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Alternative
Vs. Conventional:
Why Don't Doctors Get It
By
Dr. Joseph Mercola with Laina Krisik
If
you live in the United States and need medical
care or treatment for a disease you can follow one
of two paths to better health--conventional or
alternative. In making this decision it is
important to know the differences between the two
practices.
A
Comparison of Conventional to
Alternative Medicine
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Conventional
(Disease-based Model)
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Offers
the best medicine in surgeries or
trauma care
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Treatment
of immune health-related conditions
routinely consists of prescribing
drugs or recommending medical
procedures, which are often invasive
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Targets
treating symptoms, not the underlying
causes
-
Treats
the human body in parts, not as a
whole
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Medical
schools are set up by organ specific
departments that don't share any kind
of relationship with one another
-
The
shaping of conventional medical
doctors is based upon using
"rescue medicine," not
finding treatment and prevention
alternatives for illnesses
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Alternative
Medicine
(Prevention-based Model)
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Approaches
medical treatment by placing its focus
primarily on proactive measures
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Treats
the condition, not the symptoms
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More
cost effective
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Treatment
targets the whole body
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The
growing number of people turning to alternative
therapies is growing stronger and is becoming more
and more the chosen form of medical treatment
among Americans.
Just
consider these statistics:
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One
out of every three Americans uses some kind of
alternative medicine
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Between
1990 and 1997 there was a 47 percent increase
in visits to alternative practitioners, from
427 million to 629 million, bypassing the
estimated total number of visits made to all
conventional primary care doctors in 1997
As
these statistics reveal the rapidly increasing
number of people choosing alternative therapies as
a form of treatment, the debated question among
the health care industry is, "Why don't more
conventional doctors recommend alternative
medicine?"
Pharmaceutical
Ties
The
driving force behind the continuing growth of
conventional medicine has been the pharmaceutical
industry, embraced by both doctors and
pharmacists, who calculate their worth through
treating disease by prescribing medications. For
example, if a patient is diagnosed with breast
cancer, the protocol for the doctor is to
prescribe tamoxifen. If a patient is diagnosed
with schizophrenia, clozaril is prescribed.
Medical
Schools Receive Funding From Drug Companies
Most
medical schools receive a huge chunk of funding
from the pharmaceutical industry that has a vested
interest in marketing their medicines. Evidence of
this could be seen in Pfizer Inc, a company that
develops produces and markets the leading
prescription medications for humans and offers
several scholarships and grants to American
Medical Schools.
The
Mass Media Favors Drug Advertising
Just
as pharmaceutical companies are all about making
profits, so is the mass media and this is clearly
exposed in the high numbers of drug commercials
consumers are exposed to every day. Drug ads equal
profits for the media.
The
number of mass media commercials has exploded over
the past few years. In 1999, drug companies spent
$1.8 billion on direct-to-consumer advertisements
for prescription drugs. Even more disturbing, it
was discovered that around 10 percent of the
people who watched the commercials inquired to
their doctor about the specific drugs.
Even
the American Medical Association maintains a
relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. If
you go to their homepage you will find a sizable
advertisement for the statin, Crestor.
Research
Discrepancies
The
scale for funding of medical research is
disproportionately tipped to favor conventional
medicine over alternative medicine. An example of
this could be seen in the 0.08 percent of the
British National Health Service research budget
set aside for alternative research. Also, out of
$12 billion allocated every year by Congress to
the National Institutes of Health, a mere $5.4
million goes to the Office of Alternative Medicine
to investigate the claims of approximately 50
therapies.
The
lack of alternative medicine research funding
results in three critical consequences:
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The
prevention of relevant research projects
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It
negatively affects the creation of a research
infrastructure similar to the one of
conventional medicine
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Deters
well-trained career scientists from entering
into the field
Questionable
Research
One
of the biggest complaints the conventional medical
industry has against alternative medicine is the
lack of scientific research to support their
practices.
Ironically,
much of the research on conventional medicine has
raised many speculations over validity issues. An
example of this is the hundreds of articles
published in top medical journals claimed to be
written by academic researchers that are actually
written by ghostwriters working for agencies,
which receive large amounts of money from
pharmaceutical companies to market their products.
These are the very journals medical professionals
rely on when determining treatment options.
Over
60 percent of clinical studies that involve human
participants get financial backing from drug
companies, not from the federal government.
Studies also show that it is often common for
companies to hold off on the publication of data
that reveal their drugs are ineffective.
The
conventional medical model is fatally flawed and
is largely profit-driven by the pharmaceutical
industry that influences the media through drug
advertisements. Evidence that the American public
is becoming discouraged with conventional medicine
has become obvious in the growing numbers turning
to alternative treatments for answers.
On
the other hand, convincing doctors and the media
the value of alternative medicine might be a long
way off considering their tight ties with drug
companies. Profit-hungry drug companies won't be
making the shift to change the attitude of
conventional doctors any time soon. There is too
much money at stake for them to lose. That leaves
it up to us to take control over our own health
and make the changes.
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