The relationship between alternative medicine and overall health is

It is an effective supplement to mainstream evidence-based medicine. It focuses on the needs of emotion, physical and mental connection, and lifestyle adaptation that are often ignored by mainstream medicine. It is a non-core but individually adaptable component of the closed loop of overall health "from treating diseases to nourishing people." However, it absolutely cannot replace the core intervention role of standardized diagnosis and treatment.

When I was working as an assistant at a functional medicine clinic in Shanghai two years ago, I met a 32-year-old Internet operator who had suffered from allergic rhinitis for three years. She used hormone sprays as prescribed by the doctor, and completed a full course of desensitization treatment. The allergen IgE indicators in her blood had dropped. However, when the seasons changed, she still sneezed more than a dozen times, suffered from insomnia all night, and was constantly emotional. When she went for a review, the doctor said that the indicators were fine, and they could only ask her to wear more masks and avoid exposure to allergens. Later, in addition to the regular antihistamines, the clinic's joint plan also included 15-minute per-nasal acupoint massage + mindful breathing twice a week, warm acupuncture at a regular traditional Chinese medicine hospital once a week, and dietary advice to avoid iced drinks. Within two months, she came back for a follow-up visit and said that the number of sneezings was reduced by 70%. After sleeping better, she was even more efficient at work.

Are you going to say that all alternative therapies are useful? That's definitely not the case. The industry has been arguing for so many years, and the views of both sides are very clear.

From the perspective of orthodox clinical medicine, domestic and foreign health regulatory authorities have classified this type of therapy into the category of "complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)". The meaning is very clear: those that have not been verified by large-scale randomized double-blind controlled experiments must not be used as the main treatment plan. I also met a 62-year-old aunt whose type 2 diabetes had been stable for five or six years. After hearing someone from the health center at the entrance of her community say that "bioelectrotherapy can repair pancreatic islet function," she stopped taking metformin for several years and went for electrotherapy every day. Within half a month, she went to the emergency room because of ketoacidosis. The doctor said that her life would be in danger if she came two days later. This kind of treating alternative therapies as "miracle medicine" is essentially seeking money and killing people. This is also the core reason why this field is extremely controversial to this day.

But looking at it from another perspective, the WHO has now incorporated traditional medicine into the global health strategic framework, and China has been promoting a diagnosis and treatment model that combines traditional Chinese and Western medicine, which essentially recognizes the value of alternative therapies in overall health. After all, when you go to the hospital to see a doctor, the doctor looks at the "disease", but overall health looks at the "people". Many people have had this experience: they feel uncomfortable all over, tired, have shoulder and neck pain, and can't sleep well. They went to the hospital for a checkup, and all the indicators were within the normal range. The doctor could at most say, "You are just too stressed. Get more rest." But you should still feel uncomfortable. At this time, formal alternatives such as acupuncture, massage, mindfulness meditation, and yoga can just fill the gap in mainstream medical treatment-it is not to treat a specific disease, but to help you get your disordered life rhythm and twisted physical and mental state back on track.

I have been working at my desk all year round to write plans, and the curvature of my cervical spine has been straightening for four or five years. When the pain is severe, I put on plaster and take painkillers, and the pain subsides within the same day. However, as long as I work overtime for three consecutive days, it will definitely happen again. Later, I found a massage doctor at a regular traditional Chinese medicine hospital and went for neck relaxation once a week. I learned the 10-minute shoulder and neck Baduanjin from the doctor and did it every day when I got home from get off work. Now I haven’t had any serious pain for more than half a year. But every time when the pain lasts for more than a week, my first reaction is to get an MRI to confirm that there is no intervertebral disc herniation or nerve compression, and then I dare to go for massage. I never dare to use massage as the only solution to treat cervical spondylosis.

To be honest, overall health never requires you to use or not use anything, nor does it require you to completely reject Western medicine and pursue "purely natural" therapies, nor does it require you to run to a health center whenever you feel a little uncomfortable. It’s more like you build a comfortable nest for yourself: mainstream evidence-based medical treatment is a load-bearing wall to help you block the risk of serious illness and emergencies, and it must not be moved ； Alternative therapy is your choice of carpets, pillows, and aromatherapy. If you choose the right one, it will make your stay very comfortable. If you choose the wrong one, it will just be a trap and a waste of money. But if you tear down the load-bearing walls just to look good, the house will collapse sooner or later. Oh, by the way, there is another core premise: no matter what alternative treatment you choose, it is better to ask the doctor’s opinion in a regular hospital first, and don’t try it on your own.