Understanding Medical Lingo: Three Key Approaches to Healthcare
Posted by Donna Mae Scheib on July 21, 2017
Understanding Medical Lingo: Three Key Approaches to Healthcare
The healthcare world is rife with confusing lingo; understanding the different approaches to healthcare options can be crucial in determining the best actions moving forward. Three key avenues in treating an issue can be traditional, complementary, or alternative approaches. Here’s what you need to know about each.
Traditional Healthcare
This method of healthcare often involves medications prescribed by your primary care physician to treat a diagnosed issue. For example, if during your yearly checkup, your blood pressure runs high, your doctor may recommend the traditional healthcare approach of medication to lower blood pressure such as Lopressor, Microzide, Tenormin, or Vasotec. Traditional healthcare methods must be FDA approved, and have often been go-to solutions for a substantial amount of time. Research has proven the efficacy of such methods, and they are not deemed controversial within the medical community. Additionally, most traditional healthcare approaches are covered by an individual’s insurance plan(s).
Complementary Healthcare
This method of healthcare is recommended by medical professionals in addition to traditional healthcare approaches. Complementary healthcare approaches are meant to lend extra support to the medication prescribed by a primary care physician or specialist. While complementary approaches may include pharmaceuticals, they can also involve dietary changes, additional or more specific exercise, or other activity meant to increase one’s overall health and/or specifically address the medical issue an individual is facing. For example, complementary approaches to high blood pressure may include removing sodium from an individual’s diet, exercising at least 40 minutes daily, and increasing water and fiber intake. This healthcare method is deemed non-controversial and is often covered by insurance when medication is involved.
Alternative Healthcare
Of the three approaches to healthcare, alternative methods are sometimes the most controversial. These methods may not be endorsed by the FDA, and some medical professionals may not endorse them. However, many members of the medical and holistic health communities endorse alternative approaches over traditional approaches, believing that there are fewer side effects. Many alternative healthcare options exist to address a wide range of health concerns ranging from diabetes to ADHD. For issues with high blood pressure, healthcare advocates may recommend alternative approaches including yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and dietary changes to assist the body in lowering its blood pressure naturally. Some of the more common alternative healthcare approaches include:
- Yoga
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic
- Meditation
- Massage
- Herbs
While many people believe that complementary and alternative medicine are the same approach, they are actually very different. The most important distinction between the two is that complementary medicine is used in conjunction with traditional approaches while alternative medicine is used in lieu of the traditional avenues. Over the past two decades, many individuals have begun turning to the alternative approach before the traditional one; for some, this choice is a financial one, for others it’s a total body one. While many traditional approaches use pharmaceuticals to address a diagnosed issue, the drugs may not address the root cause—only the symptoms. Proponents for alternative medicine believe this approach works harder to address root causes, which benefits the whole body.
Before making any decision, it’s important to research all options, as well as risks and financial ramifications of each potential option. Discuss all options with a medical professional to ensure that each healthcare decision is made with your best interest. For individuals interested in alternative approaches, consulting with a naturopathic doctor may be ideal; while many insurances will not cover such visits, some may. Naturopathic doctors focus on addressing issues within the body naturally through alternative means. Further, it’s important to know that licensed naturopathic doctors and naturopaths are not identical—click here to learn the difference between the two, and why visiting a naturopathic doctor is in a patient’s best interest.
The rise in complementary and alternative medicine throughout the U.S. encouraged NIH to create a fact sheet discussing the differences, providing examples, and linking to further resources on the topic. Check out their excellent resource here.