Researching alternative medical therapy led me to a discussion on the differences between complementary and alternative medicine. I had always assumed they were two sides of the same coin. Perhaps they are. But even though complementary and alternative medicine share some similarities, they are still distinct in several ways.
Using the terms interchangeably is no big deal. Distinctions between the two only come into play when it is time to make actual treatment decisions. Even so, it’s worth understanding the similarities and differences between complementary and alternative medicine.
The Basics of Complementary Medicine
Complementary medicine involves utilizing therapies and medical procedures that are not normally offered under the umbrella of traditional medicine. But they are not a substitute for traditional therapies. Rather, they complement traditional therapies. Another way to say it is that complementary therapies and procedures are a supplement to traditional care.
A primary goal of complementary medicine is to enhance the care already being provided by traditional therapies. A secondary goal is to manage the side effects associated with traditional medications and procedures.
Here are some examples of complementary medicine:
- Massage therapy to relieve pain caused by cancer treatment.
- Meditation therapy to reduce stress following surgery.
- Yoga encourages relaxation while undergoing psychiatric treatment.
Again, complementary therapies are not intended to replace traditional medicine. The goal is to complement, supplement, and enhance. Alternative medicine is different.
The Basics of Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine also involves utilizing therapies and practices that fall outside the scope of traditional medicine. But rather than complementing or supplementing traditional medicine, alternatives are meant to be replacements.
Practitioners tend to have the same goals as their Western medicine counterparts: healing when possible and symptom relief when healing is not likely. Yet despite the same goals, alternative practitioners recommend their therapies separate from traditional medicine.
Here are a couple of examples of alternative medicine:
- Acupuncture as a replacement for prescription pain medication.
- Homeopathy as a replacement for antihistamines in allergy treatments.
- Plant-based medicines as a replacement for psychotherapeutic PTSD treatment.
KindlyMD is a Utah medical group that offers a mixture of alternative and traditional services. On the alternative side, they help patients obtain state-issued medical cards that open the door to otherwise restricted plant-based medicines. The medicines are recommended as an alternative to certain kinds of traditional treatments.
KindlyMD clinicians are quick to point out that alternative medicine is not right for everyone. However, they also point out that Utah isn’t the only state that now embraces alternative plant-based medicines. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence supports looking into a long list of plant-based medicines and alternative treatments.
Both Represent a Different Approach to Medicine
Although complementary and alternative medicine are distinctly different, they share some similarities. A case in point is that they both represent a different approach to healthcare delivery, an approach that recognizes non-traditional treatment options. Complementary and alternative practitioners have come to realize that there isn’t just one way to treat a particular disease or condition.
Our healthcare system would do well to embrace complementary and alternative medicine more fully. The pharmacologically based system does do very well in some areas but fails miserably in others. But rather than dismissing the failures, wouldn’t it be better to try to turn them into successes by way of complementary or alternative options?
Complementary and alternative medicine deserve the same respect now afforded to traditional medicine. It is time for the American healthcare system to stop pretending that Western medicine has all the answers. Alternatives are out there. We need to find them and start implementing them, even if that bothers traditional practitioners.
