What's The Alternative

Curiosity, stellar marketing and mistrust of mainstream medicine are leading more women to weave complementary medicine into their health regimen. But what works – and what’s just an illusion – is complicated to sort out. Until now!

- Meghan Rabbitt

NOT SO LONG AGO, most people fell into one of two camps when it came to healthcare: conventional or alternative. You either rolled your eyes at friends who claimed energy healing cured their problem or you were game to guinea-pig anything from Rolfing to reiki.

The wellness landscape doesn’t look so one-side-or-the-other anymore, TBH. There’s a solid chance you dabble in a homoeopathic cold remedy and still head to the doctor if your sore throat isn’t gone in a week. Or maybe you go to physiotherapy to rehab muscle twinges, but also appreciate the hurts-so-good sensation of cupping.

The truth is, many of us are using some form of complementary medicine – any treatment method that isn’t generally considered part of mainstream care. And to meet the demand and increased interest, major medical centres around the world now offer everything from acupuncture to labyrinth walks. So enter into the modern thinking: integrative and standard options can coexist. In fact, the term “alternative medicine” isn’t used anymore, says Dr Adam Perlman, director of integrative health and well-being at the Mayo Clinic in the US. “We call it integrative medicine now because these treatments are meant to be used in tandem with conventional medicine,” he says. “It’s about blending multiple treatments to improve health and quality of life.”