Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine. However, at best these methods are ineffective, and at worst they may be dangerous. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Alternative
medicine
is not new. It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional
medicine
and is still being used by many
people
all over the world. Some
people
believe that these medical practices are not safe and can cause severe damage. I am unconvinced that it is dangerous and feel that both unconventional and conventional
medicine
can be useful.
First
of all, many physical therapies work by increasing
people
’s ability to tolerate stress.
For example
, scientific evidence suggests that yoga provide benefit by acting on stress reactivity.
In addition
, far from being dangerous they often have no side effects, so the worst outcome would be no change. One of the strongest arguments for the effectiveness of these practices in the west is that, whilst conventional medicines are available at no cost, many
people
are prepared to pay considerable sums for alternatives. If they were totally unhelpful, it would be surprising if
this
continued.
On the other hand
, there are several reasons why the conventional medical community is often dismissive of alternatives.
To begin
with, compared to the huge amount of data on standard medications, there has been little research on alternatives.
Furthermore
,
people
often try
such
treatment because of the recommendations from their friends, and
therefore
come to the therapist with a positive attitude, which may be part of the reason for the cure.
Moreover
, these
methods
are usually only helpful for long-term, chronic conditions. Acute medical problems,
such
as accidental injury, often required conventional
methods
. In conclusion,
although
it is a common thought that
alternative
methods
are harmful and unsafe. I strongly believe that conventional
medicine
and
alternative
therapies should co-exist. They have different strengths and can be used together effectively to target a particular medical condition. Personally, I think the best situation would be for
alternative
therapies to be used to support and complement conventional
methods
.
Submitted by lalit.malik1885 on

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