One thing I have noticed in previous trips to the Yorke Penninsula and other regional areas is the apparent abundance of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine practitioners. For instance, this weeks Yorke Peninsula Country Times heralds the opening of a holistic wellness centre featuring a physiotherapist as well as a Reiki and Yoga practitioner(edit: note that this may read as though I am referring to Physiotherapy as an alternative medicine, that is not my intention).
Why is the ground for Alternative Medicine so fertile?
Is it symptomatic of doctor shortages and hospital closures, a lack of reality based Health support in regional areas. Are Alternative practitioners filing a gap? The holistic approach seems to be more inline with living off the land (although the amount of technology and supplements used by farmers leads me to rule this reason out)? That and farmers fortunes ebb and flow with the season, leading to tight times economically. Although, again alternative medicine can be pricey, more so than pharmaceuticals. Another reason I considered briefly was the isolation, and the need to self diagnose and self medicate even if just for peace of mind.
But then I happened to be reading about the history of my house and came across this:
From time to time she had recourse to this or that medicine and maybe to her homeopathic kit, which we still have intact. She was as my mother called her, a creaking door’, always ailing, never failing.
Alison Dolling commenting on her Grand mother Minna, page 81, The Hand to the Plough
Homeopathy has had its foot in the door for a long time.
The above excerpt, led me to thinking that much of the land here was settled by German immigrants arriving in the mid 1800’s, many of whom would have been exposed to Samuel Hahnemann’s system of Homeopathy. So in a sense modern medicine is the new kid on the block from a historical perspective when compared with Homeopathy – which is well and truly through the door and sitting at the table.
Does this history mean that people might be predisposed or sympathetic to remedies approved by and passed down through their families, in much the same way that family religion(Lutheran) would have been?
I think it perhaps a mistake to think that homeopathy has gained a foothold recently, I think it may have been quietly existing here for 150 years. I think this may have also paved the way for the acceptance other alternative medicines.
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I suspect there's a lot to be said for a common belief that homeopathy is just a fancy name for herbal medicine.
"Natural" = Good.
Herbal = Natural.
Homeopathy = Herbal.
Therefore, Homeopathy = Good.
I doubt the homeopaths are in any great hurry to dispel this myth.
Yes the less that is known about homeopathy the better from their perspective – don't worry its all Natural
I think the use of herbal teas has long been around in many Australian communities, think Grandma's peppermint tea for a tummy ache as an example. I don't know much about the German history of SA but it sounds reasonable that they brought homeopathic cures out to Australia – doctors would have been extremely scarce in pioneer times. But my observations of Australian rural communities over the past 15 years, is that the emergence of alternative therapy centres in rural towns is a fairly new phenomenon.
I can remember when you had to travel to the capital city to gain access to a naturopath (exceptions being Byron Bay & Eumundi-Noosa). With the tree change/sea change push we saw the alternative therapists moving out to live in "more healthy" environments and hanging out their shingles in their new towns. The lack of general practitioners across the country has no doubt led to increased popularity of the alternative therapist (in spite of the cost of consultation and products). Add in the higher unemployment numbers which lead to locals studying and gaining their qualifications in alternative health and suddenly you have a thriving industry. Which will bring in tourists, especially the "weekender" or "health retreat" type tourist.
What I'm seeing now, is the increased cost of consulting an alternative therapist. Even yoga & pilates classes have increased their costs over the past couple of years. You do seem to need a good income stream in order to use these therapies regularly. If your country town happens to be in a pretty, desirable location, then your costs are higher still (look at "health sanctuaries" like Olivia Newton-John's place near Byron Bay).
Add in the higher unemployment numbers which lead to locals studying and gaining their qualifications in alternative health and suddenly you have a thriving industry. Which will bring in tourists, especially the "weekender" or "health retreat" type tourist.
This did occur to me last night while reading the forums of the correspondance course I am doing for journalism – they also offer courses in alternative medicine. That and some people in Maitland that we met supplemented farming income with something akin to Avon.
This has to be the most shallow treatment of Alternative medicine I have seen.Like a supposed superiority of intelligence in those who think Doctors treat wellness.They don't they treat illness.Try getting a hold of Uncensored Magazine from New Zealand. Issue 17 Sept.- Dec. 2009 Contaminated Vaccine? In bold red headlines on the cover. The problem of a lack of medical Doctors in a country area is simply that.Unless you know when every single alternative therapy business is being set up in a correlation with doctor activities both setting up and closing their businesses and the relationship with local hospitals. I think you must be engaging in low literacy of understanding dynamical circumstances.And since when is physiotherapy considered alternative,because they have been duly accepted by Doctors and hospitals and government for a very long time.In fact I wanted to be one,and study such at University and be taught by physiologists etc.
This has to be the most shallow treatment of Alternative medicine I have seen
Where did you get the impression that it was anything more than a shallow, thinking outloud blog post. I have reread this post and all I am doing is wondering aloud as to why Alternative Medicine seems to proliferate on the Yorke Peninsula – it could be a cognitive bias, me noticing the Chiropractors advertising unproven treatments for colic, and naturopaths offering unproven remedies.
Like a supposed superiority of intelligence in those who think Doctors treat wellness.
No you are gathering straw. Define wellness? How is bilking people of their money and offering unproven remedies treating wellness( I suppose the end result is a healthy bank balance for the Alt Med practitioner)
Try getting a hold of Uncensored Magazine from New Zealand. Issue 17 Sept.- Dec. 2009 Contaminated Vaccine? In bold red headlines on the cover.
What has this got to do with the post? Oh and no need to get Uncensored, can get the same poorly researched crap from Australia.
The problem of a lack of medical Doctors in a country area is simply that.Unless you know when every single alternative therapy business is being set up in a correlation with doctor activities both setting up and closing their businesses and the relationship with local hospitals.
This is what I wrote:
Why is the ground for Alternative Medicine so fertile?
Is it symptomatic of doctor shortages and hospital closures, a lack of reality based Health support in regional areas. Are Alternative practitioners filing a gap?
If I were really going to dig into the topic then yes we would have to look at weather or not there is an actual doctor shortage, are regional hospitals closing down, when are alt med business starting up. Then I don't, know a survey of the local populace. All a bit to in depth for a post that was posing some questions and advocating no conclusion.
And since when is physiotherapy considered alternative,because they have been duly accepted by Doctors and hospitals and government for a very long time.In fact I wanted to be one,and study such at University and be taught by physiologists etc.
It's not, but considering my phrasing I can see how you read this way along with your preconceived notions of my motives. What I do find concerning is the collaboration of physiotherapy with Reiki (pseudo-mystical bullshit) and Yoga (which varies from an excellent low impact exercise and meditation regime to pseudo-mystical bullshit).
All in all Philip, stop acting like a drama queen and criticizing a blog post for not having the standard of evidence required of an academic paper, when the post is clearly not intended to be one.
Stop arguing against claims that I am not making.
For goodness sake use some paragraphs.