of matter, energy, thoughts, and feelings, it doesn’t do well with long-term systemic
illnesses such as arthritis, heart disease, and hypertension.Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine is an umbrella term for hundreds of therapies drawn from all
over the world. Many forms are based on the medical systems of older cultures, includ-
ing Egyptian, Chinese, Asian Indian, Greek, and Native American, and have been
handed down over thousands of years, both orally and as written records. Other thera-
pies, such as osteopathy and naturopathy, have evolved in the United States over the
past two centuries. Still others, such as some of the mind-body and bioelectromagnetic
approaches, are on the frontier of scientific knowledge and understanding.
Although they represent diverse approaches, alternative therapies share certain
attributes. They are based on the paradigm of whole systems, and the belief that
people are more than physical bodies with fixable and replaceable parts. Mental,
emotional, and spiritual components of well-being are considered to play a crucial
and equal role in a person’s state of health. Since body, mind, and spirit are one uni-
fied reality, illness is considered to affect, and be affected by, both body and mind.
Even Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, espoused a holistic orientation
when he taught doctors to observe their patients’ life circumstances and emotional
states. Socrates agreed, declaring, “Curing the soul; that is the first thing.” In alter-
native medicine, symptoms are believed to be an expression of the body’s wisdom as
it reacts to cure its own imbalance or disease. Other threads or concepts common to
most forms of alternative medicine include the following:
■ An internal self-healing process exists within each person.
■ People are responsible for making their own decisions regarding their health
care.
■ Nature, time, and patience are the great healers.Two Paradigms, Possibly Complementary
Western medicine has made astonishing advances in the past two centuries. The
fundamental physical mechanisms of the body are known and, perhaps, under-
stood. Childbirth, once the primary cause of death in women and children, has been
rendered almost routine. The processes of infection and disease transmission have
been discovered and controlled. Physicians routinely make astonishing repairs to
broken bones, brains, and hearts. A remarkable success has been achieved in coun-
tering the acute problems of most peoples’ health. But as these acute illnesses and
injuries become less prevalent and life-threatening, more chronic problems are
emerging: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental and spiritual illnesses. It is against
these types of challenges that alternative medicine can be used most effectively.8 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE