The Persuasive Appeal of Alternative Medicine
@article{Kaptchuk1998ThePA, title={The Persuasive Appeal of Alternative Medicine}, author={Ted J. Kaptchuk and David M Eisenberg}, journal={Annals of Internal Medicine}, year={1998}, volume={129}, pages={1061-1065} }
The major presence of alternative medicine in western culture has been well documented [1, 2]. Discussion has focused on whether these practices have any biomedical efficacy and on potential adverse consequences. We examined the possibility that the cultural beliefs and contextual practices of alternative medicine frame a pathway of words, behaviors, and experiences that people find persuasive, compelling, and, ultimately, restorative. Shared cultural assumptions may provide a vehicle for an…
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