The Role of Contemporary and Alternative Medicine : Accommodating Pluralism

From acupuncture and chiropractic treatment to homeopathy and nutritional supplements, complementary and alternative therapies are widely accepted by much of the public but frowned upon by most physicians and researchers practicing orthodox medcine.

In this text, 14 scholars from the fields of medicine, philosophy, sociology and cultural and folklore studies examine the clash between growing public support and the hostility of clinicians and medical researchers.

The essays fall into two major categorie: those addressing the methodological problems of assessemnt and those focusing on the differing cultural perspectives at work in a patient's choice of treatment.

They suggest a variety of ways that CAM can both be taken seriously and subjected to careful scurtiny.