Alternative Medications

A Valid Form of Alternative Medicine

There are many doctors in modern medicine that have questioned the reliability of herbal medications as a viable treatment for patient’s illnesses. Many Americans also ponder this question; wondering if botanical medications are the answer to their health problems, or if they are just another cultural fad? In a number of clinical trials herbal medications have been proven to be an effective solution in treating numerous ailments such as mild depression to increasing stamina (Botanical Treatment). Thus, it can be stated that herbal medicines are a valid form of alternative medication, and can be useful in preventing some of the viruses, diseases, and sicknesses that afflict people everyday.

Botanical medicine includes medical herbalism, a healing art that relies on the synergistic and therapeutic properties of plants, to treat symptoms and diseases while maintaining personal health (Monroe). Interest in alternative therapies has exploded among Americans in recent decades. According to Floyd Leaders, Jr. Ph. D., “since 1980, the need for low cost health care options and the increasing consumer-oriented health care movement has brought renewed interest in botanical and natura

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The Harvard Women’s Health Watch reports that in 1992, Congress responded to pressure from outside groups for an investigation of a wider range of potentially effective medical practices (Alternative Medicines). Botanicals might or might not be harmful products to the consumer, but on one will know the answer until the government begins to regulate the herbal market for side effects. Accordingly, many people feel that they can be useful in preventing some of the viruses, diseases, and sicknesses that afflict people everyday. Once marketed, the burden of proof is on the U. Above all, consumers believe that with these reports they can make their own knowledgeable decisions about using such alternative therapies as phytomedicine (maintaining health by means of plants) in their future. To date, there has been no legal requirement for the testing of herbal products either before or after marketing. Therefore, they begin the search for better and faster replacements to our conventional medical treatments; as a result alternative medicines are their solution to this dilemma (See Table 1).

Perhaps one on the major concerns with plants as medicine is that many consider botanicals a relatively new practice. Many feel that the questions should deal with not only with studies and investigations by government institutions, but they feel that they should be provided with answers. Thus, herbal medications are a credible and legitimate form of alternative medication in today’s society. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 80% of the global population continues to rely on medicinal plant preparations to meet primary health care needs (Greenwald 61). Many consumers mistakenly assume that because herbal measures are natural, they are safer, gentler, and less "medicinal" than conventional drugs.

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