It is more useful to describe “holistic” medical practices as a social movement rather than a branch of science or health care. The twin aims of practitioners are to institutionalize their ideas in order to achieve greater social acceptance, and to loosen the demands which are normally imposed upon anyone making empirical claims. The first goal, obviously, requires the second — and the second can have terrible consequences for society.
Unfortunately, the use of holistic medicine is not simply a fringe movement made up of a few cranks. By some estimates, it’s an industry doing between $15 and $20 billion annually — and growing! A report in New England Journal of Medicine back in January 1993 showed that about one-third of American adults had sought some sort of unorthodox therapy in the preceding year.
That is why this volume of essays is so important — anyone wishing to understand more about holistic medical practices will find a lot of information. The first part includes chapters about the history and background of how such practices have developed in the United States, a topic often ignored in the discussion of alternative medicines. They did not just spring up overnight, but instead are part of a long tradition.
The second part of the book deals directly with refuting common arguments made from holistic philosophy. Austen Clark, for example, directly addresses the common argument that traditional medical practices do not adequately understand the role of the mind in both diseases and in cures. Another essay takes on the common tactic of misusing modern physics, like Quantum Mechanics, to provide a pseudo-scientific basis for their ideas.
Examining Holistic Medicine
The fourth and final part moves from general issues to very specific holistic remedies, providing eleven essays refuting common practices like homoepathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, theraputic touch, iridology and more. There is much too much information in those articles to summarize here, but they provide effective rebuttals to some of the most common alternative treatments which people promote and use.
There is a lot that a person could learn about holistic medicine, if they wished to take the time; but for most of us, it isn’t necessary to become experts. Books like this eliminate that need by providing, in one volume, sufficient information to understand what is wrong with these alternative treatments and why they shouldn’t be used.
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