The Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
![]() 224 pp., 6 x 9 Paperback ISBN: 9781589010161 (1589010167) eBook ISBN: 9781589014640 E-Inspection Request E-Inspection January 2004 LC: 2001040797 Hastings Center Studies in Ethics series EXPLORE THIS TITLE DescriptionTable of Contents Reviews |
The Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Accommodating Pluralism
Daniel Callahan, Editor
At the center of the debate over complementary and alternative medicine—from acupuncture and chiropractic treatments to homeopathy and nutritional supplements—is how to scientifically measure the effectiveness of a particular treatment. Fourteen scholars from the fields of medicine, philosophy, sociology, and cultural and folklore studies examine that debate, and the clash between growing public support and the often hostile stance of clinicians and medical researchers. Daniel Callahan is director of international programs at The Hastings Center and senior fellow at the Harvard Medical School. His many books include False Hopes and The Troubled Dream of Life: In Search of a Peaceful Death. Gregory E. Kaebnick and Daniel Callahan, Series Editors
Reviews
"Highly recommend[ed] . . . as a resource for all researchers and investigators, academics and scholars, and students both favorable or opposed to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This thought-provoking and exciting book is unparalleled in the field. It offers food for intellectual thought and meets the need for elucidating critical yet balanced discourse on the meaning and therapeutic values and efficacy of CAM."—Doody's Review Service "Although many books are available about CAM, this books makes its mark because it explores the relationship between CAM and conventional medicine."—The Annals of Pharmacotherapy "This is a small but meaty and provocative book. It gives the reader an overview of the various arguments for and against what has become known as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In addition to its balanced presentation, it points the way to possible future validation of CAM and dialogue concerning it. This is a hot and timely subject treated with scholarly seriousness and intensity."—Health Progress Table of Contents Introduction Daniel Callahan Assessments of Efficacy in Biomedicine: The Turn toward Methodological Pluralism Kenneth F. Shaffner CAM and Cultural Diversity: Ethics and Epistemology Converge David J. Hufford The Role of Science in Assessing Conventional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicines Loretta M. Kopelman Personal Experience, Popular Epistemology, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Bonnie B. O'Connor The Placebo Effect: Implications for the Study and Practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Howard Brody Spirituality in Clinical Care: A Brief Review of Patient Desire, Physician Response, and Research Opportunities David B. Larson and Susan B. Larson Interpreting Results from Randomized Clinical Trials of Complementary/Alternative Interventions: The Role of Trial Quality and Pre-trial Beliefs Asbjorn Hrobjartsson and Stig Brorson Evidence, Ethics, and the Evaluation of Global Medicine Wayne B. Jonas The Nature of Evidence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Ideas from Trials of Homeopathy in Chronic Headache Tom Whitmarsh Medical Culture and CAM Culture: Science and Ritual in the Academic Medical Center Paul Root Wolpe The Quest for Holism in Medicine Alfred I. Tauber Contributors Index |