Some forms of alternative medicine--such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and naturopathy (use of natural agents, such as fresh air, massage, and exercise)--are well-established professions in many countries. These countries control and regulate alternative medical practitioners in much the same way that conventional medical doctors are governed. Other forms are less organized as professions. These include herbalism (use of remedies derived from plants) and homeopathy (use of minute amounts of substances that, in a healthy person, produce the same symptoms as those of the disorder). Other forms of alternative medicine--including faith healing and psychic healing--are even further removed from the world of scientific and professional medicine. During the second half of the 1900's, growing numbers of people have become disillusioned with conventional medicine, especially its expense, risks, and inability to cure certain common serious diseases. Many patients complain that conventional doctors too readily prescribe drugs as treatment. Others complain that conventional medicine is too impersonal--that it focuses on the disorder rather than the patient. Such disillusioned patients may seek out alternative practitioners. Some doctors regard alternative medicine as unscientific, while others try to combine the best ideas and practices of both conventional and alternative medicine.
(Source: World Book)