What You Should Do before Trying an Alternative Treatment

The Doctors continue the naturopathic debate with Dr. Steve Novella who runs the “Science-Based Medicine” website and California certified naturopath Peggy Branson. They share tips of what you should be aware of before undergoing any treatments.

About The Doctors:

The Doctors is an Emmy award-winning daytime talk show hosted by ER physician Dr. Travis Stork, plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon and OB-GYN Dr. Nita Landry.

The Doctors helps you understand the latest health headlines, such as the ice bucket challenge for ALS and the Ebola outbreak; delivers exclusive interviews with celebrities dealing with health issues, such as Lamar Odom, Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham, reality stars Honey Boo Boo and Mama June, and activist Chaz Bono; brings you debates about health and safety claims from agricultural company Monsanto and celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy; and shows you the latest gross viral videos and explains how you can avoid an emergency situation. The Doctors also features the News in 2:00 digest of the latest celebrity health news and The Doctors’ Prescription for simple steps to get active, combat stress, eat better and live healthier.

Now in its eighth season, The Doctors celebrity guests have included Academy Award Winners Sally Field, Barbra Streisand, Jane Fonda, Marcia Gay Harden, Kathy Bates and Marisa Tomei; reality stars from Teen Mom and The Real Housewives, as well as Kris Jenner, Caitlyn Jenner, Melissa Rivers, Sharon Osbourne, Tim Gunn and Amber Rose; actors Jessica Alba, Christina Applegate, Julie Bowen, Patricia Heaton, Chevy Chase, Kristin Davis, Lou Ferrigno, Harrison Ford, Grace Gealey, Cedric the Entertainer, Valerie Harper, Debra Messing, Chris O’Donnell, Betty White, Linda Gray, Fran Drescher, Emmy Rossum, Roseanne Barr, Valerie Bertinelli, Suzanne Somers; athletes Magic Johnson, Apolo Ohno and Danica Patrick; musicians Tim McGraw, Justin Bieber, Clint Black, LL Cool J, Nick Carter, Kristin Chenoweth, Paula Abdul, Gloria Gaynor, La Toya Jackson, Barry Manilow, Bret Michaels, Gene Simmons and Jordin Sparks; and celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck, Guy Fieri and Curtis Stone.

[cellogirlrw]

Speaking from experience, alternative treatments are actually better than traditional ones. Traditional migraine and pain medications didn't help me at all, but, I have benefitted immensely from Boswellia-Serrata extract, chiropractics, and massage.

[vivianperalta]

Oh heaven!!! In defending natropath medicine...do your diligent education and don't just say OK and listen to anyone above. Become an expert at your illnesses, and treatments. Ignorance is no longer an excuse with so many books, and online reference. Stay healthy!

[kathyhenderson]

Hocus wonder what he thinks of the word Pharmakia? The base word for Pharmaceutical is Pharmakia which means concoctions. And as far as I'm concerned that means sorcery of which I'm not in to.
I can honestly say that my husband was on many big pharma drugs...and one day he decided to change all that and now eats right and takes natural vitamins with zinc, apple cider vinegar, and he used to have neuropathy in his feet and legs, but no more....he takes alpha lipoic acid and vitamin B12 and he does not complain like he used to about his neuropathy. The alpha lipoic acid also regulates his blood sugar. He is completely off of the drugs and he feels much better!

[PeterTran]

Essential oils do work, and they have science-based means. they have all sorts of properties like antiseptic or even analgesic.

[maryphillips]

They try less invasive things? That's kinda my understanding
Or less harmful, harsh, man-made chemicals

[chevonneserfontein]

OK, I'm not at all big on naturopathy but you interrupted the doctor defending it every time she spoke. I know you have to push for time, but then why don't you allow for another episode on it? A lot of people get into naturopathy because they think it's safer than traditional medicine. One can't deny the whole practice of naturopathy just because there are underqualified practitioners that are ruining people's lives, because the same situation exists among traditional treatments that are being offered by unqualified persons. Instead, what if consumers could have easy access to a worldwide list of practitioners qualified to practice their respective disciplines? It should be easier to determine the authenticity of medical practitioners, with all the scammers that take advantage of honest people looking for treatments.

[ChickenWire]

America vs China and I feel this is biased towards western medicine

[kayleighSky]

I’m planning on becoming an epidemiologist however I am also open to natural medicine. For both sides it’s best to get more than one opinion and to look up the facts. Look up and compare scientific data for any treatment option and understand that not everything will or can be cured. But it’s best to not go in blindly on a treatment without having at least a definition of what the process will or could do. Everything has side effects positive and negative.

[devshort]

And naturopathic doctors can also understand the altercations between western medicine and eastern supplements

[devshort]

Naturopathic doctors focus on the source not the symptoms

[MissNebulosity]

Naturopathy's reputation has been ruined by the people who have scammed patients under the name/claim of naturopathy. Technically every time a traditional medical doctor recommends exercise, improvement in diet and other non-pharmaceutical, non-procedure related treatments, they're practicing naturopathy. We need traditional doctors and alternative medicine doctors to work together, be reasonable, support science-based treatments, truly seek the best treatments for their patients and stop being each other's enemy. Because in the end, if those two types of practitioners blindly push their own treatments and demonize the other industry's treatments, that's when you get people going wholly alternative and blindly refusing effective treatments, and that's when you get patients of traditional medicine doctors "poo-poo"-ing natural treatments and giving naturopathy a bad name. We gotta stop this fight and work together.

[DLFfitness]

It’s sad that science and pseudoscience can exist side by side. Pseudoscience often provides an answer, where there is no answer.