The Rise of Alternative Therapy

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the current trend of adopting alternative medicine as an accepted means of healing. The author discusses possible reasons as to why the increased use of complementary and alternative medicine has come about; concluding that this rise is an integral part of our modern world as we strive for meaning in a world of confusion.

From the Paper:

"Complementary, alternative or unconventional medicine and therapy are umbrella terms that encompass health practices ranging from relatively new models, such as rebirthing, to ancient skills of an initiated community (such as yoga). These therapies also include traditional practices, like Chinese herbal medicine, that are quite orthodox in some cultures. By 1993, it was estimated that Australians were spending $621 million, almost twice as much, on complementary medicines than their contributions to pharmaceuticals, and were spending a further $309 million on alternative therapy practitioners each year (MacLennan, Wilson, and Taylor 570). In addition, government estimates (Eisenberg, Davis and Ettner 1570) suggest that each year, roughly 42% of Americans use complementary medicines, and that in 1997 Americans made 629 million visits to such practitioners in comparison to the 386 million visits to primary care physicians. This is consistent with worldwide trends, as the use of alternative therapy has been booming abroad (Goldbeck-Wood, Dorozynski, and Lie 131). "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Astin, J A. "Why Patients Use Altnerative Medicine: Results of a National Study." Journal of the American Medical Association 279 (1998): 1548-1553.
• Berliner, Howard S., and Warren Salmon. "The Holistic Alternative to Scientific Medicine: History and Analysis." International Journal of Health Services 10 (1980): 133-147.
• Docherty, T., ed. Postmodernism: a Reader. New York: Columbia UP, 1993.
• Eisenberg, D M., R. B. Davis, and S. L. Ettner. "Trends in Alternative Medicine Use in the United States, 1990-1997: Results of a Follow-Up Survey." Journal of the American Medical Association 280 (1998): 1569-1575.
• Freund, Peter E., and Meredith B. McGuire. Health, Illness and the Social Body-a Critical Sociology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.

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