Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The reasons for increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine are many, as are the sociological implications. These trends have been met with resistance from traditional medicine, most likely due to being a threat to their professional dominance. Many individuals use these alternate approaches in conjunction with more traditional methods and has caused a protracted integration into mainstream medicine. (Gale, 2014)

Complementary and alternative medicine has been in use for many years. Chinese medicine engages in holistic applications that include acupressure, herbology, cupping, and the most widely known, acupuncture. These practices date back nearly 3,000 years and were introduced to the United States by immigrants. (Weiss & Lonnquist, 2016). Many foreign practices of medicine are considered traditional in their country of origin, such as Ayurveda from India. Other forms of complementary and alternative medicine include aromatherapy, light and magnetic therapies, chiropractic manipulation, meditation, and yoga. The majority of alternative practices used are mind-body interventions that are meant to fulfill total or increased wellness of physical, mental, and spiritual factors. (Barnes, Powell-Griner, McFann, & Nahin, 2004). Complementary treatments have become a big market, especially with herbs and supplements which are frequently advertised with promises of more energy, easy weight loss, and better mood. Americans spent approximately $21 billion dollars on vitamins and supplements in 2015.

Society has divulged a variety of explanations for the use of alternative medicine, either in conjuction with or instead of traditional medicine. With multiple resource for health information, such as internet, individuals are able to research and make decisions. With a surge in the self-help movement, people feel more capable of attaining goals of optimal health and the management of chronic...