As medical bills skyrocket and doctors are unable to provide help with the massive increase in chronic illnesses, more and more people are turning to holistic, natural medicine and therapy, or using a blend of mainstream medicine and holistic medicine. This switch is receiving a TON of backlash from both medical professionals and the common Joe on the street, because holistic medicine has, for a long time, been considered "hokey" or "unscientific." On the other hand, some medical professionals are also switching to a blend of mainstream medicine and holistic options.
Why the switch if there's so much opposition and "scientific proof" against it?
Well, maybe let's look at some pros and cons for both mainstream medicine and holistic medicine. (This is not a comprehensive list of all the pros and cons of both types of medicine, but simply a way to get people thinking about the differences and why people are making some of the choices they are making. This list is also still pertaining mostly to chronic health challenges.)
Pros of Mainstream Medicine
1. It is almost universally accepted.
Being so widespread as it is (and endorsed by our government bureaucracy) means that, when diagnoses are possible, they are more accepted by the general community of medical professionals, even if the diagnosis is incorrect. The fact of the matter is that if you get diagnosed by a holistic practitioner, it is much more difficult to have the diagnosis carry into other fields. But, if you can get a diagnosis recognized by someone in the mainstream medical community, you are far more likely to get the medical help that you need to continue on your wellness journey.
It also means that you can get doctor's notes and have access to disability help, which are not always as easily accepted from holistic doctors.
2. For most individuals, it does have positive results.
Mainstream medicine covers a wide variety of medications, durable medical equipment, vaccinations and other preventive medicines, operations, and therapies. There's a lot of good, helpful things that come from it! Many people can get what they need just by driving over to the pharmacy or talking to their doctor to get a prescription. Because of this flexibility in resources, many people can get the results they need to carry on healthy, productive lives.
3. It is a field that is constantly growing and changing.
Yay for progress! Scientists and medical professionals are constantly seeking new answers and trying new things, with the positive outcome of being more inclusive and being able to treat more health challenges. One of the best examples of this is how much mental health help has changed over even just the last hundred years. Postpartum depression is more than just a woman "being fatigued from giving birth," learning disabilities are more than just "your child is being lazy." And things like diabetes or anemia don't have to be a death sentence anymore! The growth of mainstream medicine means that even if there aren't answers or helps for the problems you have no, down the road there could be.
4. It's regulated.
While regulation isn't always a good thing, regulation in medication can be pretty handy. Knowing exactly the strength and dosage of medication prevents overdosing and underdosing, and it's easier to modify dosages and medications as needed. Having the medications come from specific places with specific guidelines helps prevents people from tampering with the medications, which means less people dying or having other awful side effects from impure medications.
Regulations in doctors' offices are also handy because it cuts malpractice and patient abuse (it can also cut doctor abuse because abusive patients can get kicked out). Regulations also mean more accountability; people can get away with less crap than before.
5. Generic medication for most of the common illnesses can be really cost efficient.
If you are able to tolerate generic medications, they can be bank-savers. Holistic supplements and remedies, and brand-name medications, can all get pricey, so it's nice to have cheaper alternatives on hand if they work for you.
6. It's insured.
Insurance is SUPER handy when handling mainstream medicine. It cuts prices left and right and can be a powerful defense against overcharges or false charges.
7. It's easily accessed.
It is much, much easier to find mainstream doctors doing mainstream practices than it is to find good wholistic doctors, especially if you live out in the boonies.
Cons of Mainstream Medicine
1. Insurance navigation can hurt more than it helps.
Jumping through hoops to get help can not only be inconvenient, it can be life-threatening. People can go MONTHS or YEARS without getting the right help because of insurance. It's also really hard on people who switch jobs and have to go periods without insurance.
2. It can be really, really hard on the body.
While it's truly a marvel that we have so many procedures and treatments available to us, many of them are actually detrimental to other areas of our body, even while helping one area. Painkillers, for example, can destroy your stomach, liver, and kidneys if taken too much, too often. In fact, most medications can have really nasty side effects that may also need treatment, or they take a long time to reach the right adjustments. Surgeries or other operations, which are definitely necessary for many health challenges, can take a really long time to recover from, and often they give you medications to "speed the recovery" that may help in one way but could potentially be detrimental in the long run.
3. Mainstream doctors are less likely to believe you if you have unusual problems, or are prone to giving up if they can't figure out what's wrong.
I have had way too many doctors tell me that I "look healthy" and that they "can't see anything wrong," even when I haven't been able to digest food for weeks on end or have had crazy headaches. Even when my joints were ALL swollen and tender from my arthritis, because nothing showed up on the testing, I had a rheumatologist dismiss me from her office. I've also had GI doctors give up on me because my testing kept coming back negative, even though I kept dropping weight and everything I ate made me sick.
And while psychiatric medicine has improved by leaps and bounds in even just the last 20 years, many people still struggle to be taken seriously and given the help they need.
4. While knowledgeable, mainstream medicine still has plenty of gaps.
Doctors and researchers don't know everything, even when they sometimes act like they do. Which is fine, really. No one knows everything. We're all learning and growing here. But when mainstream doctors fail to provide answers, a lot of people end up going untreated. Some doctors are awesome and go the extra mile to learn more when presented with new challenges, but often they don't. Mainstream medicine also only covers the things it chooses to cover, even when evidence points to several methods of alternative medicine being effective in certain situations.
My favorite doctors are the ones who blend mainstream knowledge and alternative methods. They work.
