Alternative Medicine and Ethics

Abstract

In Alternative Medicine and Ethics, leading bioethicists and philosophers examine and debate the question of how the health care system should deal with using complimentary and alternative medicines. The distinguished authorities writing here both defend and criticize alternative medicine, with some arguing that the medical system should change substantially in order to accommodate alternative medicine, and others claiming that virtually all alternative treatments are worthless. In the heat of the debate many fundamental issues are raised concerning our health care system, among them the questions of therapeutic effectiveness, media truthfulness, the patient's freedom to choose among treatment options, health insurance coverage, the ability of the current healthcare delivery system to meet patients' needs, and government approval of alternative medicines. The issues raised in Alternative Medicine and Ethics pose numerous challenges to the healthcare delivery system that presently dominates in the United States and Canada. The points made here will help bioethicists, medical professionals, managers, and public policy experts to better understand the fundamental nature of our health care system and better meet patients' needs. “Alternative” Medicine: More Hype than Hope -- Understanding the Integration of Alternative Modalities into an Emerging Healthcare Model in the United States -- Healthcare Plans as Gatekeepers: Alternative Medicine -- Insurance Coverage for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Access, Challenges, and Policy -- Legal and Ethical Dilemmas Surrounding Prayer as a Method of Alternative Healing for Children -- Alternative Medicine: Ethical Challenges for the Profession of Pharmacy.