Alternative
Medicine: Exploring Your Treatment Options
from the
book How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
by Dr. Aniruddha
Malpani, MD and Dr. Anjali Malpani, MD.
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There is
no doubt that modern medicine inspires awe. IVF laboratories and sophisticated
ultrasound scanning machines appear very impressive and reassuring when
you are infertile. However, paradoxically, even though the effectiveness
of reproductive technology has improved dramatically, more infertile patients
than ever before have become dissatisfied with their medical care today.
This situation has resulted in a move towards 'alternative' medicine,
which has become increasingly popular all over the world. Even in the
United States of America (the bastion of high-tech scientific medicine),
more than 20 per cent of infertile couples have consulted an alternative
medicine practitioner, mainly because they were unhappy with modern medical
care.
There are
many reasons for this unhappiness with modern medicine. Patients increasingly
feel that medicine has become too commercial and that doctors are too
busy to spend time with them. They are unhappy with the impersonal nature
of modern medicine, especially when the doctor spends more time looking
at their lab reports and ultrasound scans, rather than with them. While
it is true that patients need technology, they also need tender, loving
care; after all, doctors need to look after not only their medical problems,
but also their emotional needs!
Alternative
medicine, on the other hand, offers a markedly different perspective.
Rather than focussing on the infertility in isolation, alternative medicine
treats the patient as a whole; hence the popular term, holistic medicine.
Doctors practicing alternative medicine sit down and talk to the patient;
they touch and feel him and ask many questions. And such attention feels
good, in refreshing contrast to the modern doctor who rarely has even
15 minutes to spend with the patient. (Often, tender loving care and personal
attention are all that alternative medicine practitioners have to offer,
but they offer it very well indeed!) There is no doubt of the efficacy
of the placebo effect, and even the simple act of touching the patient,
can have a therapeutic effect. Also, alternative medicine doctors are
very good at reassuring patients, as contrasted with the coldly scientific
approach of western medicine.
Many patients
(usually those with unexplained infertility or with ovulatory disorders)
do conceive when they use alternative medicine. However, the practice
of alternative medicine in India today leaves a lot to be desired. For
one, such medicine does not have a universally accepted scientific basis;
hence, it is difficult to rigorously analyze its claims. Since there is
no need for formal publication or peer review in alternative systems of
medicine, there is little scientific documentation available about their
efficacy or side-effects, so that it becomes difficult to confirm claims
or dispute them. Consequently, one has to blindly trust the doctor. Authoritative
journals or texts are difficult to find; and most publications use little
scientific rigour, being based mostly on anecdotal case reports, with
little documentation or proof. Moreover, since there is no official monitoring
of the practitioners of alternative medicine, anyone can make tall claims
and get away with them! Also, since there are few formal training requirements,
anyone can practice alternative medicine, with minimal skills or qualifications.
Unfortunately, unscrupulous practitioners have mushroomed, who are out
to make a quick buck, and malpractices and quackery flourish, which is
why most infertility specialists distrust alternative medicine practitioners
today.
How can you
protect yourself from quacks ? Remember that quackery is not an all-or-nothing
phenomenon. Some products can be useful for some purposes, but worthless
for others. For example, while certain ayurvedic herbs can be very useful,
often the mass-manufactured ayurvedic medicines available in chemists’
shops are completely useless, because they do not contain what they are
supposed to! While there is no doubt that homoeopathic medicines can be
helpful, the concept of a standard homoeopathic remedy for common illnesses
such as headaches and colds flouts a basic homoeopathic principle, which
states that remedies need to be tailor made for a particular person and
only a skilled homoeopathic physician can identify the required medicines
properly.
Unproven
methods are not necessarily quackery. Those consistent with scientific
concepts may be considered to be experimental, but legitimate practitioners
do not go around promoting unproven procedures in the marketplace. Instead,
they engage in responsible, properly designed research studies to prove
or disprove their claims.
Quackery
can harm individuals in many ways. First, is the loss of a tremendous
amount of money which patients invest in pursuing this treatment, and
many unscrupulous practitioners can bleed patients and their relatives
dry — a little at a time. Also, many of the quack therapies can cause
direct harm. It is a common misconception that ‘natural medicines’ have
no harmful side- effects — but anything which can have an effect, by definition,
also has the potential to cause harmful effects (after all, the desired
effects of a medicine are what we call its therapeutic action and undesirable
effects are labeled ‘side-effects’!). The indirect harm they cause can
also be enormous: for example, patients may pursue ‘alternative medicine’
for treating their infertility and may deprive themselves of the opportunity
of getting effective state-of-the-art medical treatment.
Quackery
flourishes even in the USA where people are much more sophisticated, and
the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides effective policing.
Therefore, it is hardly surprising that in India this menace is rampant,
and there are far more quacks than regular medical practitioners. Faith
healing, for example, is an integral part of Indian traditions, especially
in villages where educated priests take advantage of people’s ignorance
and blind faith.
How can you
save yourself from being quacked? Here are some useful pointers by Dr.
Stephen Barrett from his Quackwatch Web site (at http://www.quackwatch.com.)
