“Alternative” Care vs Prescription Drugs
I’m always amazed how some people react when I mention acupuncture or chiropractic care.
These and other modalities have been around for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Yet taking a synthetic drug that was recently developed to treat the latest disease seems completely viable and doesn’t concern us at all?
We aren’t worried about the side effects, in spite of the fact that this form of “treatment” is still in it’s infancy when compared to some of the older “alternatives.”
So, why are we so afraid of these alternatives? Simple. We’ve been taught that we should be.
I truly believe that it is the conditioning of our society to believe that taking prescription drugs is how we get better from disease, illness or pain!
Now, I’m not suggesting that there isn’t a time and a place for certain medications, but the way we have come to depend on them and the amount in which they are consumed is, at least to me, disturbing.
If there is a crisis or trauma in which immediate medical attention and intervention is necessary, then by all means, I understand the use of certain life-saving procedures and drugs. However, we treat every cold as a reason to take an antibiotic half of the time!
Furthermore, we as a society, are prescribed medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, acid reflux, headaches, back pain…and the list goes on.
The truth is that many of these symptoms and diseases can be corrected/treated by a change in our lifestyle and a more natural holistic approach. Often times these problems can also be helped by modalities that have been around for generations that don’t carry the potentially harmful side effects of prescription drugs.
I’m not a doctor and I’m not trying to come across as one. For those of you that know me, you know that I am passionate about sharing alternatives…in all areas of life. Unfortunately, the sad truth is things like massage and acupuncture which have been around for thousands of years are considered “alternatives” in western medicine.
This is probably one of the most frustrating things for me to swallow. I remember when I was getting fairly regular tension headaches and I was concerned so I went to the doctor. He basically prescribed me “prescription strength” ibuproren.
That was it.
After taking that among other OTC drugs for some time, I decided I didn’t want to be dependent on taking pills on a regular basis. So, I decided to seek out “alternatives”, like acupuncture for example. In addition, I assessed certain things about my lifestyle.
Wow.
No more headaches…seriously.
You see, we are led to believe that headaches are “normal” just because they are “common.” Not true. Something is causing your headaches and that root cause must be addressed. Taking OTC pills and prescriptions doesn’t address your headaches, it just alleviates the pain at the time of your headache.
The problem is ultimately still there and it is definitely not a result of an Advil or Tylenol deficiency!
Many things can cause headaches like dehydration, poor diet, lack of protein, your body being out of balance or many other things. I always recommend consulting a Naturopathic Doctor to address your concerns and determine a good course of action to take.
My personal experience with acupuncture, as well as staying hydrated and not allowing myself to get to that point of being “past the point of hunger” has helped me tremendously. I almost never get headaches, whereas I was having them regularly at one time just a few years ago.
Having headaches is just an example. My point is it is best to implement more natural approaches into our life to prevent headaches, colds, etc…rather that reacting to these things with prescription drugs.
We are all logical people and we all have the ability to think for ourselves and do our own research and due diligence. Just because we do not spend years in medical school does not mean we don’t understand our body and how it functions. If we listen to our bodies, it’s amazing how much we can learn and understand.
We need to start questioning every time we are handed a prescription for every ailment or symptom under the sun. We need to become advocates for ourselves and our own health because ultimately nobody cares about your health and well-being more than you do! We have to live in our bodies, so it is important that we understand, at least on some level, how they work.
We go to the doctor’s office when we are sick, so why don’t we focus on doing things to prevent illness and keep ourselves healthy, active and out of the doctor’s office! Of course I’m not implying that we can control everything that happens to us…some things are simply out of our control, but let’s try to control the things we can.
Let’s make positive changes and demand better health for ourselves and our loved ones so that we are not continually being poisoned by so many unnecessary drugs!
Let’s focus on being proactive, and prevent illness, rather than reacting to it. 
Fantastic information! I completely agree with you. It’s quite strange how people trust the “drugs” blindly and they don’t trust or consider acupuncture. Drugs cause so many side effects is scary. My mom almost died from Remicaid infusions for her arthritis. It’s taking her immune system years to recover. Also, when she received the infusions of drugs, she developed new problems. Instead of tapering her off the drugs, the doctor sent her to other doctors for more test and new drugs for her new symptoms. TERRIBLE!!
This isn’t Healthcare. She’s much better now and is defintely staying from away from the regular doctors and is now seeing an acupuncturist.
Also meditation (not medication)really helps her to maintain her high blood pressure.
It’s amazing all the “alternative” choices out there. We just have to wake up. Thanks for Spreading the News!
Hi Monique,
Thanks for sharing your insight on this topic…it’s so unsettling how many people are suffering out there when there are “alternatives” that could be helping them.
I’m sorry to hear what your mom has gone through, but I’m so glad to hear that she is doing better! My mom has suffered quite a bit as well, so I understand how hard it is to go through something like that.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your story because I know it will help others
Lynne