Heading
Jenni Saldana
Mrs. Snyder
English 102
Lesson 11 Drafting and Peer Review
Introduction
In an era where chronic illness and stress-related disorders are on the rise, more people are reading up and researching about holistic medicine and homeopathic practitioners for a safer and more effective approach to health care. Holistic medicine or Alternative medicine focuses not only on treating a person and their symptoms but also focuses on their mind, body, and spirit. Holistic medicine offers a safer and more effective approach to health care than traditional modern medicine by finding the root causes of the illness, containing minimal to zero side effects, while using natural remedies, therapies, and helping to promote the overall well-being of the body rather than a temporary solution to the illness. Despite holistic medicine offering its natural healing approach that doesn't mean modern medicine should be completely wiped out or diminished, because it can be necessary and lifesaving at times especially antibiotics when used properly and prescribed properly. This essay will explore the benefits, effectiveness, and safer protocols of holistic medicine compared to modern medicine that can then shed some light for parents, doctors, specialists, and anyone in general who wants to heal themselves in a safer more effective way. While both holistic and modern medicine each have their own strengths, holistic medicine does offer a safer and more effective approach to healthcare by emphasizing a root-cause healing with minimal to no harmful side effects.
History of the Problem
The history of the healthcare system becoming so reliant on pharmaceuticals and system- focused treatment can be traced back to the early 20th century. The 20th century was when the growing concerns from the public began regarding medication overdose, severe side effects, and temporary solutions to the illnesses. If the first prescribed medication didn't work out and help the patient they would return to the doctor and from there the doctor would try a different medication or just simply increase the dosage and frequency. "The roots of the pharmaceutical industry lie back with the apothecaries and pharmacies that offered traditional remedies as far back as the middle ages, offering a hit-and-miss range of treatments based on centuries of folk knowledge" (Pharmaphorum). The shift from apothecaries and remedies to pharmaceuticals started in 1876 during the Union War. Before penicillin was created and discovered by Alexander Flemming in 1928 ancient Egyptians had the practice of applying a poultice of moldy bread to infected wounds. The moldy bread had bacteria and fungi which are capable of killing competing microbial species. The rapid growth of modern medicine was fueled by advancements in technology such as imaging, increased access to laboratories, access to chemicals, and animals for testing new medical inventions. The discoveries of antibiotics, immunizations were to help our community members when it was necessary but it has and still is being misused and causing a lot of people to become even sicker and some dying from side effects and or complications. The first pandemic was in 1918 which consisted of the Spanish Flu and the most recent outbreaks in the twenty-first century included SARS, Eola, and Zika. "The Spanish Flu pandemic in the first decades of the twentieth century was the first true global pandemic and the first one that occurred in the setting of modern medicine, with specialties such as infectious diseases and epidemiology studying the nature of the illness and the course of the pandemic as it unfolded" (National Library of Medicine). The significance of researching how and why holistic medicine is safer and more effective than modern medicine cannot be overstated. For readers, understanding the safer and more effective approach that holistic medicine offers are crucial for making their informed healthcare decisions. They can continue on with using modern medicine which is a temporarily solution to the problem or they can use a holistic approach which addresses the root-cause of the illness at hand. The importance of the situation is unique because, according to The World Health Organization, "65-80 percent of the world's population (about 3 billion people) use holistic naturopathic medicine as a primary form of healthcare" (WHO). This highlights the critical need to address the impact that holistic medicine has and offers to our world's population with helping us heal our illnesses more effectively and safer than modern medicine can.
Extent of the Problem
The increased number of patients who are becoming ill more frequently and having multiple symptoms is stemming from not addressing the root cause of symptoms by modern medicine doctors. Modern medicine doctors do not take the proper time to listen to their patient at each appointment. They are brief, make you feel rushed out the door all to say yup you have somethingitis and then slap you with a prescription and send you off on your marry way to continue to suffer. Modern medicine doctors prescribe medication after medication to patients as a temporary fix instead of finding and addressing the root cause for the illness. Instead of prescribing medication after medication for the symptoms a patient has why not send them in for a full in-depth blood work panel, or send them to have imaging done to rule out maybe a blockage or bursting appendix before prescribing a medication. On the other side of things, holistic practitioners aim to uncover and address the underlying issues that are creating the illness and symptoms in the patient's body. They may run a hair analysis, draw blood to test your blood levels, test your stool and salvia for mold, metal, parasites, and other things to dig deeper so they can address the root cause and fix it naturally. They then might tell their patient to use homeopathic pellets, herbs, teas, essential oils, and vitamins to help kickstart the bodies response to heal itself without side effects. Critics however, argue that it doesn't help in any way, that it's a waste of time and money and that modern medicine can alleviate or heal your illnesses much quicker and effectively. "A number of complementary and alternative treatments are typically used with the intention of treating or curing a health condition such as homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, cupping, and lymphatic massages" (National Health Service).
Repercussions of the Problem
Patients will just keep becoming sicker and become resistant to prescriptions. Misinformation is being spread that prescriptions help alleviate symptoms and that antibiotics are safe to use consistently. "Abusing prescription drugs can cause a number of problems. Prescription drugs can be especially dangerous and even lead to death" (Mayo Clinic). Patients are becoming antibiotic resistant from overuse. When that happens patients return to the doctors for sore throat, ear pain, fever and other symptoms and the patient may still have strep, or an ear infection and the previous antibiotic didn't work so they may prescribe a different antibiotic to try to rid of the infection that is lingering. I can speak first hand to this situation as I have always been prone to strep throat and get it roughly six to eight times a year. Every time I went in to see the doctor I was prescribed an antibiotic and this last year my gut microbiome couldn't handle the overload from the antibiotics and I developed C-diff. Doctors wouldn't take me seriously every time I went in telling them I am having 16-30 liquid bowels a day for the last three months. Finally, on my sixth time to a different hospital they ran tests and came back and said I have C-diff and am now septic and on my death bed from the infection getting into my blood stream. Side effects from prescribed medication can be minor to deadly and everything in between. Serious effects are life threatening, which results in hospitalization or even death. "Examples of serious adverse drug events can include severe allergy or anaphylaxis, abnormal heart rhythms, liver failure, stroke, suicidal thoughts permanent brain damage, and death" (Anderson). Despite modern medicine doctors misusing and overusing medications, some doctors do care and take the time to listen and help their patients and will only prescribe antibiotics when absolulty necessary My view, which I do hold strongly as I have seen the differences of holistic medicine and modern medicine first hand with my youngest child, and myself aligns with proponents the harm of modern medicine far outweighs the benefits, and more research needs to be conducted for pharmaceuticals with modern medicine.
Quick Fix Solution
Addressing the immediate harms of modern medicine requires short-term, "band-aid" solutions that can be implemented now. One such solution is for people to learn and research a little bit more about holistic medicine/approaches for fewer to less side effects and wanting to address the root cause for their symptoms and illness. TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram all provide a lot of free and great holistic approaches from actual certified holistic practitioners that just want to get the word out there and try to convince people that they can heal their bodies on their own and naturally with minimal to zero side effects with items they probably already have within their home. An example for a quick fix solution could be instead of going to a modern medicine doctor for insomnia where they would prescribe you a medication to relax the mind and body so you can sleep, read what can cause insomnia and find what natural remedies can alleviate or diminish it entirely. Epsom salt baths, magnesium supplement, no screens an hour before bed, or maybe a warm herbal chamomile/lavender tea, using red light therapy can alleviate headaches and body aches instead of taking NSAIDs that do harm to your liver and stomach. "Garlic contains the compound allicin, which may have antimicrobial properties, adding a garlic supplement to your diet might reduce the severity of cold symptoms" (CommonWell Health). Another quick fix solution is addressing and incorporating a healthy lifestyle that consists of daily exercise along with a healthy diet that doesn't contain processed foods, dyes, and preservatives is a huge way to alleviate a lot of symptoms and illnesses.
