Alternative therapies in Australia
In the early of 1994, in Australia the first students studied alternative therapy began their four college years with full-time courses. Except for other therapies, the courses also included acupuncture. The theory they learned was based on the ancient Chinese explanation for the therapy, that is, acupuncture can regulate "qi" or the energy pathway in people's bodies. The course sufficiently reflected the achievements in the struggle of the orthodox therapy's acceptance.
Australian became unusual in the western countries out of the extremely conservative attitude towards natural or alternative therapy. Doctor Laver remarked that, " We have a tradition, the highly powerful doctor, I guess they are loath to allow pretenders to come into the postition." In many other industrial countries, the orthodox doctors have intimately cooperated with the alternative therapies for many years. In Europe, only the orthodox doctors can prescribe plant medicines. In Germany, herbal medicine accounts for 10% of the turnover of pharmaceuticals. In 1990, Amereican visited alternative therapists more often than the orthodox. And every year, they spent about 12 billion dollars on the alternative therapies that have not been tested scientifically.
In the past 20 years, the disenchantment with orthodox therapy has seen the increasing popularity of alternative therapy. At the survey of national public health in 1993, 1.9% of people said they consulted chiropractor, physiotherapy, osteopath, acupuncturist or herbalism in two weeks before the survey. By 1990, the number rose to 2.6% of the population in Australia. According to the report Doctor Laver and his colleagues published in the Australia Journal of Public Health, the survey in 1990, 550 thousand people visited alternative therapists, which almostly accounted for one eighth of the total amount of the therapies in the survey.On the whole, the better educated and less believed people lost their confidence in experts, being increasingly suspect to science and knowledge based on experience. As a consequence, the high standing of professionals, including doctors, has been underestimated.
Rather than resisting or criticising the trend, the increasing number of doctors in Australia, especially the young ones, began to form group practices or take themselves courses, particularly relevant to acupuncture and herbalism. Dr. Laver said, the part of incentives is surely out of the financial factor. " The bottom line is that most of doctors are business people. If they see potential clientele go where else, they may want to offer the similar services."
In 1993, Dr. Laver and his colleagues published a survey report, which investigated 289 people in Sydney visiting 8 alternative therapies. These clinics had 25 alternative therapists providing a wide range of therapies. People in survey had experienced chronic illnesses, which the orthodox therapy could not do better for. The patients argued that they liked the holistic, friendly, concerned, and detailed attention in alternative therapy. The survey suggested the cold, impersonal attitude of the orthodox doctors. Many patients left the orthodox clinics and a number of related surveys point to the inadequacy of the orthodox doctor, which caused them to admit that they should learn the personal style of alternative therapy. Dr. Patrick Stone, the president of Royal College of General Practitioner, concurred that orthodox need to learn more beside technologies from the alternative therapy, such as advising patients preventative health.
According to the Australia Journal of Public Health, 18% of Patients visited alternative therapists because of musculo-skeletal complaints, and 12% are digestive problems, which is more 1% than emotional problems. 7% is respiratory problems equal to candida infected. Headaches and other general ill health account for 6% and 5%, respectively.And the further 4% visited therapies just for health maintenance.
The survey suggests that, comparing with alternative therapy, complementary therapy is a better name. The former sounds like alternative as an appendage, which is alternative object when the orthodox can't give a good answer.
