The Western Treatment of Illness versus Alternative Therapies of Essay

The Western interference of Illness versus Alternative Therapies of Probiotics, Herbs and Cleansing Regimens - Essay exemplarBacteria which are immune to the traditional crossments of antibiotics have become a serious issue for practitioners and the general public. Over-reliance on antibiotics by family doctors, and non-compliance by patients (usually through miss of understanding about the nature of antibiotics and bacteria) has produced infections such as Clostridium difficile, known as C. dif, which require very intensive therapies and are very resistant to treatment. It thusly makes sense for scientists to consider whether alternative therapies are of any benefit in providing an alternative to antibiotics.Complementary therapy such as herbs whitethorn actually cheaper than conventional medications. A study comparing standard anti-depressants with St Johns Wort found that the side effects of the herb were only 10 percent that of the medications, and the herb was only one-fourt h the cost of the anti-depressant. (Jonas, W. 209). Treatment of Helicobacter Pylori through antibiotics isThe side effects of antibiotics often result in a significant failure to complete the course - this has repercussions both in the duration of the illness, and the likeliness of the bacteria becoming resistant to treatment. Studies have shown that probiotics act rapidly (Mattila-Sandholm et all, 2000). In addition, it is widely acknowledged that patients are complacent about antibiotics, (Guardian 2005), and complementary therapy could provide a solution to that problem (Jonas, 208)Alternative therapies also provide a holistic treatment, though some clinicians feel that it is nonsense to claim that conventional medicine does not treat the whole person (Baum, 1988)However, there is evidence that probiotics strengthen the immune system (Kailasapathy, Chin, 82 Senok, Ismaeel, and Botta, 959-960), providing long-term benefits for the patient. In cases where the patient is vulnerabl e to infection, this may be of particular proposition interest. Problems with CAMAlthough many people take CAM without problems, there are safety issues which mean that alternative therapy is not benign. Firstly, the herbs themselves may be toxic in large doses (Silverstein et al, 162), they may be contra-indicated with conventional medication (Silverstein, 162 Jonas 209), and generally less well regulated (Senok, 959).There is also little hard evidence that CAMs are more stiff than conventional treatments (Mattila-Sandholm, 394 Langmead, Rampton, 348), and despite some clinicians feelings that CAMs have a beneficial effect, some studies seem to show the opposite (Gionchetti, et al, 492).The biggest concern over the use of CAM in treating bacterial diseases, however, is the fact that many probiotics and herbal medicines are targeted at the healthy