A Review of Complementary and Alternative Medicine with a Concentration on Ayurveda, Acupuncture and Chiropractic

Abstract

This paper investigates the phenomenon of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and how the various practices within it have continued to flourish despite the preeminence of the Western biomedical tradition. Through a critical analysis of three intentionally chosen CAM systems (ayurveda, acupuncture, and chiropractic)and their histories, epistemologies, and primary methods an improved understanding of the contexts they have emerged out of is gained. Further examination of how CAM modalities have been adapted throughout the years as well as the cultural authority they have struggled to acquire offers insight into their current position in society. Finally, an assessment of the unique identities they have constructed and the attempts that have been made at integrating CAM traditions into biomedicine is made in order to demonstrate how they might further their progress as viable holistic options. By offering healthcare that emphasizes a biopsychosocial orientation toward treatment ayurveda, acupuncture, chiropractic and CAM as a whole allow patients to exercise increased agency regarding the therapies they pursue. in