Is Natural Medicine scientific?

Tuesday, 29 September 2020

According to Cambridge dictionary, this is the definition of science: (knowledge from) the carefulstudy of the structure and behaviour of the physicalworld, especially by watching, measuring, and doing experiments, and the development of theories to describe the results of these activities [1]

When it comes to Natural Medicine [2] (Naturopathy), we can say that it's a body of practices aimed to restore optimum health in the individual, and based on empiricism. In philosophy, empiricism is a theory that states that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience. [3]

According to the above definitions , when natural medicine is not based on the assumptions of a particular Natural Doctor (ND), but rather on scientific evidence, we can say that it's scientific.

For example, the effects of Garlic on the cardiovascular system are documented in clinical studies, [4]so both ND and MD may suggest to use Garlic as this will agree with scientific evidence. Sometimes scientific medicine is said to be based on scientific evidence, whereas traditional medicine, like TCM or Ayurveda, is not. However, based on the previous example, I disagree. In 2015 MD Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize of medicine [5] for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria. She isolated the active chemicals of herbs suggested by Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Said that, we need to be careful on who makes statements when it come to health care. For example, if a ND says that we can cure cancer with vitamins and carrot-juice, we are going in the wrong direction.

Usually Natural Medicine is not regulated by Governments, so we need to be cautious on who we ask. On the other hand a MD is not always right on his diagnosis either [6,7]

Dependencies

Usually you walk away from a MD with some prescriptions, but a ND too may 'suggest' some dietary supplements (I'm not a fan of them). In both cases you may enter into a dependency from external factors. From a safety point of view, both synthetic drugs and supplements may be unsafe, with the added risk that a synthetic drug could be more dangerous to health, especially in the long term.

For example, decades ago (synthetic) antibiotics were considered a 'miracle', until WHO declared antibiotic resistance (MRSA) as one of the most serious global threats of modern age. [8] The 'miracle' insecticide DDT, declared by scientists as safe, was then withdrawn from the market, because it was carcinogenic. Many other drugs have been recalled by FDA because of their harmful effects, and the addiction to painkillers has become another global threat. [9,10]

Bottom Line

Traditional medicine is the ancient practice of skills related to prevention and treatment of health conditions. For example, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda are part of traditional medicine (also called Alternative Medicine). This medicine advocates the root cause analysis of health conditions, and aiming to restore the homeostasis [11] (balance) in the individual by adopting a holistic [12] approach. [13]

When practiced by a qualified practitioner, Natural Medicine is evidence based., and no, a MD is not automatically better (or safer) than a ND [7, 14]

Scientific medicine is a common term to indicate the academic faculty of Medicine, aimed to study health conditions, with the support of scientific research. Medical Doctors, or physicians, are professionals who practice scientific medicine, though some of them may also practice traditional medicine.

[1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/science
[2] https://www.fempton.com/uxton/blog3/2020-06-06-19-47-32
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empiricism
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103721/
[5] https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2015/tu/facts/
[6] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/patient-safety
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_error#cite_note-BMJ-3
[8] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance
[9] https://www.mdlinx.com/article/10-dangerous-drugs-recalled-by-the-fda/lfc-4008
[10] https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/painkillers-fuel-growth-in-drug-addiction
[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeostasis
[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holism
[13] https://www.fempton.com/uxton/manifesto