Despite the complementary role that alternative medicine appears to play in the vast majority of users, approximately two-thirds of respondents in a recent study do not inform their physicians of their use of alternative medicine, and yet, there is a commonality to both conventional and alternative care. Physicians generally strive to recognize the whole patient beyond a simple recitation of a single symptom. The innate capacity for self-healing, the influence of the individual spirit, and the importance of healthy lifestyle choices are all integral to the conventional medical approach. The physician has in addition many proven tools employed in disease prevention and treatment which are tailored to each patient's individual needs. Traditional physicians are extensively trained in biology, pathology, and the natural history of disease, and are expected to be open and honest in dealing with prognosis.
Traditional medicine accepts the limitation and finitude of the human condition.
Many alternative care systems focus on remedies for the mind and spirit, and hence can at times be perceived as more hopeful, optimistic and less threatening. Evidence based medicine generally entails the marshaling of rigorous evidence of safety and efficacy as required by the Food and Drug Administration for the approval of drugs and by the best peer reviewed medical journals for the publication of research reports. Many advocates of alternative medicine, in contrast, believe the scientific method to be simply not applicable to their remedies and instead rely on anecdotes and theories. Many forms of alternative medicine are promoted despite the lack of good clinical evidence of effectiveness and in the presence of a rationale that is in conflict with fundamental scientific principles. The increased interest in alternative medicine may promote a reversion to unsound approaches to medical practice, even while scientific medicine is making some of its most dramatic advances.