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A number of different medical traditions are now widely known and used: Western medicine , herbal medicine, acupuncture , homeopathy , and so on. How important is the patients mental attitude towards his / her treatment in determining the effectiveness of the treatment? A wide range of medical treatments is available today. Patients may wonder which will be the most effective, and whether their own mental attitude to the type of treatment might affect its success. This essay will consider the second of these questions. Many people visit their doctor or go to hospital with complete trust in the expert care offered by conventional services. However, some people do not get a satisfactory result. For example, the drugs which are prescribed may have unpleasant side effects. Their initial positive attitude towards their treatment does them little good. Similarly, those patients who trustfully choose alternative treatments over traditional medicine may find themselves disillusioned. Less rigorous qualification standards among alternative practitioners may mean that some healers give ineffective or damaging advice. The result, again, is that a patient who entered treatment with confidence leaves that treatment disillusioned. On the other hand, patients may try a style of treatment with some skepticism. A person used to conventional medicines and drugs may be suspicious of treatments based on diet and lifestyle changes. Yet if they follow such programs, they may in fact notice improvements in their conditions, in spite of their skepticism. Equally, a patient opposed to conventional medicine may have an accident and be saved by the effective treatment of conventional emergency services. | 
