Complementary, or blended, medicine has been used for healing since the beginning of time but only recently is it becoming accepted in the western world.
Resistance to alternate therapies is a product of the unknown. Jealousy and greed of the medical profession and the pharmaceutical companies also play a major role in this tenacious resistance. With education, all groups and individuals can come to a better understanding of the benefits of blended care.
Complementary medicine does not exclude any form of treatment, but uses all to work in harmony to treat effectively the entire patient, rather than just pieces of him. As with traditional medicine, there are those within these “other” therapeutic practices who give substandard care. Therefore, it is up to the individual to acquire the knowledge needed in order to accept or reject intelligently any therapeutic options.
New York Times correspondent, James Reston, described his experience with complementary medicine in an article on July 26, 1971. While visiting China, Reston had an acute appendix attack and was rushed to a hospital in Peking. There, doctors performed surgery, using only a local anesthetic. As a result, Reston was able to describe his care in addition not having any post-operative mental fuzziness, nausea, or gas that comes with general anesthetic and abdominal surgery. To combat pain, acupuncture and herbal medicines were used.
Thirty years later, the western world is just beginning to accept other forms of medical treatment that have been accepted as standard treatment for thousands of years. This section contains brief descriptions of some complementary or blended forms of medicine.
