Overview

Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a sociological investigation of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in contemporary society, and an exploration of the forces throughout the globe, across different institutions, and within different therapeutic spaces, that constrain or foster alternative medicine. Drawing on 30 years of research, the book identifies the trends in the use of CAM and explores the scientific, political and social challenges that CAM faces in relation to orthodox medicine. The author examines the varieties of CAM practices and how they manifest in different institutional spaces – including public inquiries, the orthodox medical practitioner’s consulting room, medical journals and the homes of those who use CAM. It also compares unorthodox practices in different geo-political settings, namely the global north and the global south. This book is valuable reading for higher-level undergraduate and postgraduate social science students, including those in psychology, sociology, anthropology, health sciences and related disciplines. It is relevant for courses in medical sociology, medical anthropology and social science and health, and a broader audience interested in contemporary health issues, controversies and alternative medicine.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kevin Dew (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.458kg
ISBN:  

9780367253219

ISBN 10:   0367253216
Pages:   162
Publication Date:   20 April 2021
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction to complemenatary and alternative medicine and therapeutic pluralism Chapter 2: State medicine, regulating practices and the creation of alternatives Chapter 3: Disciplining and integrating practices Chapter 4: Adjusting to statist medicine and the manipulation of chiropractic Chapter 5: Transformation, continuity and the ebb and flow of Chinese medicine Chapter 6: Empire, tradition and the many therapeutic faces of India Chapter 7: The unregulated CAM user and the expansion of therapeutic possibilities Chapter 8: The fraught use of CAM in cancer care Chapter 9: Incoherent forces: the disciplining and the unruliness of complementary and alternative therapies

Reviews

Author Information

Kevin Dew is Professor of Sociology at Victoria University of Wellington. He is a founding member of the Applied Research on Communication in Health (ARCH) group. His books include The Cult and Science of Public Health: A Sociological Investigation and Public Health, Personal Health and Pills: Drug Entanglements and Pharmaceuticalised Governance. His current research activities include studies of cancer survivorship and cancer care decision-making in relation to health inequities.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions