Policy, the Public, and Priorities in Alternative Medicine Research

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 583, p. 29-43

Abstract

The political & social dynamics around unconventional or complementary & alternative medical practices has shifted from marginalization to a struggle for control of definitions & priorities. These practices have arisen because of public rather than professional or scientific interest. Conventional medicine has made significant gains in health care for acute disease, translating basic science into diagnostic & therapeutic value, & improving public health. These gains have been accompanied by high costs, depersonalization, & side effects. Complementary medicine has aligned with public preferences for more natural, lower-cost, & more holistic health care practices. Attempts to integrate the concepts & practices of complementary & alternative medicine into biomedicine present significant challenges for determining how language, funding, & standards of evidence are established. The author outlines some of the issues that arise in the struggle to integrate these practices into biomedicine & suggests some criteria for establishing priorities when funding research in complementary & alternative medicine. 2 Tables, 1 Figure, 18 References. [Copyright 2002 Sage Publications, Inc.]