ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THREATENS EXTINCTION

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ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THREATENS EXTINCTION

• BY
• Sabastian Wee

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What is Alternative Medicine?

• Alternative Medicine, stated in Wikepedia as,
  any of various systems of healing or treating
  disease not included in the traditional medical
  curricula taught in the U.S. and Britain.

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TCM

• Traditonal Chinese Medicine (TCM), a type of
  Alternative Medicine, is a 5,000 year-old
  practice, considered to be an important part of
  Chinas health care system. (Wikepedia)
• TCM utilizes certain parts of various animals and
  plants to treat many different types of diseases
  and ailments, from arthritis and cancer, to
  virility and mental health. (wikepedia)

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TCM Treatment Ingredients

• According to Australias Department of
  Environment and Water Resources, there are 1581
  species of animals used in TCM to promote better
  health.
• Some of these animals include the leopard, tiger,
  rhino, black bears, snakes, turtles, ducks,
  crows, lizards, frogs, carps, and etc.

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TCM Cures

• Seahorsebelieved to be able to cure asthma and
  joint pain.
• Tiger bones and clawsbelieved to be able to cure
  back pain, arthritis, and fatigue.
• Rhino horns and Tiger genitaliathought to
  enhance sexual virility. Rhino genitalia was
  believed to do the same as well. (Radford)

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Cause

• These cures have never been substantiated in
  hard science. However, old habits are hard to
  leave, and instead of an ancient practice wearing
  thin to make room for modern science, the
  popularity of TCM has increased, thus causing a
  high demand for these animals. (Radford)

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Effect

• Due to this high demand, Animals like the
  elephant, rhinoceros, and the tigers are facing
  extinction from illegal poaching.
• Currently, there are 600,000 elephants, 10,000
  rhinos, and less than 6,000 tigers left on the
  face of this planet. In fact, three of the eight
  subspecies of tigers are already extinct.
  (Highley)

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Preventative actions

• The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was passed to
  prohibit the exploitation of animals near the
  brink of extinction.
• The law prohibited any type of importing to or
  exporting from the U.S., any
  type of interstate and foreign
  commerce, and the violation
  of the animals life.

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Enforcement

• Since 1999, the Australian government, has
  captured over 29,000 illegal imports of TCM
  products, but mostly from travelers for their
  personal uses. (Ellis)
• Numerous seizures and raids has been organized by
  Custom Services throughout Australia, which
  exposed a 1.15 billion yearly trade. (Ellis)

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Hope

• There are many wildlife conservations out there,
  doing their best to save endangered species.
• Science must take the step to disprove or at
  least provide reliable substitutes for
  Alternative Medicine, or else animals like the
  Tiger and Rhino will be mere memories of Earths
  history.

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Correlation to Text

• In Chapter 30 of our text, it states that the
  direct impact of human activities have
  contributed to the decline of biodiversity. (p.
  617)
• It also states that the overexploitation is at a
  rate that exceeds the natural populations
  ability to reproduce, impacting 30 of threatened
  mammals and birds. (p. 620)

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Works Cited

• Alternative Medicine. Wikepedia. 31 August, 2007.
  http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine
• Ellis, Richard. Tiger Bone Rhino Horn The
  Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese
  Medicine. P241. Island Press. 2005
• The Endangered Species Act of 1973. U.S. Fish
  Wildlife Service. October 27, 2004.
  http//www.fws.gov/endangered/esa.html
• Highley, Keith. The Market for Tiger Products in
  Taiwan. Earthtrust Taiwan. March 1993.
  http//www.earthtrust.org/tiger.html

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Works Cited

• Radford, Benjamin. Alternative Medicine Threatens
  Beasts with Extinction. Live Science. 13 Aug,
  2007. http//news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070813
  /sc_livescience/alternativemedicinethreatensbeasts
  withextinction.
• Tiger Bones, Rhino Horns, Bear Bile, Manchurian
  Ginseng and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practice
  in Australia. Department of the Environment and
  Water Resources. September 2007.
  http//www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-u
  se/publications/symposium/tiger.html

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Works Cited

• Traditional Chinese Medicine. Wikepedia.
  September 2007. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradi
  tional_Chinese_medicine

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