The anthropology of alternative medicine /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Ross, Anamaria Iosif.
Edition:	English ed.
Imprint:	London ; New York : Berg, 2012.
Description:	x, 185 p. ; 24 cm.
Language:	English
Subject:	Medical anthropology. Alternative medicine. Alternative medicine -- Social aspects. Anthropology, Medical. Complementary Therapies. Alternative medicine. Alternative medicine -- Social aspects. Medical anthropology.
Format:	E-Resource Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/8834462

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781845208011 (cloth) 1845208013 (cloth) 9781845208028 (pbk.) 1845208021 (pbk.)
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-173) and index.
Summary:	Alternative medicine is not a fashionable new trend, but an established cultural strategy in which elements of folk traditions are often blended with Western scientific approaches. This is a concise yet wide-ranging exploration of non-biomedical healing. The book addresses a broad range of practices including: substance, energy and information flows, spirit, consciousness and trance, body, movement and the senses, as well as classical medical traditions as complements or alternatives to Western biomedicine. Designed for students studying anthropology, psychology, and health related professions to explore the cultural underpinnings of contemporary healing methods, while assessing current ideas, topics and resources for further study.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments
1. Alternative Medicine in the Twenty-First Century
Conflicting Interests Pertaining to the Rise of Integrative Medicine
What Distinguishes an Anthropological Approach to Alternative Healing?
Dominant Themes and Organization of the Book
Anthropology and the Human Journey
Healing Power and Agency
What are Cultural Constructions and Why Does It Matter to Health Care?
A Bird's Eye Overview of Core Concepts in Medical Anthropology
Curing or Healing?
Biomedicine and Traditional Medicine
Plural Healing in the Global Age: Intersections of Meaning and Power
Current Practice: Helminths Return as Promising New Drugs
2. Substance, Energy, and Information Flows
From the Flow of Rumors to Exposing the Global Traffic in Organs and Tissues
Duality of Water: Vitality and Contamination
Current Practice: Homeopathy
Energy, Life-Force, and the Powers of the Sun
Nourishment and Healing
The American Health Foods Movement in the Early Twentieth Century
Rising Trend: Alternative Consumption Movements in the Developed World
Humoral Medical Traditions, Foods, and Herbs
Case Study: ELTA Universitate-Natural Foods, Anesthesia, and Social Renewal
Of Information and the Triadic Approach
Energy, Dowsing, and Information
3. Spirit, Consciousness, and Trance
Altered States, Bodies, and Souls
Shamanic Consciousness and Symbolic Healing
Hypnosis, Spirit(s), and Healing
Current Practice: Rediscovering Hesychasm and the Prayer of the Heart
Rising Trend: Healing Addictions with ASCs and Hallucinogens
Faith Healing and Pilgrimage
Ayurveda and Mental Illness
4. Body, Movement, and the Senses
The Anthropology of Sensations and the Multidimensionality of Healing Work
Smell and Taste
Tactile Experiences
Rhythm, Movement, and Music as Life
Case Study: Becoming Radiant-Real Reiki in Postsocialist Romania
Ascent into the Future: Aromatherapy, Art, and Science, Ancient and Modern
Current Practice: Medical Aromatherapy
Polythetic Medicine
5. Conclusion: Looking into the Future of Alternative Medicine
References
Index

The anthropology of alternative medicine /

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