Can alternative health practices replace traditional medicine?

Nowadays more and more people are becoming wary of the traditional health care system. As chronic diseases become increasingly commonplace in the Arab world, many people turn to what we call “alternative medicines” in order to find a solution to their health problems.

While it’s true that only conventional medicine can cure organic diseases that can be precisely pinpointed such as infections, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases and auto-immune diseases; it often fails to cure what we call “functional diseases”, such as tiredness, back pain, moderate forms of depression, insomnia, anxiety, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and more generally feeling unwell for no clear reason.

Any respectable alternative health practitioner wouldn’t claim that he can treat the former, but he should definitely be able to help with the latter. These practitioners might even be better equipped to deal with functional diseases. Indeed, they’re able to spend more time with their patients, share their knowledge with them and treat them in a holistic way. Even if their remedies are no more than placebos - which is far from being the case - they have one considerable advantage compared to traditional medications: they have no adverse side effects.

Doctors will often prescribe an antidepressant to a crying patient or a sleeping pill to one who claims he can’t sleep, but these remedies can do more harm than good. While antidepressant drugs are unequivocally needed in severe cases of depression, people who present more moderate symptoms could very well get better by taking plant remedies or through cognitive and behavioral therapies. The same goes with sleeping pills, which become inefficient after 2 or 3 weeks of use and even toxic if taken over a long period of time.

Traditional Western medicine and alternative practices are therefore complementary, as neither holds the solution to every possible ailment. Hence they must work hand in hand to provide the best possible care to all patients. For example, if you get stomach pain, first go to a medical doctor to make sure you’re not suffering from appendicitis or a cancer of the digestive tract. If that’s not the case and your doctor can’t find the reason why you’re in pain and make you feel better, seeking help from a serious alternative health practitioner is definitely a good idea.

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