Toward a 'green allopathy'? Naturopathic paradigm and practice in Ontario, Canada
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4601180 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nadine Ijaz (0000-0002-5826-5699, Carleton University, corresponding author), Sandy Welsh (0000-0001-5590-6078, University of Toronto), Heather Boon (0000-0002-0705-8251, University of Toronto) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 315 |
| Pages | 115557 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Science & Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0277-9536 • E-ISSN: 1873-5347 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115557 |
| PMID | 36413855 |
| OpenAlex | W4309563212 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
Epistemic tensions have long been evident within naturopathy, a heterodox healthcare occupation licensed across much of North America. Naturopaths less inclined toward bioscientific explanatory and evidentiary norms have long used the trope of the 'green allopath' to critique the practices of their more biomedically- (i.e., 'allopathically') inclined colleagues. Using the 'green allopathy' narrative as a conceptual starting point, this work uses a qualitatively-driven, mixed methods design involving interviews (n = 17) and a census-style survey (n = 366) to characterize the paradigmatic and practice patterns of licensed naturopaths in Ontario, Canada between 2017 and 2019. At odds with many interviewees' accounts, survey results suggest that the occupation's overall epistemic character, aligned with the concept of holism, has not changed much over the last two decades. Nevertheless, findings suggest notable changes in Ontario naturopaths' clinical practice patterns over the same period, including: more frequent use of botanical medicines, nutritional supplements and acupuncture; less frequent use of physical medicine (e.g., massage, hydrotherapy); and, an overall reduction in homeopathic usage. Controlling for other factors, older naturopaths are more likely to rely often on non-biomedical diagnostic modes (p = 0.042), suggesting an emerging shift, in practice, toward a 'green allopathy'. Naturopaths' widespread ongoing engagement with therapeutic modalities whose epistemic premises diverge strongly from conventional biomedicine (e.g., homeopathy, East Asian medicine), appears mediated by the increasing body of related bioscientific evidence, and by gender and age (p-values <0.05). Gender and age also significantly predict naturopaths' alignment with more pharmaceutically-oriented care (p values < 0.05). Though naturopathy's 'green allopathization' appears underway, the demographic predominance of women within the profession may temper this trend in the years ahead
Alternative medicine · Epistemology · Family medicine · Health care · Holism · Homeopathy · Hydrotherapy · Integrative medicine · Naturopathy · Philosophy of medicine · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Traditional medicine · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies · Law · Medicine · Philosophy · Psychology · Therapeutic Uses of Natural Elements
The Sage Handbook of Innovation in Social Research Methods
Mail and Internet Surveys
The History of Chinese Medicine in the People's Republic of China and Its Globalization
Indian medical indigeneity
Using thematic analysis in psychology
The scope of naturopathic medicine in Canada
Canadian naturopathic practitioners
The status of women in naturopathy
Detraditionalisation, gender and alternative and complementary medicines
Undoing gender? The case of complementary and alternative medicine
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |