Anyone who has ever experienced the discomfort of illness will have at some point visited a hospital to see a doctor who will then deliver the orthodox system of medicine to treat the illness.

On the other hand, many people have also had cause to seek alternative means of treatments from the herbal practitioners who use herbal preparations or methods to alleviate or cure illness.

For some, they can have nothing to do with the orthodox system of treatments, while for others the herbal practitioners are an absolute NO! Then there are those between who are open to both sides of the divide, as long as they offer them relief from their ailments. Personally, I am not “pro” or “anti” any of them, so here are some of the pros & cons of orthodox vs. herbal treatments.

ORTHODOX TREATMENTS

Pros

• Orthodox treatments give faster relief form discomforts as a result of illness and disease.
• In cases of emergency, orthodox treatments come to the rescue, through surgery and other emergency responses, alternative treatments are not designed to deal with such situations
• Orthodox treatments have offered lifesaving surgeries which alternative treatments are not yet able to beat such as in the areas of organ transplant.
• In cases of an epidemic which claims many lives, orthodox medicine systems are of great need, through its research and results, such epidemics can be curbed, thereby saving lives in hundreds and thousands.
• Orthodox systems have specialists attending to different parts of the body such as eye, ear & nose doctors, heart care doctors or for specific situations such as neonatal care or pediatricians who attend to children’s health.
• Medications from orthodox systems are durable and have shelf lives of many months and years.

Cons

• Orthodox medicine treats the mind and body as separate entities, while in some cases a holistic approach is more appropriate.
• Orthodox systems and treatment can be very expensive and unaffordable for many.
• Orthodox medicines are famous for leaving toxic waste in the body which in turn can lead to other serious illnesses.
• People with same illness get treated the same way, individual uniqueness is ignored.
• Symptoms alone are treated or suppressed, and the underlying cause is ignored.
• Uncommon illnesses are rarely given much attention in the area of research and cure since it will not yield profit to the pharmaceuticals.
• Errors in orthodox systems i.e. through surgery can be fatal for patients.
• Orthodox systems does not focus on illness prevention it only intervenes when illness has occurred.

HERBAL TREATMENTS

Pros

• Herbal treatments treat patients with lesser side effects of toxic build up in the body that comes from the use of orthodox medicine.
• They do not harm useful healthy flora in our guts (stomachs) as much as orthodox treatments through the use of antibiotics which wipe out useful (pro-biotics) and harmful bacteria in the gut.
• Herbal treatments do not just treat symptoms they explore illnesses holistically before administering treatment.
• They lead to longer term relief from illness without re-occurrence.
• They are less expensive.
• Individual illness considerations and more personal attention and care is given, compared to orthodox medicine produced for global consumption.
• They offer more preventive systems, by encouraging body cleansing and in turn illness prevention.
• They can work as sole or supportive treatments.

Cons
• Treatments/medications in herbal care are not as durable as orthodox, at its most unpolished level, herbal mixtures will have to be warmed or preserved temporarily by some means.
• Herbal treatments lack standards through proper governing bodies.
• They do not always provide fast relief and often need dedication on the part of the patient over some period of time before positive results are experienced.
• The can interact unfavourably with other orthodox medications, leading to unpleasant side effects or complications.
• They are not completely reliable.
• They are not suited to responding to emergencies.

Irrespective of which side you stand with, it is undeniable that this two are here to stay. The pros & cons of orthodox vs. herbal treatments will continue to be a long standing debate. They are both very much relevant in today’s health systems and who knows, the future may see a better balance and synergy between the two.

Have a positive attitude.

Source -www.yourhealthattitude.com