Array of disorders do not usually require conventional drugs
“Natural, 100 percent organic, non-GMO, vegan, gluten free, pesticide free,” these are the words that spray across every major food market, giving consumers the reassurance that they are eating ‘pure’ substances. However, this trend seems to halt when it comes to medicine- with a drug addicted culture falling ignorant to the chemical reliance they are forming on otherwise redundant substances.
Contradictory to our prescription drug-trusting culture, alternative medicine is making headway within the health conscious communities. One of the large inclusions of alternative medicine is Naturopathic medicine, which is actually regarded as a primary health care profession; emphasizing prevention and treatment, without conventional drugs. Although there are many medical conditions that can be encountered and have to be treated by conventional medicine, a lot of the ‘disorders’ young adults encounter are usually the result of habit and hormones, and are naturally treatable.
Steven Novella from Science-Based Medicine said, “Studies show that satisfaction with mainstream medicine is not an important factor in deciding to use CAM [complementary and alternative medicine], that CAM users are generally satisfied with their mainstream care, and they use CAM because it aligns with their philosophy, and they simply want to expand their options.”
Facilitating the body
However, alignment of philosophy is not only a perfect reason to swing more attention to the natural advantages of this practice, but it can be a more beneficial option for students who are consumed with the idea that prescription drugs are the only option to fix their symptoms.
Dr. Rebecca Bush, a registered N.D. in the state of Minnesota said, “Natural medicine can be very effective in hormonal issues facing students. Most of the time hormone issues are a result of a bigger problem. Attention issues, sleep issues, tiredness, depression, acne, etc. can be symptoms caused by poor food habits, bad sleep hygiene, inability to deal with stress, etc. Natural medicine stresses the importance of treating root causes and not just symptoms.”
Natural medicine not only is holistic, but it uses protocols that help minimize the risk of harm, and facilitates the body’s ability to restore and maintain optimal health. Bush stated that a large example of this would be the “brain-gut connection,” stressing the the importance of how the health of one’s gut can actually contribute to their mental well-being.
“We recently treated a young person who was hospitalized in the psychiatric ward for major depression. After testing we found this person had an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the small intestine; a conventionally recognized disorder called Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). After treating the bacterial overgrowth and healing the gut, this person’s mental health symptoms went away. The brain-gut connection is very powerful; remember the majority of your serotonin (a mood stabilizing neurotransmitter) is actually produced in the intestines, not in the brain,” said Bush.
Most disorders can be self-inflicted
The body is usually a self-regulating mechanism, working to maintain homeostasis, the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium- all by physiological processes. However, it is important to understand that homeostatic reactions are inevitable, and can be thrown off simply by the host’s lifestyle choices.
Eclinik Learning with Conquer Fear and Live Free said, “Being conscious of what we do and take in makes homeostasis perform a lot better. And when it is functioning properly, the chemical balance would surely reflect into our positive physical and psychological dispositions.”
Furthermore, one of the regulatory processes our body uses to maintain homeostasis is the release of hormones, triggering certain cellular responses- which can also be disturbed. The structures of hormones should not be the core blame of disorders, rather the actions that caused the malfunction.
Bush said, “Chronic disturbances to homeostasis may result in hormone imbalances including infections, allergies, toxicity challenges and genetic predispositions. Most problems arise when we don’t take care of ourselves properly; you can’t blame hormones for insomnia when you have a venti frappuccino for dinner.”
Lifestyle changes, however come the hardest to people- resulting in the overuse of modern pharmaceutical drugs and developing dependency.
Natural medicine gets to the bottom of it
One of the most frightening statistics recently, is that sales of prescription drugs directed for use in children have been the industry’s fastest growing business. America drugs, the infamous disorder everyone hears of, grows in usage by the second. Reps of large companies urge to prescribe antipsychotics, antidepressants, and more meds to children.
The result of all this perceived as dained drug madness? Juveniles in America take more prescription medications than children in other countries.
“Pharmaceuticals often address only symptoms, e.g. if you have a headache you take an aspirin. It makes you feel better short term but never really addresses why you have the headache in the first place,” said Bush.
In a study conducted by Melody Petersen, author of Our Daily Meds, it is estimated that 100,000 Americans die each year from prescriptions, when observing only at deaths from known side effects. Meaning thousands of people are dying from drugs they took as directed.
This shows how dangerous synthetic medication dependencies are.
Bush reminded, “Most natural therapies have additional beneficial effects in the body resulting in better health; which is vastly different from the listings of side effects from synthetic pharmaceuticals. Not all natural therapies are safe to take long-term, so it is important to work with a qualified healthcare professional.”
Even natural substances or therapy being used to create a result should be monitored, but this does not undermine the startling statistical deaths of Americans every year, due prescription dependencies.
Finding the root of the issue rather than treating symptoms is a more progressive form of healthcare.The practice of Naturopathic medicine is just another door opened in the medical community, and can definitely present an opportunity to those seeking alternatives.
Although society may be obsessed with treating themselves with pill after pill, Naturopathic medicine is a step in the right direction to preserving our body’s natural regulatory processes, and assisting in the idea that it is not always the body’s fault for a disruption in equilibrium.
“Lifestyle changes may not be the easiest option, but they are typically the best long-term solution,” said Bush.
Tiana Meador is a senior at SAHS and one of the online Editor-in-Chiefs. She enjoys being outdoors, painting, snowboarding, and surrounding herself with...
Ellie Speedling • Jan 18, 2017 at 11:33 am
I really enjoyed this article and how you used a lot of information without making it boring. Overall, a really interesting article and I liked hearing about your opinion on this topic.
Max Korth • Jan 18, 2017 at 8:27 am
Well Written and has very use of words, and it keeps you intrigued in the article and makes you want to keep reading, while still informing you about the topic.