Alternative Medicine - How safe is the practice?

But how reliable is this practice of medicine? And how safe are the methods?

Even with an increasing amount of information about CAM, listening to the media day by day, many people feel that they are not getting the real facts.

Since there is no simple and clear definition for CAM, people find it so difficult to get a clear sense of it. Therefore, Complementary/Alternative medicine is many things to many people.

But what is alternative medicine? And how is it different from complimentary medicine?
Complimentary and alternative medicine, as defined by NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine), are a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.

Though grouped together, complementary and alternative medicines are different from each other. Alternative medicine is used to replace conventional medicine while complimentary medicine is used together with conventional medicine.

The world wide market for CAM therapy stands at US$60 billion a year and is steadily growing. This popularity has raised concerns among health practitioners and consumers on the issue of safety, and evidence of the practice.

While conventional medicine makes efforts to conduct research to change its clinical practice when new information is discovered and proven, most CAM fields are not yet standardized or controlled by any western medicine guidelines. CAM has been questioned by some medical practitioners for not having scientific evidence to back its claims.

Some CAM practitioners have claimed that a history of safe and apparently successful traditional use is enough proof to justify their particular therapy.

It was found that in CAM area very little research was done, and only one or two studies with positive results were given extra importance.

However, researchers and professionals with scientific background have emphasized that in order for CAM therapies to be more widely recognized, it is important that they have scientific evidence to support their claims which is lacking at the present time.

It was suggested by medical practitioners that, since much of conventional medicine is required to undergo rigorous trials to justify its use, no less should be expected of CAM.

There is also a difference in the evaluation methods between Conventional medicine and CAM practice.

While conventional practitioners evaluate their results by physiological findings (blood pressure check or blood check) CAM practitioners may judge the results by the patient's perception of feeling improved.

Many people believe that 'Natural' means 'Safe'. This is not necessarily true. There is no doubt that many CAM therapies are safe, as compared to many new powerful conventional remedies. This is often used as an argument for approving the increasing use of CAM; but it must be remembered that the use of a 'safe' CAM remedy to treat a serious or fatal disease instead of conventional medicine with proven efficacy is of course a real risk.

Before considering any CAM treatment, think of its safety and risks and be an informed healthcare consumer.

Here are ways to gather information before starting any therapy.


• Consult your physician. (Talk to your doctor about the therapy you are considering and enquire about the safety, effectiveness or interactions with the other conventional medicines).


• Physicians should take the initiative to guide patients away from treatments that can be dangerous.


• Read books, articles, and scientific journals that give information on the practice.


• Speak with others who have tried the therapy.


• Look for controlled, scientific studies about the therapy, whenever possible.
It is better to avoid CAM in the following cases:


• Treatment that only promises a cure


• If the patient is told not to use conventional medicine


• If the treatment is a secret and can only be given by certain providers

Since until now complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) does not have any scientific proof of its effectiveness, it is up to the consumer to decide what to try and what to reject as treatment by using his common sense and by asking as many questions as possible from professionals.