By Jeffrey Ghassemi
To many Westerners, alternative medicine may be just a body of
esoteric healing methods taught in far-off lands.
Among health organizations, alternative medicine is defined by
that which is unconventional or non-Western. It includes
interventions not taught widely at U.S. medical schools or
generally available at hospitals. It also implies that such
services are non-reimbursable.
Still, defining it simply as “Eastern medicine,” or
by what it is not, is incomplete.
Alternative medicine is best characterized by its core
philosophy: a steadfast belief in holism. The interpenetration of
mind, body and spirit infuses itself into the many practices deemed
alternative today “”mdash; acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal healing
and meditation.
Having been used and practiced among Eastern cultures for
hundreds if not thousands of years, alternative medicine as we know
it is not a recent invention. Nevertheless, it appears that only
since the last decade has alternative medicine steadily evolved as
a serious practice in the Western world.
In fact, in 1997, over one-third of the U.S. public sought
alternative therapy, spending an estimated $36 billion to $47
billion on such treatments. Many observers link this impressive
growth to a health care climate of high costs, unreasonable
expectations, distance and distrust in the Western medical
community.
This rising popularity of alternative medicine in the United
States is cause for both celebration and concern.
Many who embrace the alternative philosophy see it as a response
to the crisis brought on by Western conventional medicine.
The holistic, mind-body approach is comforting to those who view
scientific rigidity and managed care as removing the person from
the health care process.
But critics fear it as an invasion of bad science.
On one extreme, opponents see alternative medicine as medical
quackery, science run amok and a deceptive exploitation of the
placebo effect. On the other, skeptics are intrigued by alternative
medicine’s potential but wish to see its practices endure the
rigors of Western scientific testing.
So, does alternative medicine have the makings of a controversy?
You bet.
Whether the conventional medical establishment likes it, the
popularity of alternative medicine demands thoughtful consideration
to ascertain its merits. For its own credibility, Western science
should not betray its own principles of rationality by casting
judgment on a practice before considering all the evidence.
Legitimizing alternative medicine will require cooperation
between both sides of the fence. Together, they must design
clinical trials ““ preferably randomized ““ to test the
scientific validity of such practices while at the same time
respecting their inherent traditions.
So, will the alternative and conventional camps ever live in
harmony? It will take some work.
Full integration is still a pipe dream, though progress has been
made.
The government has established an Office of Alternative Medicine
at the National Institutes of Health. The UCLA, UC Irvine and
Harvard medical schools have established centers for the study of
alternative medicine. And increasingly, health insurers have taken
on acupuncture and chiropractic as covered benefits.
Nevertheless, until we arrive at more conclusive answers the
established medical community could stand to gain from
incorporating some of the philosophical aspects of alternative
medicine ““ such as holism ““ into everyday practice.
In the end, the answer to the controversy is easier said than
done. But with an open mind, the patient’s best interest at
heart, and some old-fashioned medical elbow-grease, we can work to
achieve a better, evolving state of medicine.
Ghassemi is a graduate student at the UCLA School of Public
Health.