Alternative Medicine: The Importance Of Conventional Medicine

Conventional medicine has been the norm since its conception. It was not until recently that alternative medicine has been on the rise as the trust level society puts in their primary healthcare providers has been on the steady decline. “Americans are less trusting of the medical profession than people in many other countries -- even though they often like their own doctor” (Norton, 2014). This has been evident in the fact that there are more people using complementary and/or alternative medicine (CAM) than in the previous years. These form of medicines has been used for stress and chronic pain relief as well as to treat other ailments (Collins, 2015). Changing the opinions of patients and bringing those patients back into the realm of conventional

Trust is essential, even fundamental, to a successful patient-doctor relationship. “In order for the physician to make accurate diagnoses and provide optimal treatment recommendations, the patient must be able to communicate all relevant information about an illness or injury” (Ludwig & Burke, 2014). Those who have mistrusted conventional medicine and physicians may feel this way because trust in physicians is equated to the belief that the physician will act in your best interest and has competence and will be honest and they may not feel as if that in itself is true (Armstrong, Ravenell, McMurphy, & Putt, 2007). Believing and trusting your doctor is what the physician-patient relationship is founded on and has been the model for the healthcare community for decades. With more people

Alternative medicine can be defined as “methods of treatment that are not a part of conventional medical training,” and its increase has taken place alongside the growing skepticism the Western world has exhibited about the medical industry in general (Collins, 2015). Alternative medicines can include massage, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, taking vitamin supplements, herbal medicine, and yoga. While many may believe this path of medicine is not helpful Americans have shown their dissatisfaction with traditional health care by spending more than $27 billion annually on CAM (Carey, 2006). Collins (2015) discussed the National Health Statistics Report that showed that nearly one out of three people in the United States seek alternative forms of medicine. This shows that the level of trust and satisfaction in the medical field is correlated to the amount of participation in complementary medicine. Others have stated they use CAM because it aligns with their ways of life and philosophy more than conventional medicine does (Novella, 2012). The focus must now be shifted to how to bring those who have expressed their distrust with conventional medicine and how to bring their trust level back to where it once