A dichotomy is a strict division between two positions that are looked at as mutually exclusive. A false dichotomy occurs when only two positions are presented when there are actually more options to consider.

Such a condition exists today in the battle between conventional and alternative medicine.

In her article Integrating Alternative Medicine and Conventional Medicine, Evelyn Lim provided good definitions of the two general categories:

Conventional medicine is used to describe the services that treat the symptoms of a disease or illness with prescribed medications and surgeries. Conventional medicine treats the ailing part of the body but may not address the underlying causes of the illness or disease. This area of medicine is what is practiced in hospitals and most doctor’s offices in the Western world. Backed by the FDA and multiple scientific studies, conventional medicine is highly regulated for the benefit of the patient.

An alternative form of treatment to conventional medicine, alternative medicine attempts to treat the patient as a whole – the mind, spirit, and body — to prevent diseases and illnesses from occurring and creating a better overall quality of life rather than just a body free of symptoms. Because it acknowledges that the patient’s physical health is directly affected by state of mind and spiritual health, alternative medicine offers preventative treatments that are often relaxing and non-invasive.

This description in Wikipedia rounds out the second definition:

Alternative medicine is any practice that is put forward as having the healing effects of medicine but is not based on evidence gathered using the scientific method.[1] It consists of a wide range of health care practices, products and therapies,[2] using alternative medical diagnoses and treatments which typically have not been included in the degree courses of established medical schools or used in conventional medicine. Examples of alternative medicine include homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, energy medicine and acupuncture.

These definitions reflect what I said in a previous post about the multiple levels of health and how each is important. Conventional medicine deals with symptoms, while alternative medicine deals with prevention. Obviously, this is a major generalization. There are many practices in conventional medicine that target prevention, such as vaccinations and treatments given in response to the patient’s blood work. Many of the practices in alternative medicine also target symptoms, but this is done by attempting to fix the alleged cause of the problem.

Now, it is nice to say that you are working on fixing the root cause of a disease, but often this is not easy to determine. It is relatively easy to determine if some treatment minimizes the symptoms. It is very difficult to say some treatment fixed the root problem. I believe this is why conventional medicine tends to focus more on treating the symptom, because that is something that can be definitely tested.

In my estimation, misunderstandings exist on both sides. Here is what some think of alternative medicine:

1. “It has not been scientifically proven yet.” Neither was the benefits of hand-washing a couple hundred of years ago. While I would be very hesitant to advocate something as a main treatment for a problem that had shady scientific credentials, I would definitely recommend trying it out on the side if others had good experiences with it and it did not pose any risks.
2. “It is too ‘mystical’ to be valid.” Even if some practice or alternative treatment does have some seeming clinical support, many conventional practitioners would still avoid it if it just seems too “mystical” or “new-agey.” This is more of a worldview problem than anything else.

Here are some common critiques of conventional medicine:

1. “They just treat the symptom.” As if this is a bad thing! Treating symptoms is half of what medicine is about. Also, this is untrue, as conventional medicine does also try to prevent diseases and treat root causes, such as removing tumors.
2. “Drugs, surgery, and radiation are ‘unnatural’ and therefore bad.” Pharmaceutical drugs are synthesized in a lab, so they must be bad, right? No, they are chemicals just like everything else around us. Some might contain substances that will not be good for our health in the long run, though they certainly can help out in the moment of need. Certain words just mean ‘bad’ to some people. Radiation! Oh, no! (sarcasm)

If these misconceptions can be cleared up, and people start realizing the value that both sides of this false dichotomy can bring to their lives, this will be good for everyone involved.