Meridian Magazine : : Healthy Outlook: Alternatives to Traditional Medicine

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Alternatives to Traditional Medicine
By Stan M. Gardner, M.D.

All right. I've waited a long time to give you this one. Perhaps I've been too nervous about stepping on toes. But after a couple of years writing for Meridian Magazine, I figure you know me a little better, I know you a little better, and it's time to give you some more challenging philosophical comments to ponder.

What I've done is take the traditional (also called allopathic) medicine philosophies and compare them side by side with alternative medicine (also called integrative, complementary, or preventive medicine).

Actually, no name is fully descriptive for either of the disciplines. Traditional could just as easily refer to medicine that was practiced in the past, now called complementary or alternative medicine. And alternative medicine could just as easily refer to the surgical/drug alternatives that people have when their homemade remedies do not help.

So, casting aside my philosophizing, the chart below is self-explanatory and really needs no commentary. Try reading it, comparing, and evaluating. I'd like to get your feedback.

Alternative Medicine

Traditional Medicine

The body is self-healing — but only if nutrients and building blocks are present and toxic substances are removed.
The body is a mechanical machine that breaks down, so the physician must “fix” it.

Treat cause. Treat symptoms.

Work with the physiology of the body. Control the physiology of the body.

Build the terrain (cells) and strengthen the natural defenses of the body.
Kill the enemy.

Based on the science of biochemistry and physiology.
Heavily influenced by pharmaceuticals,driven by consensus, tradition, policy, insurance, random double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.

The body has an energy force, chi, spirit, soul that is separate from the physical body, from the physical body, responding to Einsteinian physics.
The body is a biochemical, physical entity with pulleys, organs, and vessels that follow Newton's laws of physics.

Use whole, organic products or bioidentical products.
Use synthetically changed, patentable products.

Empasize safer herbs, minerals, vitamins. Emphasize medications.

Different view of same disease.

Use safer procedure for same disease.

Use non-invasive testing whenever possible.

Treat “untreatable” diseases.

It's not too hard to determine my bias, is it? However, it's important to note that I practiced traditional, allopathic medicine for more than 20 years before realizing that there were some significant factors in alternative medicine that I was overlooking, all in the name of staying “within the box.” Current research tends to show that alternative medical approaches work. From my clinical experience, I see that to be true on a daily basis.

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About the Author:

Stan M. Gardner, M.D., and his wife Cristie, are the parents of six sons and two daughters. He began his quest for understanding health and illness while attending medical school in the Philippines. He did a pediatrics residency in Omaha, Nebraska, and practiced pediatrics for nine years in Layton, Utah. The Gardner family moved to Montana in 1992. While in Montana, Stan was introduced to preventive medicine, which emphasizes strengthening the immune system. After four years of studying this field, he joined Preventive Medicine Group in Westlake, Ohio. He has become a certified nutrition specialist (CNS), and writes and lectures extensively on the subject of preventive medicine and natural means of healing. He is a popular speaker and provides interesting perspectives on health care from a prevention standpoint. Visit his blog site at http://www.drstangardner.com.