5 Reasons Millions Of People Use Alternative Medicine

Maybe you are curious about alternative medicine and want to know why so many people use it. Maybe you are skeptical about alternative medicine and are curious about why so many people put their faith in it. Find here 6 KEY reasons so many people are turning to alternative medicine.

According to The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), “In the United States, approximately 38 percent of adults (about 4 in 10) and approximately 12 percent of children (about 1 in 9) are using some form of CAM.” (complementary and alternative medicine)

“Among adults aged 18 and over, increases were seen from 2012 to 2017 in the use of yoga, meditation, and chiropractors during the past year.” (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db325-h.pdf).

According to Grandview Research, 70% of adults surveyed in 2017 in the United States believe complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) provides positive results. 78% of those responders were women, and 62% were men. Grandview Research reports that “the global complementary and alternative medicine market size was valued at USD 52.00 billion in 2017.”

There are actually a number of reasons that millions of people use alternative medicine and the reasons can be different for everyone. Here we will discuss six reasons. First, a definition of both complimentary and alternative medicine from the NCCIH…

Complementary Versus Alternative

According to a 2012 national survey, many Americans — more than 30 percent of adults and about 12 percent of children—use health care approaches that are not typically part of conventional medical care or that may have origins outside of usual Western practice. When describing these approaches, people often use “alternative” and “complementary” interchangeably, but the two terms refer to different concepts:

• If a non-mainstream practice is used together with conventional medicine, it is considered ”complementary.”
• If a non-mainstream practice is used in place of conventional medicine, it is considered ”alternative.”

Most people who use non-mainstream approaches also use conventional health care.

In additional to complementary and alternative, you may also hear the term “functional medicine.” This term sometimes refers to a concept similar to integrative health (described below), but it may also refer to an approach that more closely resembles naturopathy (a medical system that has evolved from a combination of traditional practices and health care approaches popular in Europe during the 19th century). [National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Reason # 1 People use Alternative Medicine Because of its Availability

Reason #1 One reason that many people are turning to alternative medicine is that it is widely available. For example, the use of herbs to maintain optimal health or to make home remedies make it more accessible and affordable for a wide range of people. Mind body practices such as yoga and meditation can be easily practiced at home without the high costs often seen with traditional medicine practices.

#2 People use Alternative Medicine Because of its Affordability

Alternative medicine is usually more affordable than conventional medicine. People who may have trouble paying for medical bills may be drawn to the comparatively low cost of alternative medicine. The cost of going to alternative medicine practitioners for services like acupuncture may be high but the cost of obtaining herbal supplements, essential oils, and other accoutrements of alternative medicine can be far more affordable than a trip to the hospital.

#3 Natural Strategies In Healing Using Alternative Medicine

Prescription drug use is at an all-time high in the United States, and often patients complain that the first course of action for their doctor is to write a pharmaceutical prescription. Most all of the therapies used in CAM are natural, this is far from the chemically based and standardized interventions seen in conventional medicine. This includes but is not limited to, herbs, essential oils, diet, supplements, chiropractic treatment, mind-body practices and naturopathy.

This does not mean that CAM is a cure for any and all conditions, but it can offer a natural alternative and sometimes be a replacement of conventional medicine tools.

#4 Improved Life Quality and Side Effects Of Treatment

Another important reason people use alternative medicine is that it can improve life quality and lessen side effects of treatment. When people endure serious illnesses or chronic conditions, inevitably their life quality suffers, and side effects of conventional medicine treatments bring undue hardship. CAM can help.

For example, Music Therapy is often used in pain management, which can be helpful for conditions such as arthritis and other chronic pain syndromes. Cancer.gov reports that acupuncture is helpful in reducing the side effects of treatment.

The 5th (and most important) Reason People Use Alternative Medicine: Trust

Millions of people all around the world genuinely trust alternative medicine as they have for the whole history of humanity. Some of the therapies used in CAM, including acupuncture, Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Herbalism have been in use for thousands of years, dating back to ancient civilizations. Eastern culture strongly believes in their effectiveness in the modern world.

A more accurate term for “alternative medicine” might be “folk medicine.” “Folk” is usually used colloquially but it comes from the German word for “people,” so “folk medicine” means something like “the people’s medicine” or even “popular medicine.”

Another reason that might actually shock skeptics of alternative medicine is that some proponents of alternative medicine are skeptical of institutionalized medicine. Do you find this trust issue real? Trust in medical care is essential to health freedom and whether we should trust man-made and manufactured solutions more than we should trust natural solutions.

Recent Studies Support the Use of Alternative Medicine

A final reason that an increasing number of people trust alternative medicine is that the reasons not to trust it are dissolving. A recent increase of scientific curiosity in alternative medicine has led to a number of legitimate scientific studies on its effects.

While some alternative medicinal cures and practices have been “debunked,” many, including essential oils, therapeutic touch, meditation and yoga are becoming more popular because scientific studies are adding validity to the trust that many people already placed in them.

If this article inspired you to look deeper into alternative medicine, that’s great. If it convinced you to have a little more understanding and respect to people who do use alternative medicine… even better.
You don’t need to use alternative medicine yourself to understand that there are reasons that other people believe in it, that it often helps, and that it seldom hurts. This is in contrast to conventional pharmaceuticals.

If you are interested in exploring alternative medicine, you can ease into it by talking to your primary care provider. Many conventional doctors recommend alternative therapies to their patients and can provide more information on how to get started.

You should also talk to your healthcare provider before exploring alternative medicine if you are on any medications. While very few alternative medicine practices are harmful for healthy people, some can interact with prescription medications.

A holistic medical doctor is trained in the use of both conventional and alternative medical care and is something of a one stop shop.

I urge you to take responsibility for your own health and remember what Thomas Jefferson said…

“If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls who live under tyranny.”

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