It’s no secret that many Kenyans seek healthcare outside of conventional or mainstream medicine.
Many names are used to describe non-conventional medicine, including complementary medicine, alternative medicine and integrative medicine. For clarity, when non-mainstream practice is used together with conventional medicine, it’s considered “complementary”.
And when a non-mainstream practice is used instead of conventional medicine, it’s considered “alternative”. Integrative care involves bringing complementary and alternative approaches together in a coordinated manner.
There are many types of complementary health approaches, but they mainly fall into either use of natural products or mind and body practices. Natural products are mainly herbs, vitamins, minerals and probiotics. They are readily available in many forms, and are mainly marketed as dietary supplements.
Mind and body practices come in many forms that include yoga, acupuncture, meditation, massage therapy, chiropractic, relaxation techniques, and many more.
It has always been questioned whether complimentary or alternative medicine really works. Some natural products have been subjected to rigorous research, but the results are usually disappointing, implying that the products don’t really work as commonly claimed. Some of the products may be helpful, while others may be unsafe.
Research on body and mind approaches shows evidence of benefit for some health conditions. An example is the benefit of acupuncture or osteopathy for treating lower back pain.
How do you decide if complementary or alternative medicine is for you? You should consider this as a serious decision regarding your healthcare. You must be an informed consumer, and find out as much information as possible about your health condition and potential treatment options.
It may be worthwhile discussing your plans with your conventional healthcare provider. Then seek out a complementary practitioner with the same diligence as you would use to seek a conventional medical practitioner. Don’t take anything for granted.
Ask questions about safety, effectiveness, any research on the products or practice, cost, and if there is any regulations governing the practice.
Don’t ever settle for catchy anecdotes about benefits that are either unproven or just plainly dishonest. There are never magical cures, secret ingredients, or quick fixes for long-term health issues. Natural products are not necessarily safe either.
Claims that a practice or a certain product is a cure for multiple ailments are usually false. If someone else responded well to the same treatment, it doesn’t mean that you will, it could just be what is described as a placebo effect.
In other words, a belief and expectation that the treatment actually worked, even when it actually didn’t. Some complementary and alternative medicines are based on sound scientific principles, but others cannot stand the scrutiny of basic proof of benefits.
However, the use of integrative approaches to health and wellness will continue to grow. And ongoing research will continue to inform on the benefits of integrative medicine in a variety of health conditions, ranging from pain syndromes to cancer.