An Alternative Hope

Throughout history, man has been evolving. Starting with mere imagination and turning it
into reality. Man has always come up with a way to make his life easier. Innovation has met
todays transportation, medicine, communication and other factors essential to our daily lives. In
the field of health, medicine has developed throughout the years; from root to synthetic.
Nowadays, modern medicine, remedies, and techniques are being introduced to cure the once
incurable. Diseases like Tuberculosis, Appendicitis, and Heart Attack now have effective
remedies. Technology today even has the ability to help in conceiving a child, and is called a
test-tube baby. An illegal drug such as Marijuana is also being used as a form of medication; it is
being used along with chemotherapy to lessen its side-effects. With rapid technological
advancement in the field of health, almost all kinds of diseases have remedies. Sadly, some these
medicines cannot completely cure the disease; it can only lessen the symptoms. This is why
some people come to traditional/herbal medicine which is cheaper and said to be more effective.
Traditional medicines are remedies that came from our ancestors that they have discovered
themselves through experience.
Certain issues and questions relevant to medication are increasing nowadays. This is
because discovery of new diseases and remedies are also increasing. For starters, when we are
introduced to something new, we dont immediately believe in it, right? We need first to see with
our own eyes how it works and the effects it will bring to our body. This is normal because we
humans tend to stick with what we know. Not everyone knows about traditional medicine
especially in rich urban community thats why people living in rural areas and poor community
are mostly the ones practicing this type of medicine. People ask whether traditional medicine
works or not. This is a never ending question because various comments and opinions that is
contradicting or supporting traditional medicine. Some say traditional medicine is useless
because its just a placebo effect and no good will come with the use of traditional medicine.
They claim that with todays technology, any disease will be cured with modern medicine. Some
doctors and other experts on health are against the use of traditional medicine because they say it
is unproven and unsafe to the body. People who have been using traditional medicine reply to
these experts that they are only saying that so that we will buy and avail of their professional and
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expensive health. These people want to embrace their tradition and say that traditional medicine
is more practical.
With the help of this essay, I am aiming to inform the readers the art of traditional
medicine. The facts and secrets about traditional medicine will be revealed upon reading this
essay. My objective in writing this extended essay is to notify the patients whos suffering from a
grave illness and does not have enough financial resources that there is still a way for them to
recover. I want to give them hope so that they will have the power to endure what theyre going
through. Giving them hope will give them the will to fight for their lives. I also want to show the
readers that traditional medicine is still being performed for a reason. Another objective of mine
in writing this essay is to supply the readers with information the importance of traditional
medicine by the use of examples and legit resources and references.
This essay will serve as a gap closer in the topic all about traditional medicine. Readers
will be able to know and understand the uses, benefits, and origin of traditional medicine. They
will now gain the knowledge on modern and traditional medicine and thus, having enough
wisdom to choose from the two. With the use of claims accompanied with examples and relevant
references, this essay will be able to answer multiple questions related to traditional medicine.
Traditional medicine fits our modern society. According to an article by Linda Curran,
Traditional medicine cannot solve the worlds health problems alone, considering its several
disadvantages to modern medicine. (Curran, 2012) As stated by an article by Ian Holliday,
Modern scientific medicine is increasingly challenged by complementary and alternative
therapies. Reviewing policy options for contemporary healthcare development, the World Health
Organizations first global strategy on traditional and alternative medicine advocates
integration. (Holliday, 2010) According to the article by Linda Curran, Besides being cost
effective and easily accessible, traditional medicine has the advantage of history on its side, yet,
it lacks the sophistication of modern medicine in tackling modern ailments (Curran, 2014).
Traditional medicine is not powerful enough to solve all the ailments experienced by people all
over the world with the consideration that is has some advantages over modern medicine
(Curran, 2014). Traditional medicine is increasingly being popular thus having negative effects
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toward modern medication (Holliday, 2010). Even though most traditional medicine sometimes
lacks the effectiveness of modern medication, it is still being used by many people because of its
availability and low cost (Curran, 2014). Even though there are anti-inflammatory medicines,
most boys who get their genitals circumcised dont buy antibiotics or modern medicine to lessen
the swelling of their genitals. Instead, they use guava leaves to reduce the swelling. In our
modern society, most people cannot afford costly modern medicines. That is why simple
ailments like wounds are treated with guava leaves or other alternative medicine. Its good to
know that there is an alternative to modern medicine because I am aware that not all of us can
access modern medication. Its accessibility and low cost really helps those people who cannot
bear the expense of modern medicine.
