What is the first thing we do when we feel pain, have a flu, or other ailments? See our family doctor, of course. The thought comes naturally because the doctors are there to heal their patients, or so we’ve been taught since early age. We believe the doctors because after all they’ve studied the human anatomy and medicine for a long time to know how to treat our problems. But what if we put ourselves in the devil’s advocate seat and think maybe, just maybe there are other ways to treat the illness that are healthier for our whole body, mind, and spirit?

Life is full of choices. In the end, we always have a choice on how we want to heal ourselves. We can trust the doctors or we can do our own research online.

Eastern medicine has increased in popularity in the last 20-30 years because of the less extreme treatments than those of western medicine. People have begun to think that maybe they don’t have to lose an arm or leg or another organ to surgery but rather try their luck with alternative medicine.

From mental illness to physical illness, the cure in many cases can be found in mother nature. Healing may take longer with alternative medicine and may require a lot of persistence, but it is worth a try. Below are some examples of why we should look to alternative medicine first before proceeding with conventional methods of medicine.

1. Heals root cause vs. symptoms

Perhaps the biggest difference between alternative and conventional (western) medicine is the perception and treatment of illness. Alternative medicine sees organs as functioning separately but in relation to each other. Therefore, alternative medicine heals the whole body versus specific parts. This is not the case in conventional medicine which only focuses on healing specific organs, not giving much thought to how the therapy might affect other organs (notice the treatment of cancer where the cancerous cells are killed while the healthy cells get killed too).

2. Little to no side effects

Being that all of alternative medicine is based on natural ingredients, there are very little to no side effects associated with this type of treatment. In other words, there are no side effects that we can see in conventional drugs such as drowsiness, weakness, bleeding, and others.

3. No toxins and chemicals

This is probably one of the main reasons people choose alternative medicine over conventional medicine. They can be sure that they are not intoxicating their bodies with hard-to-pronounce chemicals that may or may not have been tested for safety.

4. Ancient cultures swore by herbs

If there is one thing we learned from ancient cultures it is how to use the herbs available to us everywhere. Thousands of years ago people relied on plant life around them to heal their illnesses. That knowledge (now known as herbalism) has been passed down for generations for a reason. The ancient people knew something that the western cultures are only now beginning to realize.

Ayurveda is a 5000 year old medicine that originated in India which integrates the body, mind, and spirit. It combines herbal treatment, yoga, and a balanced diet.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is also based on herbs and treating the whole body.

While there are many cultures that incorporated herbs into their medicine, they all had one thing in common: all patients had specific individual treatment.

5. Less expensive

Doctor’s visits, medicine costs, hospital stays, surgeries, the use of equipment, and other costs associated with western medicine can be hard to afford for some, especially with no insurance. Herbal treatments, on the other hand, are fairly affordable.

6. Tried and true end results

Let’s stick to the “incurable” disease of cancer and mention that the conventional method of chemotherapy and radiation has a 30% success rate at best (Burton Goldberg, 2011). On the other hand, the alternative medicine has a success rate of 75%-95%. There is evidence that alternative medicine works but it is suppressed by the giants (big corporations and associations) because of greed.

7. Puts pressure on conventional medicine

The more people stick to alternative medicine and share their success rate with the world, the more urge for the big giants to shift. It’s that simple.

8. Body, mind, and spirit

With alternative medicine you heal all aspects of yourself: body, mind, and spirit. Alternative medicine carries an attitude that is positive of the outcome, that is relaxing, and most importantly that is geared toward individualistic needs.

9. Variety of methods to choose from

Most alternative medicine treatments will consist of herbs, whether it is teas or supplements in the form of pills. There are other methods, however, to incorporate into the healing process including acupuncture, yoga, a balanced diet, energy healing, and meditation.

10. Your body will thank you

After incorporating all of the above-mentioned methods into your treatment or at least a couple of them, your body will start to respond immediately. Your mind will think more clearly as a result. In short, you will be thankful for choosing the alternative medicine.

Alternative medicine is not considered a science-based medicine and is therefore not approved by the World Health Organization as the standard method for healing. But we have to wonder, why has no one invested time and money into proving that alternative medicine works, into providing the facts and figures of numerous healed people? Why do so many people in increasing numbers look for alternative ways to heal themselves? And finally, why is there less trust in doctors than there has been 20-30 years ago?

I am not saying don’t trust your doctor, just realize that doctors are only allowed to prescribe certain medicine or brands imposed on them by the third parties. Be open to other possibilities and trying new things to heal yourself. It is your body after all and no one else’s, and only you should make the final decision.