Factors Shaping the Future of Alternative Medicine. This part will treat the factors that will shape how alternative medicine will be viewed in the future, …show more content…
The current definition of alternative medicine is “any of a range of medical therapies that are not regarded as orthodox by the medical profession” (Sara 110). A confusion may come in with herbal medicine like tea. Doctors in Canada are not allowed to prescribe tea, but they can advise their patients to take tea to fight certain diseases, however herbal medicine is considered alternative medicine but it is still accepted by the medical profession. Yet in Germany, medical doctors can prescribe Herbal medicines, but it is rejected by the US and Canada. It seems that the definition of alternative medicine is not accurate. (Eskinazi 17) Therefore a concrete definition will shape the future of alternative medicine by differentiating which type of alternative medicine is orthodox by the medical …show more content…
In the US, for example, political interventions have played a significant role in AM’s recent development. It was only recently that an office of Unconventional Medical Practices was created in the US Congress, but yet it has not received any mandate. In countries like China, politics has been involved at some level of the development of alternative medicine. Also the fact that in the US, the FDA has unregulated botanical medicines and certain dietary supplements, just because it is difficult to apply to alternative medicine products, the same regulations as those applied to biomedical products. Therefore, if the laws of a country does not officially recognise this medicine, it becomes very difficult to integrate it in the