WHAT ARE ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE?
Alternative medicines are health care systems not routinely taught in a university affiliated U.S. medical schools or routinely underwritten by third party payers. Or, at least, this is the way biomedicine perceives it. As we begin, let us note some common beliefs held by alternative/complementary medicine systems. • The body has a natural ability to heal itself and maintain homeostasis. This next point is important, so read it carefully: alternative medicine usually has a clearly stated definition of health. Biomedicine, in contrast, merely defines it as the absence of disease. If your tests come back negative, you are healthy. • A person is a subtle and complex blend of body, mind, and spirit. This is why these systems claim to be holistic: they don’t treat the physical body in isolation. Practitioners seek to know the whole person. • Treating root causes is more important than just managing symptoms. Take note, however: their perception of cause may or may not go along with • Each p
