m. % v> What Will Influence the Future of Alternative Medicine? - A WORLD PERSPECTIVE editor Mid Eskinazi World Scientific What Will Influence the Future of Alternative Medicine? A WORLD PERSPECTIVE [...]... of AM are unsatisfactory, in part because they fail to address the fundamental issue of why they are "alternative" , and because they fail to take into account diverse fundamental characteristics of AM, which should be part of any definition For example, many healthcare practices are labeled "alternative" because it is felt that there is a lack of relevant, good quality scientific research to substantiate... that are of particular relevance to the evaluation of AM 5.2 Sociological Factors 5.2.1 Politics/ regulation The interaction of politics and healthcare is extensive, complex, and inevitable because healthcare is such a fundamental aspect of national economies, and because individual and population health status must be addressed Factors Shaping the Future of AM 9 In the US, for example, political... population uses AM and, therefore, constitutes a considerable potential market in the US Consequently, alternative practices and products that had been shunned by the traditional healthcare industry are becoming an increasingly promoted feature of American healthcare packages, from healthcare maintenance organizations (HMO) to hospitals, including academically affiliated ones The fact that the NCCAM is beginning... traditional medical system of India, reflects the traditional Hindu world view 17 Similarly, Tibetan physicians practice Buddhist meditation as an integral part of their medical training 18 In many traditional medical systems, the primary explanation for biological phenomena is based on the existence of a "vital force", an elusive entity designated Qi in China, "Ki" in Korea and Japan, prana in India, vital... Alternative Care (Landmark Healthcare, Inc., California; and Inter Active Solutions, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998) 5 Alternative Medicine: Expanding Medical Horizons: A Report to the NIH on Alternative Medical Systems and Practices in The United States (Washington, D.C., National Institutes of Health, 1995) 6 MacLennan A. H., Wilson D.H and Taylor A. W Prevalence and cost of alternative medicine in Australia... trend of increasing use of AM that was already suspected as early as the 1980s Reflecting this interest of the American public in alternative medical care, the American Congress, in October 1991, instructed the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the premier medical research institution in the nation, to create an office to "investigate and validate unconventional medical practices." In 1993, that office... have legalized acupuncture The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) created the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) in 1992, which is now called (as of 1998) the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) In 1994, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act Development of TCM in 21st Century China 27 All the factors and... designed for other purposes and circumstances is poor science 6 Implications for a Program in Alternative Medicine Based on the above, to be successful, a program in AM needs to be multifaceted and address at least the major factors that will impact on the integration of AM into conventional healthcare Factors Shaping the Future of AM 17 I have presented, and I hope clarified, factors that impact in different... provide a rational definition of AM, it is clearly necessary to identify common traits of these very disparate practices Most of what falls under the scope of AM has its origins in traditional systems of health It is apparent that some kind of spirituality, often directly related to the dominant religion or philosophical system of the originating culture, is an integral part of most traditional systems of. .. of medicine? The large and rapidly growing market for AM has created the potential for substantial financial gain, but realizing a quick "payoff" may also yield research of poor quality, and perpetuate research only aimed at narrowly evaluating products' effectiveness While it is important to conduct such research, this may also lead to botanical medicine being used in the same manner as conventional . Future of Alternative Medicine? A WORLD PERSPECTIVE