The term alternative medicine refers to any diagnostic method and treatment that is not taught in medical school. It is a collective name, behind which a wide variety of approaches are hidden. Alternative medicine sees itself as a complement to conventional and apparatus medicine and offers gentler methods of treatment.
What is alternative medicine?
The term alternative medicine refers to any diagnostic method and treatment that is not taught in medical school. It is a collective name, behind which a wide variety of approaches are hidden. A definition of the term alternative medicine is not quite simple. In this respect one could agree so far on no conclusive and generally recognized DeepL description. The WHO defines alternative medicine as a branch of medicine that is not integrated into a country’s conventional medical system because its methods neither belong to the country’s medical tradition nor make use of the means that conventional medicine regards as the scientific standard. Alternative medicine practiced in Germany originates, for example, from China (.e.g., acupuncture), Japan (shiatsu), or the United States (chiropractic) or from naturopathic traditions.
Function, application, effect and goals
The areas of application and application procedures of alternative medicine are diverse. The term “alternative medicine” sums up such diverse approaches as homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, the many forms of naturopathy, nutritional medicine, various breathing techniques and relaxation therapies, various body therapies such as osteopathy, craniosacral therapy or shiatsu, as well as Kneipp’s water healing and the like, to name just a few approaches. In many cases, alternative medicine is concerned with harmonizing the body, which is out of balance, and the soul, which has an effect on it, and with stimulating the self-healing powers. Whether one directs the chi through needling and frees it from blockages, tries to eliminate the imbalances in the body through healing teas, or uses homeopathic dilutions to stimulate a direction for healing, varies depending on the method of alternative medicine used. Alternative medicine essentially assumes that the body, soul and spirit must be in harmony with each other. Compared to alternative medicine, conventional medicine is considered to be purely a repair medicine, which is symptom-based instead of doing root cause research. Alternative medicine, on the other hand, has developed various explanations about the causes of a disorder and remedies them through certain therapies and applications. Conventional medicine has always considered alternative medicine as competition instead of integrating it. In more recent times, alternative medicine is becoming increasingly important because patients are demanding it. In addition, more and more medications are falling into disrepute for having too strong side effects and not being individually dosable enough. This is another reason why alternative medicine is coming more to the fore. It is often free of side effects and there are no dangerous interactions when different preparations are administered. In many cases, therefore, physicians are now acquiring additional qualifications and adding alternative medicine to the portfolio of their practice. In view of the side effects and interactions of many therapeutics, many disease patterns and disorders can be treated more gently by alternative medicine and naturopathy. However, compared to other diseases, alternative medicine remains at a disadvantage and can at best be used as a supplement.
Risks and dangers
Those who permanently turn their backs on conventional medicine and rely only on alternative medicine procedures risk their health in the case of severe and serious diseases. As a supplement to conventional therapies of orthodox medicine or for milder everyday illnesses, alternative medicine can certainly achieve considerable healing success. However, it remains controversial because of empirical gaps and inconclusive evidence of efficacy, and it is opposed in particular by the pharmaceutical industry. Many scientists claim that alternative medicine can only produce a placebo effect or is pure fraud. However, the effectiveness of many alternative healing methods has long been proven by experience. Possibly in the future developed detection methods can prove the effect of alternative medicine beyond doubt.The increasingly soulless apparatus medicine leads to the fact that more and more people give preference to gentle healing methods of alternative medicine. However, this carries the risk that important medical diagnostic procedures are not applied. Therefore, it is possible that harmless-looking symptoms may be misinterpreted by alternative medicine and not treated in time. Thus, when in doubt, a patient with symptoms that do not improve with alternative medicine within a reasonable period of time should consult a conventional physician.
