In the modern world of medicine today, owing to rapid improvements in science and technology, there are various alternative therapies available that may be more useful than conventional remedies. Due to the fact that many people today are no longer restricting themselves to the conventions of adopting traditional medical treatments only, alternative healing methods are starting to gain popularity. As there is substantial evidence proving that people’s eating habits affect their health, the adoption of dietotherapy has become more popular recently. Concurrently, there has been a wave of diet changes sweeping across the planet, which has been branded as a "new-age diet revolution". This essay will firstly cite two instances to discuss the role of alternative diet styles in the present age: namely dietotherapy for the treatment of hypertension; and utilizing diet to heal cancer. Finally, this paper will canvass the reasons behind alternative therapy’s growing popularity and why it should be heeded.
In an attempt to seek remedies for maladies including incurable diseases and chronic ailments, which currently cannot be cured by modern medicine, some have investigated other methods as alternative treatments for illnesses. (Nursing Home & Elder Business Week, 2006, 114) Most alternative therapies are supported by science, and have high cure rates, so alternative treatments are now playing an ever-increasingly significant role. Two particular examples will be referred to in the following discussion to illustrate the theory of dietotherapy and its practicality.
First of all, high blood pressure (or hypertension) has been commonly recognized as a serious problem for people, and the main causes of high blood pressure include obesity, excessive consumption of alcohol, lack of physical activities and stress, and some uncontrollable factors including race, genetics and age. According to research, herbal medication can lower blood pressure naturally (www.azwellness.info). For instance, diuretic herbs such as Fennel, Dandelion and Parsley can multiply the amount of blood that circulates to the kidneys, which therefore in general increases urination and lowers the overall blood pressure. A rise in blood pressure is generally caused by the additional force necessary to push the thickened blood through the capillaries. Diet-therapy encourages drinking apple cider vinegar or consuming more vinegar in everyday meals. The alkalinity in blood and makes it less thick and in turn lowers blood pressure. The acid in the vinegar also helps to dilute the blood and consequently makes it easier for the heart to circulate the blood throughout the body. It is also worth mentioning that fruit vinegar contains potassium which can help the body to metabolize out sodium and prevent high blood pressure (www.earthcl inic.com ).
Secondly, for most cancer treatments, the orthodox method directly attacks tumors: this is like a battlefield in the body, and normal practices such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and operations generally have significant side effects. On the other hand, alternative therapies value and improve people’s health status by increasing the patients’ natural immune systems to resist cancer cells. Owing to the fact that protein and fat can promote cancer development, the adoption of a vegetarian diet can greatly reduce the body’s assimilation of animal fats, which in turn may inhibit undesirable hormone metamorphosis and further growth of the cancer cells. (Messina, Mangels, and Messina 2004, 35-36). A vegetarian diet can be an extremely effective way to remedy various types of cancer as vegetables and fruits contain large quantities of vitamin C and fiber, which are vital for excretion and diminishing of carcinogens in the body. (Altshul 2003, 60). Otherwise, antioxidants, such as the phenol and flavones found in fruits and vegetables have been noted as potential cancer fighters due to the fact that their ability to destroy free radicals which eliminate body cells (Bellenir ed 2002, 393-395). Another diet-therapeutic treatment of cancer is through organic diets; consumption of vegetables or fruits which have been grown without the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizer or sewage, animals farmed without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones, and processed food without the use a large numbers of food additives. Besides, an organic diet does not advocate cooked food: instead, freshness is the main focus as raw foods contain more nutrition than after being boiled. Therefore, it is claimed that an organic raw-food diet is suitable for the metabolic type of the cancer patient (www.gojuvo.com). Consequently, more people are choosing alternative therapies when they are diagnosed with cancers.
Intuitively, the implications of alternative therapy such as diet-therapy are most certainly enormous and promising. Many patients choose alternative treatment not only due to social and cultural reasons, but ultimately their desires for relief and instincts to survive. Diet-therapy places great emphasis on food consumption habits, which could potentially lead to or help the patient’s general well being: however, one must be precautious of the nutrition imbalance and the possible allergic reaction. This is of particular importance especially in developing countries where factors such as ignorance, socioeconomics, and inadequate access to mainstream medical facilities prohibit sufferers from receiving proper treatments.
There are some acknowledged risks and uncertainties with obsolescing the conventional healing methods. According to Wiesner (1989, 39) states that “risks to patients receiving treatment from alternative or conventional medicine can arise from two main sources: the practitioner or medication”. Firstly, it could continue tumor growth or symptom worsening, which could result in additional and possibly irreversible damage. Secondly, damage or complications could arise from alternative treatments. Finally, allergy to food still remains a major area of research focus (Wiesner 1989, 39-40 ).
Notwithstanding the above-mentioned, it should be realized that diet-therapy like other alternative healing methods offers a means of treatment outside the majority of accepted medicine today. Although patients other than those suffering from cancer and hypertension throughout the world are adopting diet-therapy in conjunction or in replacement of mainstream treatment in an attempt to relieve their symptoms, care and attention must be taken to prevent undesirable effects, which could be hidden in the potentially unreliable methods. (Angell & Kassirer 1998, 839 ).
In conclusion, the use of alternative therapy is multiplying because patients and doctors both believe and hold thoughts of positivism, which give invalids a hope of survival. Hypertension and cancer are grave illnesses particularly for middle-aged people. They do not wish to endure chronic suffering and side effects: accordingly, alternative therapy occupies an important position, not only as a treatment, but also acts to reduce anguish and the afflictions of sick people. Otherwise, even though alternative treatment is becoming popular in the modern world and is extensively used by many people, it still has some perils, such as worsening the patients’ condition, dangers of complexity, and allergic reactions. As a result, in the use of alternative therapy, one must be careful and query the adviser’s professional knowledge.
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