Alternative Vs. Conventional: Why Doctors Don't Get It
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
with Laina Krisik

If you live in the United States and need medical care or treatment for a disease, you can follow one of two paths to better health: conventional or alternative. In making this decision it is important to know the differences between the two practices.

A Comparison of Conventional to Alternative Medicine

A growing number of people are turning to alternative therapies, more and more now the chosen form of medical treatment among Americans.

Consider these statistics:

· One in every three Americans uses some kind of alternative medicine.

· Between 1990 and 1997 there was a 47 percent increase in visits to alternative practitioners, from 427 million to 629 million, bypassing the estimated total number of visits made to all conventional primary-care doctors in 1997.

Since these statistics reveal the rapidly increasing number of people choosing alternative therapies, the debated question among the health care industry is, "Why don't more conventional doctors recommend alternative medicine?"

Pharmaceutical Ties
The driving force behind the continuing growth of conventional medicine has been the pharmaceutical industry, embraced by both doctors and pharmacists, who calculate their worth through treating disease by prescribing medications. For example, if a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer, the protocol for the doctor is sometimes to prescribe tamoxifen. If a patient is diagnosed with schizophrenia, clozaril is prescribed.

Medical Schools Receive Funding From Drug Companies
Most medical schools receive a huge chunk of funding from the pharmaceutical industry which has a vested interest in marketing their medicines. Evidence of this can be seen in Pfizer Inc, a company that develops, produces and markets the leading prescription medications and offers several scholarships and grants to American Medical Schools.

The Media Favors Drug Advertising
Just as pharmaceutical companies are about profits, so too is the media in the realm of advertising. The public is routinely exposed to drug commercials every day. The number of these has exploded over the past few years. In 1999, drug companies spent $1.8 billion on direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs. Even more disturbing, it was discovered that around 10 percent of the people who watched the commercials enquired to their doctor about the specific drugs.

Even the American Medical Association maintains a relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. Just a brief visit will see a sizable advertisement for the statin drug, Crestor.

Research Discrepancies
The scale for funding of medical research is disproportionately tipped to favor conventional medicine over alternative medicine. An example of this can be seen in the 0.08 percent of the British National Health Service research budget set aside for alternative research. Also, out of $12 billion allocated every year by Congress to the National Institutes of Health, a mere $5.4 million goes to the Office of Alternative Medicine to investigate the claims of approximately 50 therapies.

The lack of alternative medicine research funding results in three critical consequences:

· The prevention of relevant research projects
· Prevents the creation of a research infrastructure similar to the conventional medicine model
· Deters well-trained career scientists from entering the field

Questionable Research
One of the chief complaints against alternative medicine is the lack of scientific research to support its practices. But then, much of the research on conventional medicine has also raised speculation over validity issues. Examples of this are the hundreds of articles published in top medical journals claimed to be written by academic researchers, but in fact crafted by ghostwriters working for agencies, which receive large amounts of money from pharmaceutical companies to market their products. These are the very journals medical professionals rely on when determining treatment options.

Over 60 percent of clinical studies involving human participants receive financial backing from drug companies and not from the federal government. Studies also show it is common for companies to hold off publication of data which might reveal that their drugs are ineffective.

Conclusion
The conventional medical model is largely profit-driven by the pharmaceutical industry that influences the media through drug advertisements. Evidence that the American public has become discouraged can be clearly seen in the aforesaid figures revealing the numbers now turning to alternative treatments.

Convincing doctors and the media of the value of alternative medicine might be some way off yet, considering their ties with the drug industry. Profit-hungry corporations will never make the move to change the attitude of conventional doctors unless brought under heavier pressure. Too much money to make. Too much money to lose. Which leaves it up to the public to take control over their own health and continue making their choices.
Healthy News You Can Use, 21st July 2004, issue 552
www.mercola.com

Further Resources
Health Wars by Phillip Day
Wake up to Health in the 21st Century by Steven Ransom

Click here to purchase or review any of the above.
Click here for telephone sales around the world.
Click here if you wish to contact Credence for information on treatment options or resources