Traditional or folk medicine originated from cultural belief. As specified in a W.H.O.
article by Dr. Zhang Qi, Traditional medicine is the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and
practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures.
(Qi, 2000) In Connie Chen and Elora Lpezs article called Incorporating Traditional Medicine
into Western Healthcare, they stated that traditional medicines, which include: herbal remedies,
acupuncture and spiritual therapies, have been used for millennia by various peoples to treat
acute and chronic illnesses. (Chen and Lpez, 2012) In the article of Steven D. Ehrlich, he
stated that Ancient Chinese and Egyptian papyrus writings describe medicinal uses for plants as
early as 3,000 BC. Indigenous cultures (such as African and Native American) used herbs in their
healing rituals, while others developed traditional medical systems (such as Ayurveda and
Traditional Chinese Medicine) in which herbal therapies were used. (Ehrlich, 2011) According
to Dennis McKennas article Botanicals have been used in this way for centuries, although their
effectiveness has rarely been documented in formal clinical trials. (McKenna, 2013) Traditional
medicines are based on theories and beliefs of people with different cultures. They used
traditional medicine based on their experiences and the success it brings to their illnesses (Qi,
2000). Traditional medicine has been used for ages in order to treat their illnesses. Scientific
method was not present by that time so they based their medication through their belief of their
culture (Chen and Lpez, 2012). There is proof that traditional medicine exists through papyrus.
Natives have bizarre ways of their medicine because they believe its the only way for their god
to free them from their sufferings. Each culture has different beliefs; therefore their ways of
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medication is also different (Ehrlich, 2011). Chinese uses acupuncture and herbal plants such as
ginseng while in India; cow urine is used to relieve pain. Traditional medicine really depends on
what culture it originated. Native Filipinos believe in Anito as their gods. They worship them so
that these gods will give them food, rain, good health and many more. In the Philippines, there
are also some witchdoctors called albularyo. Traditional medicine is a practice believed to have
the healing effects of western medicine but is not based on evidence gathered using the scientific
method. It includes herbal remedies, acupuncture and spiritual therapies. I do believe that these
traditional medicines are based on the natives culture and religious beliefs. As stated, cow urine
is being used to treat certain illnesses because they believe that cow or cattle is sacred.
There are scientific evidences supporting some practices of traditional medicine.
According to Dennis McKennas article, There is a considerable amount of scientific and
clinical evidence related to the applications of botanical medicines. (McKenna, 2014) Clinical
studies indicate that botanical medicines have applications both for the maintenance of
cardiovascular and circulatory health, and also for treatment of cardiovascular dysfunctions such
as arrhythmia and mild hypertension. (McKenna, 2014) There are botanicals whose primary
evidence comes from a long medicinal use. Although supporting evidence-based research may be
limited in these cases, we should not ignore that these botanical medicines have been used for
thousands of years, long before randomized clinical trials were conceived. (McKenna, 2014) In
a journal by Howard C. Bauchner, "There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine
supported by solid data or unproven medicine, for which scientific evidence is lacking."
(Bauchner, 2011) There really are some truths and evidences that support the use of traditional
medicine (McKenna, 2014). Some traditional practices are still being done due to its positive
effects over multiple cases (McKenna, 2014). Traditional medicine has been used for thousands
of years long before modern medicine was even discovered. It has been tested by our ancestors
so well that some are still being practiced to this day (McKenna, 2014). Alternative medicine
does not really exist. There are only two types of medication, the proven and the unproven but
both are legit type of medication. Many herbs are liver protective and restorative-they can help to
protect a healthy liver and restore function to a liver that has suffered impaired functions due to
disease or injury, such as cirrhosis, hepatitis. Guava leaves have several medicinal properties and
offer an array of health benefits. Being packed with antioxidants, antibacterial and anti4

inflammatory agents and beneficial tannins, fresh guava leaves are considered as a natural pain
reliever. I have found many sources supporting the benefits of herbal plants that are used in
traditional medicine. So therefore, I believe in the use of medicinal plants in healing. Although it
is not widely accepted because some people only believe in modern and synthetic medicine, they
do not realize that the raw ingredients used in modern medicine actually came from herbal
plants. For me, the use of traditional medicine is also recommended as an alternative to western
medicine.
