You know something is happening here but you don’t know what it is—do you, Dr. Jones? It’s just this: People want to be healthier. They want to avoid getting ill. They are seeking to avoid costly doctor visits and hospitalization. They are increasingly interested in the benefits of good nutrition and building a strong immune system.
This changing view of health is more of a back-to-basics citizen revolt. Just as consumers are becoming increasingly discontented with the mass market processed foods offered in supermarkets, giving rise to an ever growing number of natural food markets, they are also seeking alternatives to what we call “traditional” medicine. Interestingly, the medical tradition Americans have grown up with doesn’t go that far back—only about one hundred years. It coincides with the industrialization of our household products (soap, laundry detergent) and of our food supply. Prior to that there were hundreds of medical schools teaching various fields of medicine.
Today, American medicine is not so much a profession as it is an industry. Nowadays it’s all about lawyers, insurance companies, politics and—last but certainly not least—money. And like all industrial ventures, certain things are sacrificed for the sake of standardization and cost-effectiveness. The family doctor and his house calls got lost somewhere along the line and in his place we have an avalanche of television and print ads touting the latest versions of “better living through chemistry” put forth by drug companies so rich and powerful they are collectively known as “big pharma.” The lists of alarming side effects, such as warnings on cigarette packages to smokers, often go unheeded because when we’re sick we have been trained to rely on medical authority to tell us what to do.
While modern medicine (called allopathy—using drugs that have opposite effects to symptoms being treated) has its place in the scheme of things (just like burgers and fries), there’s more to health than drugs, surgery and vaccinations. Just as Americans are seeking healthier and tastier food, they are increasingly seeking out healthcare alternatives that are less costly, less invasive and have fewer side effects.
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