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Writer's pictureBranden Sattler

Naturopathic Medicine vs. Allopathic Medicine: Distinct Pathways To Healing Patients

Author: Nazeen Shah

From: New York, USA

Like fish who don't know the encapsulating effect of being in water until they're out, humans don't understand the value of nature until they need it as medication to survive.

Naturopathic Medicine


Naturopathic medicine is a distinct primary health care system that relates to modern science with conventional and natural modes of medicine, also referred to as "Natural Medicine”. The idea of naturopathy is to activate the body's healing power and treat the basic explanation for illness. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) operate consistently with a set of universal principles, the Naturopathic Medicine Principles, which involve topics like enhancing the body's healing power and treating the underlying causes of disease, instead of concentrating on symptom relief. Naturopathic doctors treat their patients holistically. The body’s self-healing ability are often better understood if one takes under consideration the very fact that homeostasis or biological balance, is the main characteristic of any healthy system.”[5]


Additionally, naturopathic medicine has been applied in well-known diseases or medical conditions. Eczema is an itchy, rash-like skin condition, also called atopic eczema (AD), that mostly affects babies during their first year of life. A reaction to certain foods, household products, animal dander, or stress also triggers the disorder. Currently, there's no cure. Within the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, several studies have indicated that primrose oil may calm the scratching of eczema, but the findings are mixed. Other studies have shown that often drinking cranberry juice may prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). There are some compounds in cranberries that are thought to avoid infection-causing bacteria like Escherichia coli from taking over residence within the tract lining. [4] It's been suggested in many studies that cinnamon may be a natural ingredient which can regulate blood glucose and blood fat levels. In one study, 58 people with type 2 diabetes were administered either cinnamon or placebo for 12 weeks during a 2009 study published within the journal Diabetic Medicine. The researchers recorded that blood glucose levels fell by 0.36 percent among those that took two grams of cinnamon. [4] Another standard natural remedy is clove oil which is used for toothaches. Eugenol, a component of the herb, has the ability to alleviate pain. [4] Besides these naturopathic breakthroughs within the scientific field, there's still insufficient scientific proof to verify the effectiveness of the blood sugar-lowering effect of cinnamon and other natural remedies. For this reason, many rely on allopathic medicine.


Allopathic Medicine

Allopathic Medicine thrives on an unparalleled financial partnership with both food and pharmaceutical corporations. [1] Allopathic medical products treat the symptoms that occur during the disease phase. There's some debate on the degree to which the utilization of medicines is liable for reducing and removing suffering and symptoms within the treatment of epidemics and widespread diseases, or the degree to which clean water, sanitation and environmental factors minimize the occurrence of disease. Certainly, the popularity of various synthetic drugs within the last century has powerfully affected how lay people think and the way doctors prescribe these “magic bullets” to scale back symptoms. The prevalence of “iatrogenic” symptoms, symptoms caused by allopathic medicine, have increased disastrously. Allopathic medicine is liable for extraordinary breakthroughs in surgery in many areas from the knee and hip and other joint replacements to heroic heart bypass procedures and pace-makers that prolong life. Certainly, the proliferation within the last century of multiple synthetic medicines has greatly shaped how lay people think and the way doctors prescribe these "magic bullets" to alleviate symptoms. The occurrence of "iatrogenic" symptoms, i.e. symptoms triggered by medications or allopathic therapies, has also risen catastrophically. In many ways, from knee and hip and other joint replacements to heroic heart bypass operations and pace-makers that extend life, allopathic medicine is responsible for remarkable breakthroughs in surgery.

Conclusion

Medicine signifies the science and art of managing health and, preventing and alleviating disease occurrence. Naturopathic medicine can potentially serve as a tool for the quality of life, whereas, allopathic medicine serves as a tool for the quantity of life. Whether it be primrose oil, cranberries, cinnamon or acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, medicine improves and saves lives. I truly believe if further research is conducted on naturopathic medicine, it can provide alternative pathways for innovative discoveries in the scientific community and lead to better quality of life.

 

Author: Nazeen Shah

Nazeen Shah, a high school student in New York enjoys investigating natural remedies in the medical field and its effect on patients in the 21st century. In her free time, she plays tennis and learns about different graphic design techniques.

 
  1. “Allopathic Medicine.” Indiamart.com, www.indiamart.com/proddetail/allopathic-medicine-20135812133.html.

  2. “Naturopathic Medicine.” The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, cnme.org/naturopathic-medicine-an-overview/.

  3. “About Naturopathic Medicine.” Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors, www.cand.ca/about-naturopathic-medicine/.

  4. Thrasybule, Linda. “Do Natural Remedies Really Work?” LiveScience, Purch, 2 Jan. 2013, www.livescience.com/25898-natural-remedies-truth.html.

  5. Lee, Thomas. “Your Guide on Our Natural Path.” NaturoDoc, https://www.naturodoc.com/cardinal/naturopathy/whatisNM.htm#philosophy.

  6. Summers, Daniel. “Warning: 'Natural Medicine' Is Often Code for 'Pseudoscience'.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 3 Apr. 2014, www.thedailybeast.com/warning-natural-medicine-is-often-code-for-pseudoscience.

  7. “Herbal Products.” Indiamart.com, www.indiamart.com/proddetail/herbal-products-7597074388.html.

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2 Comments


Emily Li
Emily Li
Apr 02, 2021

very very cool! just glad to have learned something new and I agree that more research should be done on naturopathic medicines

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Branden Sattler
Branden Sattler
Mar 04, 2021

WOW! Amazing topic! Also, the introduction to this post was perfect!

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