Global Medicine: Is it Complementary, Integrated, Alternative---or just plain Mainstream?
What is considered experimental or complementary medicine in America, is often considered mainstream medicine on the global scene. This is true in scientifically sophisticated countries such as France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
For Instance:
France
Clinicians are deeply concerned with the terrain, or the vitality of the inner field of the body. While American interventions are often described as "aggressive," the French much prefer les medicines douces, or "gentle therapies."
Germany
Having heart surgery? Live in Germany--or Great Britain! Germany uses only 75 percent the U.S. rate of cardiac catheterization, and Great Britain performs only one-third as many as the U.S....
...however, patients appear to fare equally well in these countries as in the United States.
:sidebar: Consider the photo here!
In Buenos Aires, we see an entire pharmacy devoted to homeopathic medicine.
Not a common sight in the United States.
Curious for more information on homeopathy?
Choose this link for an Introduction to Homeopathy.
Europe in general
They love homeopathy in Europe!
Percentage of doctors who refer patients to homeopaths:
- 40 percent in Britain
- 45 percent of Dutch physicians
- 39 percent of French doctors
and
- 1 in 5 German doctors.
Scientific Research
supports Ancient Practice of Ayurveda
With over 6,000 years of history and 400,000 registered practitioners worldwide, Ayurveda--literally "life knowledge"--has caught the attention of the scientific community. "Despite the recent revolutions in biotechnology and genome research, an estimated 80% of the world population still has no access to modern medicine and obtain benefits from the time-tested alternative systems of medicine." - Deocaris, et al, in their paper published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, March 2008
To read entire article, use photo link of flu virus!
Fun Factoid:
The #1 top-selling flu remedy in France? You guessed it: homeopathic medicine (representing 50 percent of the market).
And now, what you've been waiting for: a photograph of a flu virus itself! (enlarged, of course...)
Complementary Medicine: Irony
By its very name, complementary medicine accompanies another medicine. In this case, it accompanies conventional medicine--surgery, antibiotics, chemotherapy, radiation and the like (here in the U.S.).
Just over 100 years ago, herbal remedies were still widely known and used for general health. The Industrial Revolution meant that by 1900, most people lived in towns. Any connections with country knowledge - such as these herbal treatments - were largely lost.
Enter Penicillin in the late 1920's. This gave rise to immunizations, a strong component of our present-day health terrain.
Immunizations for children continue to expand! (My first two children, born early in the 1990s, contracted the childhood disease of chickenpox shortly after they began attending public school. However, after our third child was born in 1998, I had to sign a waiver "on philosophical grounds" to keep him from being vaccinated against chickenpox.
My idea: having chickenpox, not merely a (brand new) vaccine against it, would provide the strongest immunity, thus the best protection against shingles as an adult.)
So, the irony is that the new, complementary medicines are often older remedies that were actually lost during recent history! Just as present day medicine looks different from the past, medical mindsets differ from country to country around the globe! I hope you enjoy your reading, comparing and exploring.
For very good definitions of complementary terms holistic, allopathic, and globalized medicine, use the photo link below to read David Farr's page defining these terms! To return to Healthy Alternative Solutions, simply close the page.
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