Alternative Medicine Guidelines

Before we can discuss any alternative medicine guidelines, we first need to know our choices. There are two basic medical models.

The Medical Establishment, Big Pharma & The FDA

There are two basic medical models for citizens in Western countries to choose from. The first is so-called conventional medicine. This is the medical model that is taught in medical schools with doctors as medical gods. It sees the world in this way:

1. It focuses on disease, rather than health.

2. Therefore, conventional medicine is intent on cure, rather than prevention.

3. It believes that doctors know best and patients should humbly accept the pronouncements of the medical establishment.

4. For cures it offers primarily:

• Drugs
• Surgery

5. It believes the body can be divided into 'parts' and that these parts can be treated separately. This is a natural result of the belief that the body can be studied in pieces that have no relationship to each other.

6. Practitioners of this medicine truly believe they "cure" the sick - when that it what occurs.

7. It has the support of Big Pharma and our conventional authorities because there is a lot of money in drugs and surgery. Its supporters are organizations like the FDA, medical schools, the American Cancer Society, many doctors - and especially the pharmaceutical companies.

Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine or integrative medicine is the complete opposite of the above model in almost every respect.

1. First, it sees the human body as an integrative whole that does NOT believe that focusing on any one organ or system will provide a cure for anything. In fact, in this view, it is impossible to affect one 'part' of the body without affecting every cell in the body. This is the origin of the natural healing term of wholistic.

2. The focus of alternative medicine is on prevention, rather than cure.

3. In the event that a cure is needed, the methods for doing so are natural, painless and non-invasive. The entire concept of "war" upon a disease is absent. Instead, the wholistic practitioner uses gentle methods such as nutrition, herbs, rest, calming of the mind, visualization, massage, acupuncture, sunlight, sound and all forms of mind-body healing.

4. Those of us who believe in alternative medicine would never arrogantly claim we have cured anything. Instead, the emphasis is on supporting and strengthening the body so that it can heal itself.

5. The patient is considered to have an equal responsibility with the healer. They are 'in this together'.

6. When there is a cure, alternative medicine knows its because the body was allowed to heal itself.

The Arrogance Of Traditional Medicine

The advocates of traditional, doctor-oriented medicine refer contemptuously to "quacks" and "junk science". They look down on those of us who follow alternative medicine guidelines as somehow being primitive and misguided. But the fact is that while our ancestors who living in primitive, agrarian societies, barely eking out a survival, the Chinese had a highly developed system of medicine that is 4,000 years old.

Is this war necessary? No, it is not and it only hurts the well-being of our citizens. For instance, in March of 2004 I broke my wrist. in this situation, I was quite grateful for an anesthetic and someone to put a cast on my wrist. However, I recuperated with alternative medicine, not with drugs. This is a great blend of the two models because conventional medicine is adept at dealing with trauma.

The Future Of Alternative Medicine

The genii is out of the bottle and he isn't going back in! Millions upon millions of ordinary citizens have realized the hollowness of our system and the power of such notions as nutrition, meditation and Eastern exercise as commonly accepted. The control that was formerly exerted by the establishment is weakening every single day and more and more people are willing to accept responsibility for their own health, rather than meekly submit to medical pronouncements. And many sincere and dedicated members of the medical profession know this, too. I attended a seminar and heard Dr. Deepak Chopra say, "More people are living from cancer (research) than are dying from it." He received a standing ovation for this astute comment.

The medical establishment is about money, money, money. There isn't nearly as much money in herbs as in prescription drugs. A new day is already here, though. The numbers of those seeking alternative therapies would be astronomically higher if insurance companies didn't exclude preventative treatments from their benefits. Hopefully, one day the insurance companies will seriously consider whether or not they might make more money if their members stayed well, rather than treating them for disease.

It is up to every single person to make these choices for herself. That is what this site is about.