5. Often centered more on quick fixes rather than lasting wellness.
While it's great that there is so much available from mainstream medicine, it tends to be more symptoms based rather than wellness based. Rather than focusing on changing behaviors and lifestyles to improve health, a lot of mainstream medicine focuses on taking pills or only using support items. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule (diabetes treatments, for example, generally focus on both medications and lifestyle changes), but for the most part mainstream medicine doesn't focus on making lasting changes.
Pros of Holistic Medicine
1. It's more tried and true than mainstream medicine likes to think it is.
Many holistic practices have been passed down from generation to generation and are more than just hearsay. There are journals, professional texts, and actual documentation for several of these practices. It's always a good idea to take things with a grain of salt, but if you can find actual professionals who are holistic practitioners, you may be surprised about how much sturdy knowledge they actually possess. People actually DO go to school for holistic practicing.
2. There's also a wide variety of holistic practices, which means they can also help a lot of people with a lot of problems.
There's supplements, wholesome food practices, exercise regimes, and so much more that holistic medicine offers! Holistic practitioners that also have doctors' licenses even have access to prescribing the same things that mainstream doctors can, so if your state recognizes holistic practices you don't even lose out on those things (like meds and support items).
3. It can be way easier on the body, especially for people who are extra sensitive.
Holistic medicine is nice because it doesn't come with a million additives that don't do anything except fill space. The people who create holistic pharmaceuticals tend to try really hard to have only the most essential ingredients in what they vend. One, that means you know exactly what you're taking, and two, it means you are less likely to have reactions to things.
There's also more emphasis on easing into different changes instead of doing too much all at once. Holistic practitioners can help you tailor-fit your treatments to you.
4. It's centered on behavior changes, not quick fixes.
Anyone who's studied psychology or is familiar with goal and plan setting can tell you that the most effective life changes we make are the ones that we can make habitual. Holistic medicine makes you confront your lifestyle and make changes to optimize your health. This can include your standard "eat right, sleep well, exercise daily," but it usually goes more in depth than that. A lot of holistic practices center on HOW you view your body and what you can do to create positive experiences with your body. Different things give you energy while other things drain that energy.
Focusing on behavior changes and healthy habits offers longer-term benefits than just "take some Tylenol and get a good night's sleep." While sometimes quick fixes are all you need, for people with chronic health challenges, it's the long game that gives us the most benefits.
5. Holistic medicine focuses on you as a whole, and not just your separate parts.
Many health challenges that people face come from a stacking of different stresses, not just one thing. For example, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is most commonly attributed to being over stressed or eating certain foods. So doctors will tell you to go on an elimination diet or do things to relax, both of which are extremely helpful. But they don't necessarily address the real roots of the problem. For instance, it could be from gallbladder failure, life challenges, lack of good bacteria in the gut, lack of enzymes, something else in the body that's wrong that is being released through the gut . . . etc.
My point is that everything in the body affects everything else in the body, so it's important to be able to get the big picture when handling bodily healing.
6. They are used to strange.
Holistic practitioners don't usually get as hung up about unusual symptoms like mainstream doctors do. You are less likely to hear "I have no idea how to help you, so bye" from holistic practitioners. Many of them see it as a challenge to figure out how your individual body ticks and see how to make it right. They approach things like blood tests in a way that allows them to see the whole picture instead of only specific counts.
It is really refreshing to hear "You're not crazy. You're actually experiencing these things. Let's find out why."
Cons of Holistic Medicine
1. In most places, it isn't covered by insurance, or at least not entirely.
Insurance companies get to pick and choose what they cover. Some will cover all holistic practices, some only cover some holistic practices, and most cover none of them. That means more out of pocket expenses, often upfront. It also means the supplements come from out of pocket because they can't be covered as prescriptions through insurance.
In some places, not being covered by insurance can actually make it cheaper because the doctors can set whatever price they feel is right, but by that same token it could also be more expensive if that's how the doctors value themselves.
2. You can't always find holistic practitioners.
Because they aren't part of the popular mainstream, holistic practitioners are few and far between. The more common ones you be able to find would be massage therapists, acupuncturists, yoga instructors, or dietitians (though not all dietitians are holistic). But definitely don't just see any old holistic practitioner just because they're close to you. Just like you would for mainstream medicine, do your research and find out how good they actually are.
3. Mainstream doctors don't always believe anything you get from holistic practitioners, even if there is solid, scientific, documentation.
Mainstream doctors like to say that all holistic practices are hooey, garbage, not worth their time or talents to even consider. That makes it difficult if you've had to switch back and forth for treatments. Even if what your holistic practitioners worked, you may be up against a huge fight if you go back to a mainstream doctor with what you've been given.
4. Society as a whole can be pretty nasty about it.
People will spit vitriol or disbelief in your face if you are open about doing holistic medicine. It can be really hard to get the support you need to keep going if the people around you don't believe that what you're doing is real and effective. That can make it hard to keep up the life changes you need in order to find wellness.
5. It isn't as regulated as mainstream medicine.
While there ARE organizations that work to regulate holistic medicines and practices, because they are generally not government recognized, it can still be difficult to make sure you are getting only what you think you're getting. The best way to handle holistic medications and supplements is to get help from a holistic professional. They can usually point you toward the more reputable brands.
And so . . .
As I said in my disclaimer at the beginning, this isn't meant to be a comprehensive list of all the pros and cons of both sides of the issue. It's only meant to be a sort of starter pack in understanding some of the differences and why people choose what they choose. I invite everyone who reads this to do their own research--on both sides of the issue. Too often we only seriously consider the side that pleases us the most. But when it comes to health, the best choices are to be open-minded and supportive, whatever someone decides. We can ALWAYS stand to learn from each other.
Once again, sorry for the delay. As winter fades, my writing should pick up again. Love you all!
Cheers~
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