- Forget
about ‘secret cures’. True scientists share their knowledge as part
of the process of scientific development. Quacks often keep their methods
secret to prevent others from decisively demonstrating that they don’t
work. No one who actually discovered a cure for infertility would have
reason to keep it secret. If a method really works, the discoverer would
gain enormous fame, fortune and personal satisfaction by sharing the
discovery with others.
- Remember
that quackery often garbs itself in a cloak of pseudo-scientific respectability
and its promoters often use scientific terms and quote (or misquote)
from scientific references. Be equally wary of pseudo-medical jargon.
Instead of offering to treat your infertility, some quacks will promise
to ‘detoxify’ your body, ‘balance’ its chemistry, release its ‘nerve
energy’ or ‘bring it in harmony with nature’. The use of concepts that
are impossible to measure or quantify enables success to be claimed
even though nothing has actually been accomplished.
- Ignore
any practitioner who says that infertility is caused by faulty nutrition
or can be remedied by taking supplements. Although some diseases are
related to diet, most are not. Moreover, in most cases where diet actually
is a factor in a person’s health problem, the solution is not to take
vitamins but to alter the diet.
- Be wary
of catchy anecdotes and testimonials. If someone claims to have conceived
after using an unorthodox remedy, there is often a rational explanation.
Some patients with long-standing unexplained infertility do get pregnant
on their own – and they may erroneously give credit to the treatment.
Some testimonials, of course, are complete fabrications!
- Don’t
let desperation cloud your judgement! It is true that infertile couples
are very susceptible to being quacked, but if you feel that your doctor
isn’t doing enough to help you, don’t stray from scientific health care
in a desperate attempt to find a solution. Instead, discuss your feelings
with your doctor and consider a consultation with a recognized expert.
The best
way you can protect yourself from being taken for a ride, is to make sure
you are well informed about your infertility. The ‘take-home message’
is simple: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t!
Unfortunately,
because of widespread quackery in the field of alternative medicine, most
infertility specialists today have a poor opinion of what alternative
medicine can offer their patients. This often means that doctors end up
throwing the baby out with the bath water! There are many areas for which
Western medicine today has little to offer the patient. Examples include:
medical treatment for a low sperm count, or treatment for a thin endometrial
lining. It is possible that alternative medical systems may have effective
techniques for treating these conditions – and if we research these, and
show that they are effective, we may be able to make significant progress
in our ability to help infertile couples.
Amongst the
various options available, acupuncture has become quite popular, and the
theory behind this is that it can re-balance the bioenergy of the body
that runs in the Meridian pathways, and this helps to improve tissue function.
The "scientific" explanation is that it changes levels of neurotransmitters,
the chemicals that nerve cells use to communicate. Herbalists may recommended
ginseng as a "tonic" for men and women ; and a combination of false unicorn
root (helonias) and vitex tinctures for women. This realm of herbal practice
is probably for experts only, as we still do not know all the side effects
of these herbs. In general, it's best to take as little medication as
possible when you are trying to get pregnant. Nutritionist therapists
suggest using supplements which contain arginine, beta carotene, zinc,
and Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Aromatherapists may give a clary sage oil
massage which is said to improve estrogen levels; and rosemary, tea tree,
lavendar and other anti-infective oils for an abdominal massage.
An important
area to consider is the mind/body connection. There are now clinics in
the USA that claim to have good pregnancy results with meditation, yoga,
relaxation and visualization techniques. Again, solid documentation of
these results is lacking, but you may want to try these out.
For options
like ayurveda and homeopathy, it is important that you go to a reliable
practitioner, because these are complex sciences, and you need expert
guidance to achieve the best results. We feel that diverse modalities
such as massage, Reiki, yoga, ayurveda, acupressure, acupuncture, hypnosis,
homeopathy, naturopathy and many others can work in conjunction with each
other as part of a unified team rather than in competition. We need to
learn to combine the best of both worlds – high technology with high touch
– and this is called integrative medicine, as pioneered by Dr Andrew Weil
of the USA. Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine
nor embraces alternative medicine uncritically – just because most alternative
medicine systems are ‘natural’ does not automatically make them better!
The most important requirement is that you need to find a good doctor,
no matter what system of medicine you choose to follow. It is equally
important that you understand the limits and the rationale of the system,
so that you are not taken for a ride. Thus, if you have blocked tubes,
remember that it is very unlikely that herbal medicine will help you open
them. Also, do remember that infertility is a heterogeneous problem –
and some modes of therapy may be better for treating certain problems,
rather than others! A good doctor will be able to guide you, so that you
are aware of the strengths and limitations of each approach.
As a patient,
you should feel free to explore all possible options – remember that they
are not competitive, and should be seen to be complementary to each other
– after all, the goal for all of them is to help you to have a baby! Thus,
if you find that Reiki helps you, you can combine Reiki treatment with
IVF if you so desire! There is no harm in going to an alternative medicine
doctor – but do let your infertility specialist know what other treatments
you are taking. The combined knowledge of both old and new healing modalities
is ultimately superior than a single-model approach – and you can learn
to combine the best of both worlds!
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