What You Should Know About Alternative Medicine

Before you decide that an alternative treatment is right for you, there are a number of criticisms that you should take into account. These criticisms range from ‘it doesn’t work’ to ‘it can kill you’. Some of the criticisms have more basis in support than others. Among the charges leveled at the purveyors of alternative and complementary medicine are:

1. Alternative therapies aren’t tested properly.
The criticism leveled at alternative therapies most often is that there is no proof that they work. Even when therapies that have been in use for thousands of years, or that have been widely studied both here and abroad, critics point out that there are few studies that meet the test of rigorous science. While population based studies or small group studies may support claims that a particular alternative therapy is effective, the test of efficacy (effectiveness) is randomized, double-blind studies on a large group. Without that testing – which is most often applied to new pharmaceutical products and surgery – it’s impossible to state without doubt that improvements noted by patients were due to the therapy being studied or to some other factor.

2. Ineffective studies
Many studies that support alternative therapies are biased, or report findings in a way that diminishes the negatives. As an example, a therapy may be proven not to work to cure an illness, or to be no more effective than a conventional treatment – but patients report less pain and more mobility when using the alternative therapy. Rather than reporting that the therapy doesn’t work, the study will cite that it is more effective in relieving pain.

3. Some alternative therapies are unsafe
The safety of many alternative therapies is another major point of criticism. Particularly where it concerns nutritional supplements or health tonics, there is a concern that their safety for use as directed is not established by research. Because many people equate ‘natural’ with ‘safe’, there’s a danger that they may not realize that some herbs and minerals can have toxic effects. In addition, some nutritional supplements may interact with drugs commonly used to treat illnesses and make them less effective – or in a situation that can be just as dangerous – increase their effectiveness.

Another criticism leveled at alternative medicine is that people who use it may put off seeking conventional medical treatment until a condition is too far advanced to be helped by treatment.


4. Alternative medicine is unregulated, leading to unqualified practitioners.

This criticism is often advanced in the case of nutritional supplements, which are not regulated by any government body in the United States. As long as the manufacturer makes no claims to cure or treat a disease, nutritional supplements are considered ‘food products’. As food products, they don’t have to offer any proof that they’re effective, and only have to pass the most basic of safety testing. The most important qualification that they must meet is a ‘truth in labeling’ test – the bottle must contain what it says is in it.

A well-known example of the dangers of using untested, unregulated nutritional products is the deaths attributed to ephedra, a nutritional supplement sold as an energy booster and weight loss aid.

You should know that the onus is on YOU to research and find what you can about the therapy you’re considering. Read all you can, and draw your own conclusions. Keep your doctor in the loop – in many cases, he may have to adjust the dosages or timing of other medications based on any other supplements that you’re taking. And be aware that there is little or no regulation of the extravagant and outrageous claims that can be made by practitioners of many types of alternative therapy. Discuss with your doctor, choose a provider carefully, and know your risks.