AUTHOR COPY - Trent University

Shroff
Goddess of Good Health, who is synonymous with hygiene, disease prevention
and therapeutic medicine (Capra, 2002). The Hippocratic Doctrine, which ostensibly
underlies the basis for current allopathic medicine, stresses that: ‘the wellbeing
of men (sic) is influenced by all environmental factorsythe quality of air,
water and food, the winds and topography of the land’ (Maurer and Smith,
2005, p. 597). 1 Although allopathic medicine has not generally been shaped
by this complex view of health and disease, holistic concepts exist within
allopathic theoretical frameworks. But theory is often not put into practice. This
is, of course, true of all systems of medicine. However, allopathic doctors are
increasingly using alternative medicine in their practices, and some allopathic
doctors hire alternative practitioners to work in their offices. Increasingly,
nurses, midwives and other health-care practitioners also incorporate holistic
practices into their clinics.
Holistic health-care: A growing trend
Although allopathic medicine is useful for the treatment of acute and emergency
care needs, holistic health-care appears to be more promising for chronic conditions
and mental health-care, which constitute a majority of health problems,
since chronic diseases are a leading cause of death and disability around the
world. The interest in holistic care in North America is growing among health
professionals and the general public. In the United States, for example, spending
on alternative medicine has increased from 14 billion in the early 1990s to 21
billion in 1997 (McQuaide, 2005). Moreover, 36 per cent of adults are using
some form of holistic and alternative medicine (Barnes et al, 2004). If megavitamin
therapy and prayer specifically for health reasons are included as well,
that number rises to 62 per cent (Barnes et al, 2004). In Canada, that number is
similar with one study finding that 73 per cent of Canadians have used some
form of holistic health-care in their lifetime (Esmail, 2007). While studies measure
different definitions of holistic health and varying time periods, Canadians
are increasingly using holistic health-care.
The popularity of holistic health-care is in part because of the increasing
dissent with the present system of medical care delivery. Some people, particularly
women, prefer holistic practitioners partly because of practitioner
friendliness and interpersonal sensitivity (Kelner and Wellman, 1997; Barnes
et al, 2004). Fewer side effects, the perceived lack of harm from holistic healthcare
and the possibility of improved health are other reasons why Canadians are
turning to holistic health-care practices (Quan et al, 2008).
AUTHOR COPY
Holistic health-care critically examined
It is precisely because of their growth and interest that holistic models also need
to be considered critically. Most systems of holistic health are overly concerned
250 r 2011 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1477-8211 Social Theory & Health Vol. 9, 3, 244–255