There are different effects of traditional medicine to diseases. It can help or even heal the
disease completely or it can worsen the pain. According to the WHO article by Dr. Zhang Qi, it
stated that Inappropriate use of traditional medicines or practices can have negative or
dangerous effects and the use of herbal plants is well established and widely acknowledged to
be safe and effective, and may be accepted by national authorities. (Qi, 2000) As specified In
Steven D. Ehrlichs article, it stated that Herbs contain many ingredients, and they may work
together to produce a beneficial effect. (Ehrlich, 2014) In the show The Witch Doctor Will See
You Now aired by National Geographic, some of the traditional medicine tried by the patients
resulted to vomiting and diarrhea but some completely healed their illness. (Gibbon, 2011)
Although the use of traditional medicine has its benefits, inappropriate use of it also has its
disadvantages like dangerous side effects (Qi, 2000). Steven states that the use of herbs in
traditional medicine has a higher percentage of beneficial effects other than that of spiritual
healing because herbal plants are proven by science that it has positive effects towards the body
(Ehrlich, 2014). Some Traditional medicines are so gross vomiting and diarrhea is sometimes
inevitable. You need to have a tough stomach to get some of it down (Gibbon, 2014). When I
was a kid, I remember in my province my great grandmother said to place goats hair in my
cousins armpit to help relieve asthma. They tried it and it certainly had no effect whatsoever. My
grandmother used to tell me some weird ways to relieve my illness like when I have headache,
she would lick her thumb and make a cross sign to my forehead. There are other ways my
grandmother taught me to relieve pain. Sometimes, it works and my illness goes away but
sometimes it doesnt. Some traditional practice of medication has a long-term positive effect but
I believe why most traditional ways of healing works only for a small period of time is because
of placebo effect wherein the patient believes the medication will work thats when the brain
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deceives the recipient and makes the pain go away. In my opinion, most are just made up by our
ancestors because there were no medicines during their time.
The ones who are practicing traditional medicine are mostly poor people and persons
who have incurable diseases. In the Journal of Ethno biology and Ethno medicine by Yineger,
Yewhalaw, and Teketay, they stated that Ethno medicinal plants have been used since ancient
time for human healthcare and still remain the most widely used medication system in
developing and least developed nations like Ethiopia where over 80% of the population is
dependent on traditional medicines. (Yineger, Yewhalaw, & Teketay, 2008) The reliance of
people on ethnomedicine has been for reasons of cost-effectiveness, acceptability, biomedical
benefits and accessibility. The demand has been increasing as a result of growth of human
populations and the frequently inadequate provision of modern medicine. (Yineger, Yewhalaw,
& Teketay, 2008)

As stated by Stevens article, Public dissatisfaction with the cost of

prescription medications, combined with an interest in returning to natural or organic remedies,

has led to an increase in herbal medicine use. (Ehrlich, 2011) According to a journal by Maddie
Holiday, A close friend was suffering through debilitating hip and thigh pain for months which
appeared to be sciatica, although no conventional doctor could attribute it to the usual causes like
herniated disc and resultant pinched nerve. After just a few sessions of acupuncture, he was an
entirely new man. (Holiday, 2014) Based on an article published by W.H.O., Traditional
medicines are used by some 60% of the worlds population and in some countries are extensively
incorporated into the public health system. They are based on an extensive history of use, often
measured over thousands of years. This history provides an accumulated repository of systematic
observation that underpins the use of these traditional medicines. (Falkenberg, 2011) A survey
says that Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. This proves that poor countries
result to traditional and alternative medication. Some people do not have access to modern
medicine, which is why they turn to an alternative in order for them to cure their diseases.
