Do really ‘Siddha, Ayurveda’ and other ‘alternative medicines’ not have side effects?

The answer is a big NO. We are overwhelmingly provided with false information of all ‘alternative medicines don’t have side effects’. This article analyses the risks in taking any medicine provided by any practitioner or an advertisement. First we should always remember that ‘advertisements on medicines’ or anything by any company or person paying big money for advertisement is to earn much more money simply and no other intention attached to that. Ok. Let us discuss how medicines can be taken and from where. Please brood over on 'side effects of medications' before choosing any system of medicine. 

Any medicine to be taken prescribed by a legally approved, educated in the medical discipline, not claiming as traditionally learnt (because there is no proof) and certified to practice the medicine legally. The legal status of a medical practitioner is important. The medicines also should be scientifically tested and proven in any manner.

Alternative medicines

Ayurvedic

Please do not come to a premature conclusion that I am supporting allopathic system.

 ‘Top Five facts about alternative medicines ’ need to be noticed:

• Are the medicines provided by a ‘legally approved practitioner’? This is important to let the legal system and others to know he/she is not a quack.
• Is there a proven and uniform system available for the system of medicine what we take and the person is educated in that? Otherwise we are taking medicines by someone who claims but not actually a practitioner.
• Are the medicines tested scientifically against that particular disease? It doesn’t mean that should be tested the way modern medicines are tested but need to have some rationale.
• Is the medicine we take proven as having ‘no side effects’ officially by the system available? The truth is no medicine or even food is not proven as not having any side effects.
• Anyone can practise any system of medicine without legal approval or proper education and pay a TV channel to increase the business. Can we deny this?

If a medicine should come to the market, it has to be proven as better than the available medicine for the disease, should be suitable to anyone with any lifestyle and the side effects it provides to be published. However this is not the case in all alternative medicines. 

Do we know how much ‘liver failure, kidney failure’ cases were admitted in hospitals because they have taken alternative medicine by untrained and unapproved practitioners? I agree that it happens with approved practitioners but the number is comparatively very low.

I do agree that lots of good and proven native or alternative medicines available and the problem is ‘how can we identify a right doctor’ to get treated? I do not have an answer. I asked my friend once promoted untrained medical practitioner who is no more, died in an accident told that only traditional practitioners were teaching the BSMS, BAMS and other alternative degree courses in the beginning.

Though in allopathic system, all the medicines are undergone tests and come to the market, most of the doctors are getting the information on the new drugs from a medical representative only not through proper CME. Only the government doctors are exposed to teaching the new technologies and medicines. Though the medicines are giving you the side effects, they are not life threatening and explained to us but this is not the case in others. 

I know many kidney and liver failures due to wrong medication by alternative medicines. The quacks are taking advantage of published side effects of allopathic medicine and doing propaganda against it just to get business. This does not mean alternative medicines are not having side effects. 

Since I am working /consulting in HIV and TB projects for more than a couple decades seen hundreds of alternative medicine providers claimed cure for HIV, STI and TB were miserably failed despite of given opportunity to prove by allowing them to treat the patients admitted in government hospitals.

Medicines

We should also be careful of choosing allopathic doctors who is getting commissions from testing centres and drug manufacturers and making a big whole in our livelihood. We will certainly discuss on this in upcoming articles.  Read Ayurveda addiction killer review here.