This work by Paul A. Offit, M.D. talks about the good, bad, and ugly of medicine as an industry. It was published in 2013. It references the reasoning behind the patients' choice to put themselves in the care of an alternative healer rather than that of a conventional doctor: "Alternative healers ... provide natural remedies instead of artificial ones, comfort instead of distance, and individual attention instead of take-a-number-and-wait-your-turn inattention." (Offit).
Sources:
Book: Offit, Paul A. Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative
Medicine. New York, Harper Collins Publishers, 2013.
Photo of the Book: "Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine."
Paul A. Offit, MD, edited by Paul A. Offit, Paul A. Offit, 2015, Offit,
Paul A. Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative
Medicine. New York, Harper Collins Publishers, 2013.
Sources:
Book: Offit, Paul A. Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative
Medicine. New York, Harper Collins Publishers, 2013.
Photo of the Book: "Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine."
Paul A. Offit, MD, edited by Paul A. Offit, Paul A. Offit, 2015, Offit,
Paul A. Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative
Medicine. New York, Harper Collins Publishers, 2013.
"Alternative and traditional medicine have a great deal to learn from each other, and health practitioners and consumers have much to gain in bringing the two fields closer together."
Traditional medicine focuses on proven cures such as medication or surgery, whereas alternative medicine is more focused on health improvement options that are personal, such as lifestyle changes or therapy. Alternative medicine focuses on the patient's health as a whole instead of healing one specific issue. This article compares how these two different styles of medicine interact as well as their appeals and criticisms. It gives an equal argument for both sides and shows the conflict in the medical field surrounding whether alternative medicine is respected by traditional medical specialists or not and vice a versa.
Hart, Jackie, and Brian Randall. "Complementary and Alternative Medicine."
Salem Press. Consumer Health Complete, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmh&AN=109459662&site=chc-live. Accessed 26 Oct.
2017. Originally published in Salem Press [Salem], 2012, pp. 43-44.
Salem Press. Consumer Health Complete, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmh&AN=109459662&site=chc-live. Accessed 26 Oct.
2017. Originally published in Salem Press [Salem], 2012, pp. 43-44.
Snake oil was originally made from Chinese water snakes and was rich in acids that can reduce inflammation. Because of its properties, snake oil was originally very effective in treating conditions like arthritis and bursitis, but as it became more popular, a wide variety of tonics were created that were also called snake oil. These new oils were cheap and not nearly as effective. The word of the healing powers of snake oil grew and more and more people scammed buyers with their false "snake oils". This term developed into one for any sort of sketchy product or salesmen who was known to put their selfish want for money before the needs of the patients, and is still used today as a symbol of fraud. It is a term of insult and not respected by most.
Gandhi, Lakshmi. "A History of 'Snake Oil Salesmen.'" Code Switch, 26 Aug. 2013,
www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/
a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen. Accessed 9 Jan. 2018.
www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/
a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen. Accessed 9 Jan. 2018.
"Today, the church hosts nearly a thousand people in 23 recovery meetings each week. It also created the 11th step cafe, a take on John Wesley’s Class Meeting of 1745. The meeting serves as an important third space—neither church nor recovery meeting—that allows church members and those in recovery to spend time in mutual community."
This article talks about the origin of the opioid crisis and how some churches are trying out new methods to help improve the lives of recovering addicts. The church has took it upon itself to create a new program that mixes worship, community, and an adaptation of an 11 step program to forever change the lives of addicts in recovery. The church has had immense success and this article presents their system as the way forward to recovery for all.
Source: Hearlson, Adam. "Facing the Opioid Crisis: Church for Those in Recovery." The
Christian Century, no. 23, 2016, p. 22. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgea&AN=edsgcl.471474491&site=eds-live.
Source: Hearlson, Adam. "Facing the Opioid Crisis: Church for Those in Recovery." The
Christian Century, no. 23, 2016, p. 22. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgea&AN=edsgcl.471474491&site=eds-live.
"in order for a patient to have given informed consent, she must understand the treatment...If this interpretation of informed consent is correct, it is unethical for medical professionals to offer or endorse ‘alternative medicine’ treatments, for which there is no known causal mechanism"
This argument was found in one of the volumes of the scientific journal, Bioethics, and it argues the case against alternative medicine. One of the most important ethical areas of medicine is informed consent. Patients must know what they are getting into before treatment to ensure they are being given the treatment that will produce the desired outcome. Some alternative medical treatments aren't based on facts and change on a patient by patient basis, therefore, the outcomes can not always been known. Because of this, some argue that it is unethical to give a patient treatment if the way it is affecting their body is not fully understood.
Shahvisi, Arianne. "No Understanding, No Consent: The Case against Alternative
Medicine." Bioethics, vol. 30, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 69-76. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1111/bioe.12228.
Medicine." Bioethics, vol. 30, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 69-76. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1111/bioe.12228.