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A Clinical Approach to Alternative Medicine
Jon O. Neher, MD;
Jeffery M. Borkan, MD, PhD
Arch Fam Med. 1994;3(10):859-861.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings. |
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ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE refers to a vast collection of disease models and healing therapies that fall outside the standard Western biomedical paradigm. Under the guise of multiple labels, whether "alternative," "complementary," "holistic," "nonorthodox," "nonconventional," "nonwestern," or "natural," these therapies appear to be undergoing a resurgence of interest and are attracting a substantial and increasing number of patients and practitioners.1-6 In Western societies, alternative healers provide a diverse range of services and constitute a thriving portion of the health care system, accounting for $14 billion of yearly expenditures in the United States alone.7,8 A recent US study reported that one in three adults used alternative therapy in 19907 and a nine-country European study8 demonstrated patient utilization rates for ever using alternative medicine of between 18% and 75%. Currently, many states legally recognize and license alternative practitioners, and some third-party payers have begun to reimburse their costs.
Research into
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
Author Affiliations
Valley Medical Center Family Practice Residency Renton, Wash; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva, Israel
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