Complementary medicine on the rise Alternative medicine is becoming mainstream in the USA |
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Ming era acupuncture illustration |
Alternative medicine is becoming mainstream, and top clinics are incorporating a variety of forms of alternative and complementary medicine. According to the American Hospital Association, more than a third of American hospitals now offer at least one type of complementary medicine. This includes acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, nutrition, massage and herbal medicine. The esteemed Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, for example, offers acupuncture to relieve vomiting after surgery or chemotherapy. The new trend has also acquired a new name: CAM – the abbreviation for 'complementary and alternative medicine' (alternative complementary medicine). |
Most CAM therapies were pushed by doctors into the 'voodoo' corner until it was recently discovered that alternative therapies were successful not only in medical efficacy but also in terms of cost containment. In an economic situation where healthcare costs are continually rising and millions of people are losing their jobs and their health insurance, CAM, with its emphasis on a healthy lifestyle, can help make Americans healthier and reduce the need for expensive conventional medical treatments. The risk of costly diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes and breast cancer can be dramatically reduced through a balanced diet and a changed lifestyle with more exercise and no cigarettes. Recent studies have found that therapeutic factors such as a plant-based diet and meditation can halt or even reverse diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other chronic illnesses. Genes associated with fatal diseases have been eliminated with alternative therapies, while protective genes have been annexed – all within a few months. At present only a few CAM therapies are reimbursed by health insurers. Advocates are urging the new government to include alternative therapies in its health reform plans and proposals. |
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..................................................................................................................... Original title: Alternative Medicine is Going Mainstream by Sylvia Booth Hubbard |
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