. The most dangerous one being, the development of alternative forms of medicines. These medicines are highly misguiding as they are unreliable. They use similar but much cheaper forms of raw materials. As a result, they may give a temporary relief but fail to eliminate the actual problem. Due to their lower cost, they attract high number of customers thereby multiplying their harmful effects in the society.

As a regular practice in the field of medicine, every new invention has to be tested on thousands of specimen before releasing the same for public use. Such precautions are however not taken in case of alternative forms of medicine. They are directly applied to the actual patients putting their lives at risk.

In spite of the huge controversy surrounding alternative forms of medicine, they continue to be popular with a huge customer base. Acupuncture, massage, herbal tea, plant extracts, weight loss supplements are some of the most popular forms of alternative medicines/treatments. However, there has been growth in popularity of other alternative forms of medicines like the ones given to improve memory, cure cancer or a heart disease. And they are advertised on such a large scale and high frequency that people become fully tempted to try them. They are advertised using highly convincing terms like “miraculous” or “life changing”. But many medical experts believe that not only these can be ineffective, they can be dangerous as well.

Some medical experts also consider homeopathic syrups are alternative forms of medicine. This is due to the fact that they contain huge amounts of alcohol in them. Sometimes, the alcohol amount may be as high as forty percent. As a result, it leads to temporary anaesthetic effect on the internal organ, thereby, rendering a temporary effect but causing no permanent healing or does nothing to eliminate the problem from its root cause.

Hence, I strongly believe that alternative forms of medicines are extremely harmful and their use should be avoided. However, in extreme cases if one is considering trying a new product, one’s doctor must be consulted to discuss the products, its implications and side effects before starting its use.
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    Discussion

  • RE: Alternative forms of medicines are ineffective and could be dangerous -Teena Bhatia (08/29/14)
  • A major part of population turns toward the alternative forms of medicines when they don’t find any relief from the prescribed medications. There is nothing wrong in using the alternative forms of medicines as it is an integrated approach to get relief from the pain. The alternative forms of medicines is a whole bunch of knowledge from the different streams including chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal remedies, Ayurveda, homeopathy, reflexology and the list goes on. Let us see why the alternative forms of medicines are effective and not harmful:
    • Pain: There are many health problems in which pain is severe and all the traditional medications fail to eliminate it. The alternative forms of medicines are especially effective for people who suffer from chronic pain conditions. Traditional medicines just provide temporary relief in chronic pain whereas the alternative forms of medicines treat the root problem of chronic pains.
    • Cancer treatment: Alternative forms of medicine are not used to treat the cancer but they are used along with the conventional medical treatments. The alternative forms of medicines alleviate the negative side effects of cancer treatment especially resulting from chemotherapy. Cancer patients are in a condition to tolerate the pain with the alternative forms of treatment. Acupuncture is especially used with conventional form of treatment which helps to reduce the side effects like nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headache, aching and night sweats.
    • Expenses: The cost incurred in getting the alternative forms of medicines is much less than conventional medical treatments.
    • Side Effects: Alternative forms of medicines have fewer or no side effects as compared to the conventional forms of treatment. There is probability that some remedies can result in side effects but still they are not as severe as prescribed medications.
    • Mental Health: An alternative form of medicine is the key to overall wellness in human beings. The various treatment like acupuncture and massage therapy works to eliminate the imbalance in body. It regulates the energy channels and makes sure that the patient experience overall wellness after treatment.