No. The carnivore diet does not put conventional medicine out of business, because diagnosis, measurement and monitoring still come from physicians. What changes is who takes the lead. More people now pair their treatment with the diet, or use it alone, to manage conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Modern life raises a question: how do we best keep healthy without man-made drugs whose full effects are not fully known? How did our ancestors keep certain diseases away? How did they treat illness? These questions often nag at us as we look for a more natural way to live. The carnivore diet is one of many diets that claim benefits through food alone. Those claims include weight loss and reversal of some major chronic diseases. Will these approaches make waves in conventional medicine? Here we take a close look at that question and shed much needed light.
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What is conventional medicine?
Conventional medicine is the kind of medicine that the people who control medical education have judged to be the best system of care. In the United States, conventional medicine is mostly drugs and surgery. These are the most widely used treatments. Other treatments, such as nutritional therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture and herbal medicine, are not generally seen as part of conventional medicine. That is true even though they have been shown to be safe, effective and fairly cheap.
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Complementary and alternative medicine
Alternative medicine has a loose definition. It is a set of products, practices, and theories that are believed or perceived by their users to have the healing effects of medicine. But their effectiveness has not been established using scientific methods. Or their theory and practice is not part of biomedicine. Or their theories or practices are directly contradicted by scientific evidence or the scientific principles used in biomedicine.
Many different areas make up complementary and alternative medicine. Many parts of one field may also overlap with parts of another field. For example, acupuncture may also be used in conventional medicine. Examples of Complementary and alternative medicine include:
- Traditional alternative medicine. This field holds the more mainstream, accepted therapies. Examples are acupuncture, homeopathy, and Oriental practices. People around the world have used these therapies for centuries. Traditional alternative medicine may include:
- Acupuncture
- Ayurveda
- Homeopathy
- Naturopathy
- Chinese or Oriental medicine
- Body Touch has been used in medicine since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is based on an idea: illness or injury in one area of the body can affect all parts of the body. Hands-on work can bring the other parts back to their best health. When it does, the body can fully focus on healing the injured or sick area. Body techniques are often combined with those of the mind. Examples of body therapies include:
- Chiropractic and osteopathic medicine
- Massage
- Body movement therapies
- Tai chi
- Yoga
- Diet and herbs. Over the centuries, people have gone from a simple diet of meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains to a diet that is often rich in fats, oils, and complex carbohydrates. Eating too much and missing key nutrients have both become problems today. Both lead to certain chronic diseases. Many diet and herbal approaches try to balance the body’s nutrition. Diet and herbal approaches may include:
- Dietary supplements
- Herbal medicine
- Nutrition/diet
- External energy. Some people believe energies from objects or other outside sources directly affect a person’s health. Examples of external energy therapy include:
- Electromagnetic therapy
- Reiki
- Qigong
- Mind. Even standard, conventional medicine sees the power of the link between mind and body. Studies have found that people heal better if they have good emotional and mental health. Therapies using the mind may include:
- Meditation
- Biofeedback
- Hypnosis
- Senses. Some people believe the senses, touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste, can affect overall health. Examples of therapies incorporating the senses include:
- Art, dance, and music
- Visualization and guided imagery
The carnivore diet as an alternative medicine
Many people start the carnivore diet as a lifestyle change, to get the benefits of the diet as a whole. Others use it to help manage and cure the chronic health conditions they have. No conclusive scientific studies have been done to prove or disprove these healing claims. So the choice of whether to try this diet stays strictly with the “patient”.
Conditions that have been reported to be helped by the carnivore diet are:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Some auto immune diseases
- Obesity
- Leaky Gut
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Depression
- Brain fog
- Other mental conditions
Are the carnivore diet and other alternative medicine forms likely to impact conventional forms of medicine?
Today, information is available to everyone at the click of a button. So more and more people are starting to take their health into their own hands. Trying forms of alternative medicine such as the carnivore diet is one such choice. Case by case, this approach might bring significant changes to one’s health. Does this mean conventional medicine will go out of business? Not necessarily. People still get primary healthcare from medical practitioners. They also still get measurement and monitoring there.
But once they know their status, more people will choose one of two paths. Some will add alternative means to their conventional treatment. Others will fully take up an alternative method like the carnivore diet to manage their condition.
More scientific studies should be done within conventional medicine. They should prove or disprove these methods and build on them for better, more complete care.
Will we see a shift from conventional medicine?
The carnivore diet is very safe for most people, but you should still use caution with it. People taking medications for diabetes or high blood pressure should seek medical supervision. Patients on a carnivore diet see fast changes. Because of that, if medication is not adjusted to match, there is a risk of low blood sugar or dizziness. A doctor can help you track the improvements the diet is causing through blood tests and other monitoring. That way, you can get hard facts about whether or not the diet is working for you.
Related reading
References
- Sharecare (2019): What is conventional medicine? Retrieved from https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/what-is-conventional-medicine
- Johns Hopkins Medicine (2019): Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/types-of-complementary-and-alternative-medicine
- Wikipedia (2019): Alternative medicine. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Interventional pain physician, addiction medicine specialist and obesity medicine diplomate.
Licensed in Missouri and Illinois.
Last reviewed June 18, 2026
