The Limits of Traditional Medical Care

I grew up in a time where, if I was sick, I went to the doctor, he (they were all men back then) would look me over, prescribe a medication and send me on my way.  Usually, I got better.  As I’ve grown older the scenario has changed as have my health issues.  I go to the doctor, he/she looks me over and I get a prescription for something to make me well.  But now, I don’t necessarily get well from this, in fact, I often deal with side effects of these medications which require another medication.  I estimate that traditional Western medicine works about 50% of the time for me these days.  That’s being generous.  Nowadays, I have more doctors, even specialists, saying they don’t know what’s causing my health problems, have no viable treatments, and they don’t have any way to find out what's really going on.  They are challenged to find successful therapies as well as to make accurate diagnoses. 

Several years ago, out of necessity, I began exploring natural remedies:  herbs, vitamins, supplements, etc.  I started seeing improvements in my health conditions that my doctors were not able to help me resolve.  Encouraging.  And I am not alone in this. More and more people are finding that traditional medical care is not working for them or causing too many side effects. They may be struggling with health issues with which their doctors have not been able to help. Unfortunately, there is a lot of this going on. These folks have begun looking for natural remedies, with few to no side effects that are effective with their health problems. 

The need for effective treatment of various illnesses using natural therapies is becoming increasingly apparent.  The standard of medical care through Western, allopathic approaches has its limitations as do even the natural remedies.  In fact, a 2016 study by John Hopkins Medicine, published in the British Medical Journal shows that medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States behind cancer and heart disease (Makary & Daniel, 2016; originally titled: “Doctors are The Third Lead Cause of Death in the US”).  In another study of medical error reporting, it was shown that less than 10% of medical errors are actually reported in the US where more errors occur than in other developed countries (Anderson & Abrahamson, 2017). 

As mentioned before, there is a high occurrence of side effects with traditional pharmaceuticals.  In a study of medication side effects, it has been noted that, “69% of drugs have between 10 and 100 different side effects; 22% of drugs have more than 100 side-effects; only 9% of drugs have less than 10 side-effects” (Wang et al., 2014). It is becoming crucial that we find more natural and effective ways of dealing with health concerns.

This can be a challenging idea for those of us accustomed to viewing the doctor as an ultimate authority on health care and that there are no alternatives. But there are alternatives and other ways of dealing with health issues.  This is not to say that doctors and Western medicine have no place in these times, but only to point out that they have limitations.  If you break your arm DO NOT CALL YOUR AROMATHERAPIST; go to the ER/your doctor. I still go to my doctors, but I go with my eyes wide open.  Often, I go just for diagnosis and testing.  I research their diagnosis and if they offer a treatment, I research that medication and its possible side effects, I look at what natural alternatives may be available and decide what’s right for me.  Sometimes, the doctor's plan of treatment is the way for me to go; often it is not.

Aromatherapy can be an effective, alternative treatment modality for many health and well-being concerns.  It too has its limitations, but essential oils can offer effective results with very few to no side effects.  They smell good, too (well, most of them)! And aromatherapy is not the only alternative/complementary therapy available. There are herbal treatments, massage, acupuncture, homeopathy, yoga and many more. I encourage my family, friends and clients to explore alternatives and see what might complement their existing health care.  Often, it is possible to use aromatherapy or other natural therapies in conjunction with medical care; sometimes it is contraindicated. An aromatherapist can help you sort this out.