(Yineger, Yewhalaw, & Teketay, 2008)The use of herbal medicine has led to an increase due to
high cost of prescription drugs. High demand for alternative medicine is now what some
countries are experiencing due to technological advancement. (Yineger, Yewhalaw, & Teketay,
2008) A friend of mine who had a grave illness that western medicine can do nothing about, has
been cured by traditional medicine and he claims that traditional medicine has changed him for
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the better both physical and mentally. (Holiday, 2014) In remote provinces in the Philippines
where modern medicine is unreachable, people who live there resort to alternative medicine. As
far as I know, it works for them and they didnt need modern medicine to survive. Its nice to
know that there are also cheaper ways for us to meet our needs. Not relying on technology is a
win for humanity. Some patients have been denied by professionals that they no longer have the
chance of being cured. This is the main reason why they turn to traditional medicine in order for
them to gain hope. They just try it because its not like theyll have anything to lose. Whats the
harm in trying, they said. Some are lucky that traditional medicine was able to help them cure
what western medicine has failed to do so.
There is tourism in traditional medicine. People go to Asian countries to avail of their
traditional medicine. According to Maddie Holidays journal, Alternative medicine is doing big
business nowadays despite its position outside of mainstream healthcare. This is especially true
in the world of health tourism as record numbers of patients are heading across borders to places
like India, Thailand, and Costa Rica to partake in treatments like Ayurvedic yoga, hydrotherapy,
and homeopathy to treat body, mind, and spirit. (Holiday, 2014) As stated by Dr. Prem Jagyasi,
Patients disappointed with mainstream medicine, seek alternative approaches in foreign
countries. (Jagyasi, 2014) According to Dr. Prem Jagyasi, It is very typical to see medical
tourists from the UK or US travelling to Asian countries like India and China in search of
alternative practices such as ayurveda or acupuncture. (Jagyasi, 2014) According to Dr. Prem
Jagyasi, Japan is also trying to promote reiki, which is a traditional form of treatment in the
country along with aromatherapy and acupuncture. Japan is making it easy for medical tourist by
allowing citizens of certain countries to stay in Japan with requiring a visa for up to ninety days.
Additionally, now you can make use of medical stay visa, which remains valid for three years
and allows you to stay in Japan for 180 days. (Jagyasi, 2014) Medical tourists are attracted to
these types of medications because it is said to cure the incurable. (Holiday, 2014) It is noticeable
that there are patients willing to travel to countries with alternative medicines like ayurveda and
acupuncture in order to find a cure to their illness which western medicine has failed to provide.
(Jagyasi, 2014) Patients who are failed by modern medicine are looking for traditional
alternatives to cure their illnesses because western medication can do no more about their
illnesses. (Jagyasi, 2014) Japan is trying to allure people to attempt of their traditional medicine:
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Reiki, aromatherapy, and acupuncture. Japan has made a way to invite people to avail of their
traditional medicine by making use of a medical stay visa which remains valid for three years
and allows stay in Japan for about 6 months. Because of the positive feedbacks of patients
toward folk medicine, it entices patients to try the said medication even if they would travel
across the world. They are that desperate in finding a cure for their illnesses. Documentaries and
TV shows are also interested in capturing the art of traditional medicine. They want the whole
world to know the magic that traditional medicine brings in this world. For me, I would do the
same if only I had enough money to travel so that I can do whatever it takes just to stay healthy.
It is only necessary that traditional medicine is known by the whole world. It provides an
alternative hope for those patients who had been shut down by western medicine. Natural
medicine also has its benefits. Sometimes, its as good as modern medicine and sometimes even
better. Traditional medicine shouldnt be forgotten and should always stay in the culture of our
race.
Traditional medicine has bizarre ways and procedures. According to the National
Geographic show called The Witch Doctor Will See You Now, The tongue is the map of the
bodys entire meridian system, the network that controls the flow of chi or energy around the
body. And by treating it with an acupuncture needle, it can cause a physical change in different
parts of the body (Gibbon, 2011). As stated on The Witch Doctor Will See You Now, The
beating heart (chicken) is a symbolic of courage and if swallowed, you will gain the courage you
need. (Gibbon, 2011) According to The Witch Doctor Will See You Now, Drinking Field
Mouse Wine is good for driving out wind, clearing up your meridians and improves your blood
circulation. Drinking Three Penis Wine (dog, deer, and seal penis) will increase your sexual
potency and helps your kidneys. (Gibbon, 2011) In The Witch Doctor Will See You Now,
Drinking Cow Urine isnt just used by people recovering from illness (specifically cancer) its
also taken as a preventative measure. (Gibbon, 2011) The tongue is a very sensitive part of the
body where it can show what ailments you are experiencing in your body. It reveals marks and
by poking those marks with a needle, it can produce a significant change towards your body.
