Steve Jobs: Should Insurance Companies Cover Alternative Medicine?

(Audience: American physicians, patients, legislators, and insurers who are wary of alternative medicine and its growing popularity)

Currently,” in the UK more than five million people a year consult complementary practitioners,” according to (Nursing times,2005). This trend continue increase, but not everybody sees an advantages in alternative medicine. In 2006, doctors across the UK complaint to the NHS Trust,” to stop funding ‘bogus’ and unproven ‘treatments’. Furthermore, the doctors argued that:” pumping money into treatments like massage, homeopathy and reflexology are unacceptable in light of widespread staff cuts and ward closures,” according to (Therapy Directory,2013).

Alternative medicine should not be funded because it is not as successful as conventional treatments. Holistic medicine is nothing more than the study of natural products in an effort to scrutinize what herbs help in a dietary way or revitalize health. When has the study of natural and dietary products become “alternative”? David Gorski an associate professor at Wayne State University argues that the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) should not be funded because the agency promotes alternative and complementary therapies in the absence of rigorous scientific evidence that they are effective. Conventional treatments become conventional treatments due to rigorous testing. Rigorous testing is required because it

“More than 500 types of alternative medicine exists, and thousands of treatment approaches are possible.” (Billitteri, 9). If we have so many other options why are so many people relying on solely western medicine that can be addictive and make you sicker than you already are? Modern medicine has not always been around and sometimes people can’t afford it so they have no choice but to use nontraditional medicine. Nontraditional medicine should be assimilated into modern medicine because people used it before we had modern medicine, they can not afford it, and prescribed medication can be extremely addictive.

“Treatment originates outside you; healing comes from within” Andrew Weil M.D. once said (citation). Most of people have heard of some form of alternative or eastern medicine and I’m sure the first thing that came to mind was skepticism. It’s difficult to understand that the human body can be healed in different ways, especially when those ways seem foreign and unusual. Even in today’s society, the human body still holds mysteries that science has not yet discovered. Although, it has been shown that traditional western medicine does treat pains, alternative medicine has been known to treat the soul. In 2007, 38% of adults used some sort of CAM, complementary and alternative medicine (citation). While this method of treatment is not as widely

Health problems are based on science and theory. To resolve most chronic health problems, the practitioner must understand integrative approaches to health. Modern medicine give the practitioner the science, while alternative medical philosophies help to restore the body’s homeostasis. This is called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

In this standard report on a convention of science meeting alternative medicine in Philedalphia, Pat Rich examines the deep-set conservative values that became apparent through the "unpleasant sneering attitude" (para. 2) of the scientists. Rich delicately describes the opinions of the professionals by citing their "chortling and scoffing" (para. 1) when presented with the alternative practices such as "homeopathy, chiropractic, [and] traditional Chinese medicine" (para. 3). The reluctance and dismissal of alternative therapies by Western medicine supporters is subtly related to a sense of superiority amongst the group. Rich earnestly implores the readers to think otherwise.

In the United States the combined use of natural alternatives along with conventional medicine has only been around for about one hundred years, gaining in practice and recognition over the last twenty five. According to the National Center for Research on Complimentary and Integrative Health, “thirty percent of adults and twelve percent of children use health care approaches developed outside of mainstream Western, or conventional, medicine”. (NCCIH, What’s in a

Today, many people are now opting toward Alternative which is also called Complementary Alternative Medicine

To The Editor: You raised a number of issues in the Science and Technology article concerning “Public Attitudes and Public Understanding” regarding pseudoscience and belief in alternative medicine in Science Fiction and Pseudoscience. I would like to rebuttal the statement “Alternative seems to define a culture rather than a field of medicine—a culture that is not scientifically demanding”. As Contemporary Alternative Medicine (CAM) usage is increasing worldwide, there are many different types of CAM therapies being used mind-body medicine (e.g. yoga, meditation, mental healing) biologically based practices (e.g. herbal and Ayurvedic), energy medicine (e.g. reiki, therapeutic therapies) and manipulative body-based medicine (e.g. chiropractic,

The physician-patient relationship has greatly evolved in the twenty-first century when compared to previous centuries in which the Hippocratic Oath and not patient’s rights was the forerunner of the medical system. The shift to a balanced physician-patient relationship has entailed more rights for patients, such as less abortion restrictions and physician-assisted suicide. As patients obtained more medical rights, individuals explored more nontraditional medical practices as a way to heal. As a result, alternative medicine gained a lot of traction. However, homeopathy, a prominent alternative medicine treatment, has received a great amount of resistance. Within this practice doctors believe the use of “large doses of a

Each day doctors all over the globe prescribe people through the use of conventional medicine. Little do many of these people know that conventional medicine does not actually heal the body, but instead only treats the symptoms at the time. The alternative to this problem is naturopathic medicine. Naturopathic medicine is a better alternative because it focuses primarily on proactive measures, treats the condition and not just the symptoms, and targets the whole body. In Dr. Axe’s Conventional Medicine is the Leading Cause to Death, researchers state that “Americas leading cause to death isn’t heart disease or cancer:

The Oxford Dictionary defines alternative medicine as any of a range of medical therapies that are not regarded as orthodox by the medical profession. To truly understand the modern usage of alternative medicine in the United States, however, I feel it would be best to look back at where the fad started. According to the Atlantic, alternative medicine started to become popular in the 1990s. An article in 1993 in The New England Journal of Medicine stated that one in three Americans were using some form of unconventional therapy or alternative medicine (Gritz). Enough Americans had interest that Congress established an office just for alternative medicine within the National Institutes of Health (Gritz). Today, Alternative medicine is very popular in the United States and is used by millions. The 2007 National Health interview showed that in the last twelve months before the survey

From the article “ Complementary, Alternative, or Integrated Health” from the Department of Health & Human Services, alternative medicine is an uncommon treatment in place of conventional medicine and has history of use. These types of medicine are hard to find because if they are studied and proven to work they are accepted into conventional medicine practices. It is important to research an alternative before starting one and to consult a medical professional. It is also important to remember that some alternative medicines may work differently on different people and could also not be effective for some people. (“Complementary”). In the article “Running the Numbers on Alternative Medicine” published in Time by Amanda Gengler, “One third of Americans use some form of alternative medicine.” Insurance companies usually do not cover alternative medicines leaving the patient to pay in full for their treatment (“Running the Numbers”). The cost and not being able to guarantee that the treatment will work for them may be enough

Whereas if they wanted an alterative type medicine they can go to any pharmacy and get it without the hassle of a prescription. Certain alternative medicines when taken daily can prevent the users from getting particular ailments. These medicines also work in the long run healing the body gradually and this can benefit the person as they get older. As in all things with the good comes the bad.