The Emergence of Integrative Medicine in Australia: The Growing Interest of Biomedicine and Nursing in Complementary Medicine in a Southern Developed Society

Abstract

In this article, I examine the process by which some biomedical physicians and nurses in Australia have come to adopt various alternative therapies in their regimens of practice, largely in response to (1) the growing interest on the part of many Australians in what is generally called "complementary medicine", and (2) a recognition that biomedicine is not particularly effective in treating an array of chronic ailments. Some Australian biomedical physicians and nurses have come to embrace "integrative medicine," which purports to blend the best of biomedicine and complementary medicine, and have even created an Australasian Integrative Medical Association and established integrative medical training programs and centers. I argue that the adoption of alternative therapies and the development of integrative medicine on the part of Australian biomedical physicians and nurses constitute another national manifestation of the co-option of complementary and alternative medicine.

An integrative review of complementary and alternative medicine use for back pain: a focus on prevalence, reasons for use, influential factors, self-perceived effectiveness, and communication

“…Despite lacking evidence base, CAM has become widely available internationally and has become popular in recent years in Australia and United States among many other countries [4,5]. Complementary and alternative medicine and its use have become the topic of significant international public health investigation [6,7], and the use of CAM in the treatment of chronic health conditions such as ''back pain'' [8] has become a significant health service issue.…”

Cultural Rationales Guiding Medication Adherence Among African American with HIV/AIDS

“…25 Adherence rationales, derived from anthropological studies, are conceptualized as embodying individual cognitions and cultural beliefs along with explanations for the daily practices of adhering to a medical regimen. A rationale includes the patient's explanatory model of illness that is disease specific 29 and is developed in response to specific episodes of illness within a naturally occurring clinical and life-world context. 30 Anthropological research has shown that these adherence rationales are synergistically developed and reworked in the process of treatment, 26,27 rather than operating as static factors as is posited, for example, with the Health Belief Model.…”

Medical Tourism and Transnational Health Care

“…The possibility of making profit out of CAM integration must be viewed in light of the increasing global trend of privatisation and corporatisation of health care. For private, for-profit health-care providers, rising customer demand for CAM, coupled with the fact that the majority of people pay CAM treatments out of pocket or by private health insurance, may present a tempting business opportunity (Baer, 2008). The previously discussed collective demands for political rights and freedom of choice become re-interpreted as individual consumer desires for value for money and customer satisfaction from an economic perspective.…”

“…Some have doubts about IM because they fear that there has been a takeover of CAM by the orthodox medical community to pursue their goals of controlling and avoiding competition, as well as utilising CAM for profitmaking ventures (Baer, 2002(Baer, , 2008Hollenberg, 2007;Baer and Coulter, 2009). The possibility of making profit out of CAM integration must be viewed in light of the increasing global trend of privatisation and corporatisation of health care.…”