Long-Term Solution
While quick fixes are necessary, they are insufficient to address the root causes of modern medicines negative impacts. Modern medicine does not address and fix the illness it also creates a trickle effect of other serious problems. Modern medicine doctors do not take the proper time to listen to their patients to run as many tests as needed to find the root cause yet instead just prescribe medication after medication. Long-term solutions require systemic changes that involve parents, educators, doctors, FDA, and the Pharmaceutical industries. A lot of prescribed medication send people to have mental breakdowns, depressions, weight gain, and thoughts of suicide. One comprehensive strategy is for doctors to listen, take the time to care, run tests, run blood works, run imaging before prescribing medications. "There are several types of risks from medicine use: The chance that the medicine may not work as expected, the possibility that the medicine may cause additional problems" (FDA). Another strategy is the education and research that parents need to do when they decide to start a family. Women should research the items they are ingesting while pregnant such as foods, drinks, over the counter medications, prescribed medications, and etc. The doctors should have real ethics and be transparent when they talk to their patients and tell them the true pros and cons of every medication, vaccination, and testing that they may suggest to them.
Conclusion
Modern medicine, while offering life saving benefits for patients, has undeniably caused significant harm to patients. The adverse effects on people's physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being are still being severely impacted. Modern medicine doctors really press on new parents to vaccinate their newborn babies with vitamin k as soon as they come out when in reality the baby was just born and the doctor should have delayed cutting the umbilical cord which provides all the vitamins, nutrients the baby needs. Then at two months old they convince the parents that vaccinations are safe and protect the baby from infectious diseases but then don't tell the parents one bit of the truth on the cons of a baby being vaccinated. Taking medicine after medicine will never address the root cause of the symptoms or dimmish the illness, but instead it will continue to bring on more additional problems to the patient. On the contrary, Holistic medicine will not only uncover the root cause and address the underlying illness and symptoms but it will do it safer, more effectively and with minimal to zero side effects.by promoting healing the body naturally and running a lot of necessary tests.
Works Cited
Jenni Saldana
Mrs. Snyder
English 102
Lesson 11 Drafting and Peer Review
Introduction
In an era where chronic illness and stress-related disorders are on the rise, more people are reading up and researching about holistic medicine and homeopathic practitioners for a safer and more effective approach to health care. Holistic medicine or Alternative medicine focuses not only on treating a person and their symptoms but also focuses on their mind, body, and spirit. Holistic medicine offers a safer and more effective approach to health care than traditional modern medicine by finding the root causes of the illness, containing minimal to zero side effects, while using natural remedies, therapies, and helping to promote the overall well-being of the body rather than a temporary solution to the illness. Despite holistic medicine offering its natural healing approach that doesn't mean modern medicine should be completely wiped out or diminished, because it can be necessary and lifesaving at times especially antibiotics when used properly and prescribed properly. This essay will explore the benefits, effectiveness, and safer protocols of holistic medicine compared to modern medicine that can then shed some light for parents, doctors, specialists, and anyone in general who wants to heal themselves in a safer more effective way. While both holistic and modern medicine each have their own strengths, holistic medicine does offer a safer and more effective approach to healthcare by emphasizing a root-cause healing with minimal to no harmful side effects.