(Gibbon, 2011) The heart is a symbol of courage and strength that when you eat a beating heart,
you will gain enough courage to face your fears (Gibbon, 2011). Some people believe that
inheriting animal parts in a wine will give you all the traits and strength that animal possess. You
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will become as strong as the animal when you drink wine with parts of the animal (Gibbon,
2011). Traditional medicine certainly has bizarre practices in curing illnesses. These practices are
so uncanny that when you first hear it, you wouldnt believe in it. Some people do this type of
medication as maintenance medicine like the cow urine (Gibbon, 2011). When I was young, I
remember in my province my great grandmother said to place goats hair in my cousins armpit
to help relieve asthma. They tried it and it certainly had no effect whatsoever. My grandmother
used to tell me some weird ways to relieve my illness like when I have headache, she would lick
her thumb and make a cross sign to my forehead. The man who introduced the cow urine to the
host of the show says he has cancer for the last 7 years and western medicine just made him
weak. But then the healer in their town prescribed him to drink cow urine every day. He claims
that he is perfectly fine and can even drive his taxi. Drinking cow pee and three penis wine is
weird and disgusting and swallowing a beating heart of a chicken is just plain wrong. The
Tongue acupuncture to treat chronic back pain was a little weird for me though. What does the
tongue has to do with the back, its so far away. But according to the patient of that tongue
acupuncture, he is surprised that it actually worked on him. He claimed that his chronic back
pain never came back after the tongue acupuncture sessions.
Based on the extended expository essay, traditional medicine fits our modern society
because we all know that nowadays, not all can afford the medical attention they need. Its great
that we can all still have the opportunity to relieve our illness disregarding our financial
capabilities. Traditional or folk medicine originated from cultural belief. Folk medicine is
different from every nation because their medication depends on what culture and religious belief
they have. There are scientific evidences supporting traditional medicine because doctors and
scientists have been researching on different traditional medication whether it is true or not. They
are searching for an active ingredient present in some traditional medicine. There are different
effects of traditional medicine to diseases. It can help or even heal the disease completely or it
can worsen the pain. This is because not all traditional medicine is professionally tested by
experts. Most are just made from experience by our ancestors. The ones who are practicing
traditional medicine are mostly poor people and persons who have incurable diseases because
they are the ones who really need it. They need the alternative and the hope so that they will have
the courage to live on with their lives and accept their fate. There is also tourism in traditional
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medicine because modern countries like U.S.A have limited access to this alternative medication.
As a result, they travel to places who offer abundant alternative medicine such as China and
India. Traditional medicine has some bizarre procedures due to their belief. The drinking of cow
urine in India is a thing there because they believe that cow is sacred.
In making an extended expository essay, one cannot simply avoid issues and questions
concerning the essay. This essay was not able to dodge the questions: What is traditional
medicine? Why does this type of medication still being practiced by many despite technological
advancement? How come many are still willing to try this type of medication despite its weird
and bizarre procedures? Is this type of medication as effective as modern medicine? Does it have
scientific evidences to prove that traditional medicine really works? Issues like: modern
medicine is always better than traditional medicine; traditional medicine should be forgotten
because it is useless and now we have technology that can solve everything. New is always
better and traditional medicine does not really work. We can learn from this essay that traditional
medicine is not all that bad. Although it has some negative effects, sometimes traditional
medicine can cause a miracle. Patients were recovering from a grave illness due to the use of
traditional medicine. Some traditional medicine discovered by our ancestors actually work
because scientists found that there are active ingredients present in the medicine that can help
fight the illness. Some modern medicines are based on traditional/herbal medicine. They just
enhanced and boosted the effects of the ingredients used in traditional medicine.
For future writers who will compose an essay regarding the same topic as I did, I recommend
looking for patients who has experienced the miracle of traditional medicine and interviewing
them face to face. You would want to capture the journey theyve been through. What challenges
and obstacles they had to face before their transformation. Interviewing an expert on traditional
medicine is also a good idea; an acupuncture expert for example. Traditional medicine is an
alternative hope for those who are knocked down by modern medicine.

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