What's alternative?
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With respect to the use of the term alternative in regards to medicine,.. the term is used to refer to any form of healing that is not endorsed or promoted by the AMA (American Medical Association). ..... The AMA is a very powerful organisation that has dominated the field of medicine in western culture for some time now. The result has been the promotion of a "main stream" medical model that is based upon the treatment of illness with pharmaceutical medications and or surgery.
Any form or approach to healing that is not endorsed by the AMA is ultimately categorised as being "alternative",. simply meaning, that it is another option that any patient has available to them, .. but it is certainly not accepted by the AMA.
Alternative medicine for the most part includes most any form of approach to healing that is "natural", non invasive and supportive & respecting of the body's innate intelligence towards achieving it's own homeostasis naturally.
the word is not correct. it can be additive or a word indicating a certain way of treatment that is mostly not chemical
Examples are: chiropractic, acupuncture, herbalism,-any form of treatment that does not require an operation or prescription drug injestment.
"Alternative" becomes a buzz word and sales gimmick far too often. Just means a non-standard way of looking at healthcare, but a lot of what used to be alternative, is now standard because all major insurances are now paying for chiropractic, acupuncture, herbs and all kind of stuff that used to be considered way out there.
Alternative doesn't mean better, although it can be sometimes. If I or my kids had a serious illness, I wouldn't trust herbs or meditation to take care of it. See the movie "Man In The Moon" about Andy Kaufman - there is a great scene in it where he goes to a cancer treatment center that turns out to be a sham.
As PT Barnum said, there is a sucker born every minute, and that will always be true, and there will always be somebody there standing to take their money.
Meatball7 said it best. The AMA is now so aligned with the pharmaceutical industry - and the pharmaceutical industry is ALL about $$$ - that a wise individual would do well to research and attend to their own health.
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