Individualisation Of Responsibility For Health Essay

Also, there is not enough evidence to show the benefits of alternative medicine other than people’s stories. However, insurance companies still should cover alternative medicine because they have been proven successful around the world and are used in some hospitals and clinics in China. In addition, Western medicine has its faults: ”The patient is a machine composed of individual body parts that when broken or lost, can be fixed or replaced by new parts”(Marcum, 2008, 105). In other words, they compare us to machines, which is not true and it’s a fallacy, because not any parts of our body can be replaced. Thus, the choice for patients should be theirs to satisfy their

Examining how and why CAM therapies have become so popular, in spite of what may appear as people ignoring efficacy concerns, is perhaps due to a general dissatisfaction with conventional medicine. How this has come about lies within changing social values; which have popularised holism, inspired

Knowledge and lack of knowledge can have a major influence on whether individuals use complementary therapies. For example; people may have heard negative stories about certain therapies such as acupuncture, aromatherapy or massage. This negativity may implement fear of using these therapies. Lack of knowledge may also case negative feelings, for example; individuals may have never heard of certain therapies before that are now available in their local area. Some might know about the therapy, but do not understand the benefits of using it.

In modern medicine, alternative therapies are poorly understood and studied. The preference for alternative therapies, and herbal medicine were indicated, and the fear of relinquishing information regarding these practices were almost paralyzing. It seemed as though they were ashamed to admit to cultural healing practices, and did not divulge information to practitioners regarding their usage. The cultural disconnect was present as alternative/complimentary medicines are valued as a culture, and “modern” practitioners cast judgment on their usage. This perceived stigma additionally limited the information shared by the cultural participants with modern medical treatments, potentially causing additional harm, as some herbals are potentially toxic.

These people used alternative medicines and don’t feel comfortable confiding in their provider about their use of a variety of medicinal herbs or other alternatives to prescription medication to treat their health problems. The cultural disconnect was present as alternative/complimentary medicines are valued as a culture, and “modern” practitioners cast judgment on their usage. This cultural disconnectover the use of these alternative medicines puts a fear in them that results to their not getting proper medical treatment which further put them at risk when they do seek care (Page-Reeves et al., 2013)

Some people believe that modern medicines are a better choice for healing, rather than the holistic approach. Qiuping Gu, the author of Prescription Drug Use, explained in his studies, “Over the last 10 years, the percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44% to 48%”(Gu). This statistic shows that Americans are increasingly relying on medicines to heal themselves. This is not to say that prescription medications are the only method of healing for all people. Citizens in support of prescription drugs say that the FDA regulates drugs,

Complementary therapies can be accessed through many institutions these include hospitals for example where a patient will be given complimentary therapies related to their illness. This includes physiatrist, and general massage therapies. Other settings where complementary therapies may be offered is in a nursing or care home where the resident may be terminally ill and may require relaxation therapies such as Indian head massage and aroma therapy. A final example of where therapies can be accessed is at local therapy clinics where a professional may perform complimentary therapies on an individual to help them relieve stress or anxiety.

Like it or not, people are going to get sick. There will always be a need for medicine; however, recently people have been seeking complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) before going straight to conventional medical treatments. CAM is a nontraditional way to diagnose, prevent, or treat a specific problem and its symptoms. It differs from the more mainstream options in healthcare, and is not commonly used by medical practitioners. Complementary and alternative medicine is becoming more popular and accepted within the medical field by the various treatments and therapies used to promote and restore health.

In the United States, approximately 38 percent of adults (about 4 in 10) and approximately 12 percent of children (about 1 in 9) are using some form of CAM (NIH 2016). Based on the interview with DR P, she explained that there has been an increase of people looking into alternative medicine. Steuter quoted Eisenberg as “Fifty percent of Canadians use some form of alternative medicine and spend approximately $1.8 billion a year on it ("Canadians Pour Billions" 16). In the United States, visits to alternative medicine practitioners now exceed total visits to standard physicians. Americans are spending more than $20 billion a year on alternative therapies and treatments” (stouter, 2002). This increase has made one wonder why are people moving towards alternative medicine. One of the many reasons Dr. P noted is that that people need a better doctor client relationship. There is no relationship with the family doctor. There is something missing (interview, February 20, 2017). She explained that the average patient gets twenty minutes with a doctor. This is not enough time to diagnose a

One of the most commonly cited reasons for using CAM is that it is perceived as “natural” (Hill-Sakurai et al, 2008). Women argue that previous generations of women were able to make due using natural methods, so they should be able to as well. However, despite their adamance that CAM is natural, there does not appear to be a clear consensus on what exactly “natural” means. One could assume that they mean to say that CAM is free from chemicals, but this is untrue on a basic level. Many CAM practices, such as herbal remedies, rely upon the chemicals in the herbs to combat the patient’s symptoms. One could assume instead that these women mean to say that CAM is free of processed substances, but in the case of homeopathy, this is not the case. Therefore, it is helpful to look at alternate reasons for women’s reliance upon CAM. Another approach is that CAM is compatible with the values and philosophical orientations of these women. (Hill-Sakurai et al, 2008). One of the core values mentioned is a focus on globalization, feminism, and inner life (Goldstein, 2002). The impact of globalization on CAM is fairly straightforward - CAM draws upon the traditional medicines of China, India, and the Americas, as well as traditional folk remedies of Western cultures. Examples of some of these practices include yoga, dong quai, acupuncture, and traditional Native American herbal remedies such as red clover. (Im, E. et al,

Furnham and Smith (1988) hypothesised that this was key factor in the rise in popularity of CAM and their results supported this. Recent studies, however, have shown that those who use CAM are no more likely to distrust TM than those who do not use CAM (Betthauser et al., 2014; McFadden, Hermandez & Ito, 2010; Stokely, Cullen, Kennedy & Bardenheir 2008; Astin, 1998). This is measured by determining the extent by which participants accept TM and their trust in it (McFadden et al., 2010). However, these findings are limited as they looked at CAM generically when it is a diverse set of practises (Stokely et al, 2008). Studies that examine CAM use by its specific modalities has found relationships between distrust in TM and CAM use (Bishop, Yardley & Lewith 2016; Robinson et al., 2007; Cartwright & Torr, 2005; O’Callaghan & Jorndan, 2003). For example, Robbinson et al. (2007) found that naturopathy predicted distrust in TM, whilst chiropractic predicted trust in TM. It is interesting to note that those who use natural modalities (homeopathy, naturopathy, Chinese herbal medicine, Western herbal medicine) were more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety (Robinson et al., 2007). Thus, there is reason to suspect that natural modalities might appeal to those with languishing mental health and this is driven out of distrust with

This paper concerns the discussion of the sociological impacts or how society affects the practice of homeopathy, challenging views and its value in context of its place in today’s society. It will explore the evolving state of medicine in society and thus produce a network of concepts to discuss the social context of the study. While there are a number of understandings behind change in medicine, as the paper focuses on homeopathy (a CAM) and the Western social context, it will only be ones that are particular to homeopathy and its role within Western society.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is something that is becoming increasingly popular among individuals. CAM is better summarized as “diagnosis, treatment and/or prevention complements mainstream medicine by contributing to a common whole, by satisfying a demand not met by orthodoxy or by diversifying the conceptual frameworks of medicine” (Ernst and Fugh-Berman). Explained further, when faced with medical issues, individuals often seek conventional medicine. However, there are those who go a different path preferring to use a non-mainstream practice along with conventional medicine – commonly known as a complementary medicine. On the other hand, if people prefer a non-mainstream practice instead of conventional medicine they are engaging in the practice of alternative medicine (NCCIH).

“A feeble body makes a feeble mind. I do not know what doctors cure us of, but I know this: they infect us with very deadly diseases, cowardice, timidity, credulity, the fear of death. What matter if they make the dead walk, we have no need of corpses; they fail to give us men, and it is men we need.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau - 18th Century Philosopher

In a country run by pharmaceuticals, many people ignore all the other options available to them. Imagine a world where narcotics are no longer “the answer” to pain relief. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has been around for centuries, relieving fatigue, stress, and pain naturally. Alternative medicine is any practice that is advanced as having the mending impacts of prescription, yet does not start from proof accumulated utilizing the exploratory strategy, is not some portion of biomedicine, or is repudiated by investigative confirmation or set up science. It comprises of an extensive variety of medicinal services practices, items and treatments, going from being organically conceivable yet not all