Is Alternative Medicine Safe? – Should you Trust CAM Claims?

Alternative medicine, or as it is referred to nowadays, complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, shortly, is a way of treatment which does not involve traditional medicine or actual research, the scientific kind.

Alternative medicine does promote some questionable ways of achieving healing and positive results, especially having in mind that not all ingredients are beneficial to humans by themselves. Whether you should consider alternative medicine as something to turn towards depends solely on you. If you do, however, you should have in mind its safety, thus, your own safety.

Here is what you need to know about alternative medicine before you take up any sort of alternative therapy.

The Safety of CAM Treatments

CAM treatments might be safe, but they also might not. The thing you should always look for in any given therapy, like anything else, is whether a person tried it or not. Even then, based on the person’s exact problem and reaction to the treatment, you shouldn’t take the results for granted.

Similarly to purchasing expensive technology, you should gather as much data about it as possible, or even more, because this is potentially your body that you might be risking by undergoing an alternative therapy.

You should have the following things in mind:

Natural vs Healthy

Not every natural ingredient is good for you. Too much of anything can literally kill you, whether water or honey. An ingredient, hailing from nature, does not mean that it is good or healthy for your body. Poisonous mushrooms, for example, can look very similar to edible ones, yet they can kill you in two bites. Check which ingredients are healthy and do your research on them. If what you’re considering are supplements, contact your doctor and ask them about it.

Medication and Natural Ingredients

Pharmaceutical drugs can have bad reactions to some ingredients that you might find in alternative therapy. Consider that before you try anything new, if you’re on an antibiotic treatment, for example. Contact your doctor if you cannot find any information online. Always double or even, triple check.

Research – General and Specific

If you’re doing any sorts of research regarding CAM treatment, you should check the publication date of every work or research. Learn about the treatment, then learn about the ingredients used in the treatment, then double check and cross reference the sources to see whether you get a mismatch. Always consider the possibilities or contact a doctor to get a professional opinion.

Is alternative medicine safe? It could be, it all depends on a specific situation, condition, and treatment. Many factors can play a role so be sure to do your research and contact your doctor if you’re unsure in any way.

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