The Nature of Alternative Medicine

The nature of medicine has carried a distinctive regional difference for as long as we can remember. Western medicine has differed greatly from Eastern approaches. Now, however, Eastern approaches are coming forward under the title of alternative medicine.

The use of alternative medicine in western countries has traditionally been very limited. The application of such an approach would have been laughable in the 1940s. Now, it is being used by a sizeable percentage of the population.

When it comes to sweeping terms, alternative medicine is certainly one. It can include everything from massage, herb treatments, meditation and even prayer. This grab bag approach has led to an argument over what exactly alternative medicine means.

On one side of the dispute, you have medical professionals who believe anything that is not from the European medical model and evidence based is alternative medicine. For example, herbalism would fall under alternative medicine in their opinion.

In contrast, many western style medical professionals look to effectiveness. They argue that there is no alternative medicine. There is only medical approaches that work and those that don’t. If they work, they are not alternative regardless of where they come from.

Given the disputed approach, which one wins out? The answer has yet to be determined and is somewhat semantic when you think about it. For regular folk, however, alternative medicine is a viable health care treatment.

Regardless of how you define alternative medicine, there is little doubt it is growing in popularity. Over fifty percent of all adults in American have used it. Not just accepted it, but actually used it.

This percentage might seem be interpreted as a rejection of Western approaches. It is not. Most people use alternative treatment approaches in combination with western. In short, they try for the best of both worlds.

While alternative approaches are more accepted, the acceptance is limited to certain areas. The most popular alternative medications and treatments are in areas where re-occurring pain is a problem.

While people may be more willing to use alternative approaches, they seem less interested in professional advice. A vast majority research and use the medication on their own without advice from a doctor or alternative care specialist.

When it comes to gender, women are more likely to go alternative than men. There is no clear evidence as why, but there is some suggestion that the mind-body treatment approach common in alternative is more attractive to women.

At the end of the day, the exact nature of alternative medicine is somewhat irrelevant. What is clear is people are becoming more receptive to its use as a mainstream solution. One must wonder if it can really be called alternative any more.

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