Unit 1
Introduction

Welcome to Health Studies 301: Alternative Therapies.

This course surveys alternative therapies commonly encountered in Canada, and reviews current literature and scientific research about the usefulness of specific therapy techniques. For the purposes of this course we will consider alternative therapies as health care that, for the most part, is outside the mainstream of conventional medicine practised in North America. Alternative therapies may also be known as alternative medicine, complementary medicine, unorthodox medicine, or non-conventional remedies. The authors of this course have approached the topic of alternative therapies in a scientific manner and have attempted to present balanced discussions.

Health Studies 301 will address the following questions:

• In what situations are alternative therapies commonly used?
• What research exists to support the use of the various types of alternative therapies?
• What trends and issues are related to the use an alternative therapy?

There are no simple answers to these questions. In this course you will need to be open-minded about alternative health therapies, yet be able to assess critically the outcome of treatments.

Objectives

When you have completed this unit, you should be able to

1. define “alternative therapy.”
2. identify the range of patients who use alternative therapies.
3. describe some of the philosophical attractions of alternative therapies.