Band 7+: Nowadays, a growing number of people with health problems are trying alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor. Do you think this is a positive or a negative development? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Recently, a trend has developed where people are trying alternative medicines and treatments rather than paying a visit to a professional physician. This essay unequivocally argues that this is a negative development as these people are not professionals and might not be treating underlying problems.

People who are opting for alternative medicines could be doing themselves more harm than good as they are not professionals. Doctors are taught to deal with various aspects of the disease while at the same time maintaining a focus on what benefits the patient. They have been trained to do this and have practiced it countlessly, so that is why they should never be substituted for any form of medicine. Physicians usually take into consideration many more factors than are apparent, such as allergies and drug toxicity. Without a physician guiding one through treatment, he or she could end up doing more harm than good. For example, a regimen given to a woman would differ if that woman were pregnant. Such knowledge can only be obtained from a professional.

Another major point of debate is treating symptoms only. A disease could present with a variety of clinical symptoms that help identify said disease. However, treating these symptoms does not always mean treating the underlying problem, another reason to why a professional should be a guide throughout the healing process. Most alternative medicines tend to alleviate pains or other symptoms without really solving the underlying issue or disease causing these problems. A doctor, on the other hand, would first look for the source of these issues and work on solving that while trying to alleviate the patient’s complaints. For example, alternative medicine could alleviate headache pain while a doctor would treat the sinusitis causing it and therefore eliminating the headache altogether.

In conclusion, alternative medicines should never be substituted for a visit to the primary physician. Otherwise, this could fail to solve the problem that began the cascade of symptoms or cause more harm than good.