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What are the most common therapies you practice or prescribe? What are the most common presenting problems in your practice? Do you use CAM therapies exclusive of—or along with—conventional (allopathic) medicine? To what extent do you think the client’s own beliefs help in healing? How do you use these beliefs? How much attention do you give to family or social support networks of your client? How do you use these networks in helping your client? Would you like to work more closely with any other type of health practitioner? If so, what kind(s)? Under what circumstances do you consult with or refer to other practitioners? How is your practice similar to conventional (allopathic) medicine? How is your practice different from conventional medicine? What are the barriers you see existing between conventional and complementary medicine? How do you think alternative and conventional practitioners can work together better? What is your vision of the optimal health care system? Characteristics Number Sex Male 11 Female 21 Age, years, mean (range) 47.6 (31–62) Ethnicity White 25 Jewish 2 Asian 2 Unknown 3 Household income (thousands per year) $10 to <$20 3 $20 to <$30 4 $30 to <$50 11 $50 to <$75 3 >$75 4 Unknown 7 Modalities Acupuncture 4 Aromatherapy 1 Astrology 2 Chinese medicine 3 Chiropractic, holistic 1 Colonics 1 Energy healing 1 Feldenkrais 2 Flower remedies 1 Herbalism 2 Homeopathy 2 Massage 3 Medical intuition 1 Naturopathy 1 Rolfing 1 Shmanism 1 T’ai Chi 1 Touch 1 Trager 1 Yoga 2 Practice Characteristics Responses* Range Mean Median SD * Several respondents could not or would not estimate these parameters for us. † Excludes 2 respondents who taught classes. Years practicing† 25 1–25 9 9 9.2 Hours per session† 24 0.08–2.0 1.1 1 .04 Clients per week† 20 2–60 20.1 20 14 Payment rate per visit ($)† 24 0–188 75 70 40 Conventional Medicine Complementary and Alternative Medicine Differences More reductionistic More holistic More controlling More empowering More deductive More inductive More generalizable More individualistic More scientific More intuitive Less time with patient More time with client Barriers to Integration Arrogance Lack of communication Belief of ineffectiveness of CAM Lack of evidence of effectiveness Competition Lack of legal recognition Costs and cost effectiveness Lack of training Distrust Philosophical differences Fear of liability Political pressures Ignorance Prejudice Momentum (habits and tradition) Profit motive Lack of availability Territorialism
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The Article in Brief
Practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine express a desire to work with physicians and other conventional clinicians. They believe that medicine should be more caring, patient-centered, empowering, and holistic.