History of the Problem
The history of the healthcare system becoming so reliant on pharmaceuticals and system- focused treatment can be traced back to the early 20th century. The 20th century was when the growing concerns from the public began regarding medication overdose, severe side effects, and temporary solutions to the illnesses. If the first prescribed medication didn't work out and help the patient they would return to the doctor and from there the doctor would try a different medication or just simply increase the dosage and frequency. "The roots of the pharmaceutical industry lie back with the apothecaries and pharmacies that offered traditional remedies as far back as the middle ages, offering a hit-and-miss range of treatments based on centuries of folk knowledge" (Pharmaphorum). The shift from apothecaries and remedies to pharmaceuticals started in 1876 during the Union War. Before penicillin was created and discovered by Alexander Flemming in 1928 ancient Egyptians had the practice of applying a poultice of moldy bread to infected wounds. The moldy bread had bacteria and fungi which are capable of killing competing microbial species. The rapid growth of modern medicine was fueled by advancements in technology such as imaging, increased access to laboratories, access to chemicals, and animals for testing new medical inventions. The discoveries of antibiotics, immunizations were to help our community members when it was necessary but it has and still is being misused and causing a lot of people to become even sicker and some dying from side effects and or complications. The first pandemic was in 1918 which consisted of the Spanish Flu and the most recent outbreaks in the twenty-first century included SARS, Eola, and Zika. "The Spanish Flu pandemic in the first decades of the twentieth century was the first true global pandemic and the first one that occurred in the setting of modern medicine, with specialties such as infectious diseases and epidemiology studying the nature of the illness and the course of the pandemic as it unfolded" (National Library of Medicine). The significance of researching how and why holistic medicine is safer and more effective than modern medicine cannot be overstated. For readers, understanding the safer and more effective approach that holistic medicine offers are crucial for making their informed healthcare decisions. They can continue on with using modern medicine which is a temporarily solution to the problem or they can use a holistic approach which addresses the root-cause of the illness at hand. The importance of the situation is unique because, according to The World Health Organization, "65-80 percent of the world's population (about 3 billion people) use holistic naturopathic medicine as a primary form of healthcare" (WHO). This highlights the critical need to address the impact that holistic medicine has and offers to our world's population with helping us heal our illnesses more effectively and safer than modern medicine can.
Extent of the Problem
The increased number of patients who are becoming ill more frequently and having multiple symptoms is stemming from not addressing the root cause of symptoms by modern medicine doctors. Modern medicine doctors do not take the proper time to listen to their patient at each appointment. They are brief, make you feel rushed out the door all to say yup you have somethingitis and then slap you with a prescription and send you off on your marry way to continue to suffer. Modern medicine doctors prescribe medication after medication to patients as a temporary fix instead of finding and addressing the root cause for the illness. Instead of prescribing medication after medication for the symptoms a patient has why not send them in for a full in-depth blood work panel, or send them to have imaging done to rule out maybe a blockage or bursting appendix before prescribing a medication. On the other side of things, holistic practitioners aim to uncover and address the underlying issues that are creating the illness and symptoms in the patient's body. They may run a hair analysis, draw blood to test your blood levels, test your stool and salvia for mold, metal, parasites, and other things to dig deeper so they can address the root cause and fix it naturally. They then might tell their patient to use homeopathic pellets, herbs, teas, essential oils, and vitamins to help kickstart the bodies response to heal itself without side effects. Critics however, argue that it doesn't help in any way, that it's a waste of time and money and that modern medicine can alleviate or heal your illnesses much quicker and effectively. "A number of complementary and alternative treatments are typically used with the intention of treating or curing a health condition such as homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, cupping, and lymphatic massages" (National Health Service).
Repercussions of the Problem
Patients will just keep becoming sicker and become resistant to prescriptions. Misinformation is being spread that prescriptions help alleviate symptoms and that antibiotics are safe to use consistently. "Abusing prescription drugs can cause a number of problems. Prescription drugs can be especially dangerous and even lead to death" (Mayo Clinic). Patients are becoming antibiotic resistant from overuse. When that happens patients return to the doctors for sore throat, ear pain, fever and other symptoms and the patient may still have strep, or an ear infection and the previous antibiotic didn't work so they may prescribe a different antibiotic to try to rid of the infection that is lingering. I can speak first hand to this situation as I have always been prone to strep throat and get it roughly six to eight times a year. Every time I went in to see the doctor I was prescribed an antibiotic and this last year my gut microbiome couldn't handle the overload from the antibiotics and I developed C-diff. Doctors wouldn't take me seriously every time I went in telling them I am having 16-30 liquid bowels a day for the last three months. Finally, on my sixth time to a different hospital they ran tests and came back and said I have C-diff and am now septic and on my death bed from the infection getting into my blood stream. Side effects from prescribed medication can be minor to deadly and everything in between. Serious effects are life threatening, which results in hospitalization or even death. "Examples of serious adverse drug events can include severe allergy or anaphylaxis, abnormal heart rhythms, liver failure, stroke, suicidal thoughts permanent brain damage, and death" (Anderson). Despite modern medicine doctors misusing and overusing medications, some doctors do care and take the time to listen and help their patients and will only prescribe antibiotics when absolulty necessary My view, which I do hold strongly as I have seen the differences of holistic medicine and modern medicine first hand with my youngest child, and myself aligns with proponents the harm of modern medicine far outweighs the benefits, and more research needs to be conducted for pharmaceuticals with modern medicine.
Quick Fix Solution
Addressing the immediate harms of modern medicine requires short-term, "band-aid" solutions that can be implemented now. One such solution is for people to learn and research a little bit more about holistic medicine/approaches for fewer to less side effects and wanting to address the root cause for their symptoms and illness. TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram all provide a lot of free and great holistic approaches from actual certified holistic practitioners that just want to get the word out there and try to convince people that they can heal their bodies on their own and naturally with minimal to zero side effects with items they probably already have within their home. An example for a quick fix solution could be instead of going to a modern medicine doctor for insomnia where they would prescribe you a medication to relax the mind and body so you can sleep, read what can cause insomnia and find what natural remedies can alleviate or diminish it entirely. Epsom salt baths, magnesium supplement, no screens an hour before bed, or maybe a warm herbal chamomile/lavender tea, using red light therapy can alleviate headaches and body aches instead of taking NSAIDs that do harm to your liver and stomach. "Garlic contains the compound allicin, which may have antimicrobial properties, adding a garlic supplement to your diet might reduce the severity of cold symptoms" (CommonWell Health). Another quick fix solution is addressing and incorporating a healthy lifestyle that consists of daily exercise along with a healthy diet that doesn't contain processed foods, dyes, and preservatives is a huge way to alleviate a lot of symptoms and illnesses.
Long-Term Solution
While quick fixes are necessary, they are insufficient to address the root causes of modern medicines negative impacts. Modern medicine does not address and fix the illness it also creates a trickle effect of other serious problems. Modern medicine doctors do not take the proper time to listen to their patients to run as many tests as needed to find the root cause yet instead just prescribe medication after medication. Long-term solutions require systemic changes that involve parents, educators, doctors, FDA, and the Pharmaceutical industries. A lot of prescribed medication send people to have mental breakdowns, depressions, weight gain, and thoughts of suicide. One comprehensive strategy is for doctors to listen, take the time to care, run tests, run blood works, run imaging before prescribing medications. "There are several types of risks from medicine use: The chance that the medicine may not work as expected, the possibility that the medicine may cause additional problems" (FDA). Another strategy is the education and research that parents need to do when they decide to start a family. Women should research the items they are ingesting while pregnant such as foods, drinks, over the counter medications, prescribed medications, and etc. The doctors should have real ethics and be transparent when they talk to their patients and tell them the true pros and cons of every medication, vaccination, and testing that they may suggest to them.
Conclusion
Modern medicine, while offering life saving benefits for patients, has undeniably caused significant harm to patients. The adverse effects on people's physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being are still being severely impacted. Modern medicine doctors really press on new parents to vaccinate their newborn babies with vitamin k as soon as they come out when in reality the baby was just born and the doctor should have delayed cutting the umbilical cord which provides all the vitamins, nutrients the baby needs. Then at two months old they convince the parents that vaccinations are safe and protect the baby from infectious diseases but then don't tell the parents one bit of the truth on the cons of a baby being vaccinated. Taking medicine after medicine will never address the root cause of the symptoms or dimmish the illness, but instead it will continue to bring on more additional problems to the patient. On the contrary, Holistic medicine will not only uncover the root cause and address the underlying illness and symptoms but it will do it safer, more effectively and with minimal to zero side effects.by promoting healing the body naturally and running a lot of necessary tests.
Works Cited
