Is There a Role for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Preventive and Promotive Health? An Anthropological Assessment in the Context of U.S. Health Reform

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7199274
AutoresJennifer Jo Thompson (0000-0003-1785-9877, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Department of Anthropology University of Georgia), M Nichter (0000-0002-4112-3010, School of Anthropology, Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Public Health University of Arizona)
Año2014
Volumen30
Número1
Páginas80-99
Fecha de publicación2014-10-14
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMedical Anthropology Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0745-5194 • E-ISSN: 1548-1387
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/maq.12153
PMID25316618
OpenAlexW2100464992
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas57

Chronic conditions associated with lifestyle and modifiable behaviors are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act offers an historic opportunity to consider novel approaches to addressing the nation's public health concerns. We adopt an anticipatory anthropological perspective to consider lifestyle behavior change as common ground shared by practitioners of both biomedicine and common forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). At issue is whether CAM practitioners might play a more proactive and publicly endorsed role in delivering preventive and promotive health services to address these needs. Recognizing that this is a contentious issue, we consider two constructive roles for engaged medical anthropologists: (1) as culture brokers helping to facilitate interprofessional communities of preventive and promotive health practice and (2) in collaboration with health service researchers developing patient‐near evaluations of preventive and promotive health services on patient well‐being and behavior change. [health reform, complementary and alternative medicine, Affordable Care Act, health promotion

Biomedicine · Constructive · Context (archaeology · Health care · Health promotion · Political science · Preventive healthcare · Public health · Public relations · Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies · Empathy and Medical Education · Law · Medicine · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Nursing