“Natural medicine is healthier than conventional medicine!” and “Natural therapists are all quacks!” are two statements that are often used to establish and maintain the gulf between natural therapies and conventional medicine. However, over the past few years a marked shift has been taking place narrowing the divide between the two camps. Suddenly, statements such as “preventative medicine” and “holistic approach” which would have never been heard from the mouth of medical practitioners let alone government representatives are now almost considered ‘normal’.

Despite this thawing relationship between the natural therapies and medical practitioners signalling a near end of the ‘cold war’ period in health treatment there are still a number of controversial topics with opinions strongly divided.

In this article we are going to take a closer look at some of them.

Please note that this article talks in general terms only. Without doubt there are many medical practitioners who have a holistic approach just as there are many natural therapists who value the contribution of the medical profession (the author being one of them).

Intervention vs support or “What is the root of all evil?”

One of the major differences between the two camps (natural therapies and medical science) is the issue of the root cause of health problems and what to do about it.

Natural therapists strongly believe that the body has a natural tendency of healing itself which is a view supported by science in the concept of homeostasis. To explain: homeostasis is the body’s constant attempts to maintain a stable environment, achieving equilibrium necessary for survival and good health. If homeostasis is disrupted the body takes steps to restore it – for example, if body temperature becomes too high, the body must take steps to bring it back to normal in the form of sweating, drinking cold water, etc. If homeostasis cannot be restored adequately, the person’s health may suffer and the body may not be able to function correctly, eventually resulting in disease and illness.

Medical practitioners consider illness as an ‘attacker’ and the only way of defence is to destroy the ‘attackers’. To use an example: medical practitioners would prescribe antibiotics to kill off bacteria, or surgically remove a problem. Although in many cases as very useful approach this philosophy has also resulted in a multibillion dollar ‘disease industry’ where costly medical intervention is preferred to preventing the problem in the first place.

Natural therapists on the other hand consider illness as a challenge that should be met by supporting the body to heal itself rather than externally intervening to re-establish homeostasis. Basic treatment approaches usually include rest, exercise, diet, nutritional supplements, medicinal herbs, etc. In other words the focus being on maintaining and supporting health rather than treating illness making this a health-, rather than a disease-based approach. As we will see this is a fundamental tenet that defines the difference between natural therapies and orthodox medicine.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements or “

The most fundamental way of supporting the body is through appropriate nutrition. When we look at appropriate nutrition in more detail we come to the issue of vitamins and minerals which play important roles in many metabolic pathways. And this is where the argument starts.

Holistic nutritionists strongly believe in the value of mineral and vitamin supplementation which they claim can result in reverse or stopping disease processes, especially when administered in high doses.

Medical practitioners in general reject this approach as unscientific. The ongoing controversy regarding the efficacy of vitamin C in the treatment or prevention of the common cold being a prime example. They especially reject dosages that are higher than the established recommended dietary intake amounts, which is an approach strongly favoured by natural therapists. Natural therapists argue that these daily intake recommendations are much too low, not taking into account the stresses and associated nutritional requirements of contemporary life. Both sides quote numerous scientific studies to support their arguments and the argument no doubt will continue.

Menopause

Menopause refers to the natural reduction of oestrogen production in the older women and the associated cessation of menstruation. All women at some stage will experience menopause indicating that this is a normal biological process. The argument lies with how to manage this process and especially the associated symptoms.

Natural therapists strongly believe that the answer is to manage the symptoms until the body has adapted to the reduced levels of oestrogens. Treatments include introducing foods rich in plant oestrogens (eg tofu), nutritional supplements such as evening primrose oil, a range of herbal remedies, and other are widely and successfully used.

The medical community on the other hand considers menopause as a disorder that requires continuous treatment in the form of hormone replacement therapy (or HRT) which involves synthetic hormones (mainly oestrogen and progesterone) as well as other forms of medication depending on the symptoms. There is no doubt that some women experience often debilitating menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, depression, and other. However, long term studies have now shown that there are a wide range of side effects associated with HRT ranging from increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, gall stones, blood clots and other.

Considering that menopause is virtually non-existent in traditional Asian and many European societies risking women’s lives to ‘treat’ menopause is rather questionable.

Attention deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or “What to do with out-of-control kids”

Attention deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is another contentious issue between natural therapists and the medical community at large. Although currently there is no widely excepted medical cause for ADHD children are put on a range of quite serious medication in the form of stimulants (eg Ritalin®) with varying results and a wide range of potential side-effects such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, and even addiction if used in high doses and over long periods of time.

Natural therapists on the other hand consider ADHD as a symptom of many contributing factors. As a result the approach involves a range of treatments aimed at a) reducing stimulating, and b) increasing calming factors. Without getting into too much detail the diet is analysed, any stimulants (high sugar, and additives containing products) removed, etc. Dietary intake is supplemented with essential fatty acids, zinc and other nutrients; behaviours are modified with TV and computer consumption being reduced, exercise and relaxation introduced, etc. In other words, the body is supported rather than the symptoms being attacked.

Childbirth

Until the end of the 19^th century childbirth used to be the domain of women and midwives - an approach which makes a lot of sense considering that it is exclusively women who ever experience birth. However, with the rise of the medical profession male doctors started to wrestle into this female domain resulting in a situation whereby most births were managed by (mostly) male obstetricians. Associated with this gender shift was also a shift in attitude towards births requiring medical control and intervention – think maternity wards, women on drips to induce birth, babies being extracted with various implements (forceps) and techniques (caesarean), sanitised and promptly removed to an ‘appropriate’ baby care facility with the occasional visit to the mother.

Since the 1960s proponents of natural births have fought hard and long to humanise and re-womanise this process. This has now given rise to birthing units even in public hospitals, an increased number of midwives assisting in home births, and fathers being actively (in a supporting role only!) involved in the birthing process.

These are only a very few of the topics that can get natural therapists and medical professionals hot under the collar. However, it is important to note that there is an increasing understanding and appreciation of the contribution to health and the treatment of disease by either camp. This is demonstrated by the exponential growth of multidisciplinary practices where medical professional and complementary practitioners work side-by-side providing true holistic health care.

About the author

Bernhard Vock is a naturopath, massage therapist and health educator. He is the Academic Director at Australasian College of Natural Therapies, Surry Hills and has been involved in teaching, developing and implementing training programs in complementary therapies for the last 10 years.