Contemporary culture and complementary medicine: new paradigm in health in the end of the century

This article deals with the relationships between culture and medicine, and the great spread of alternative medicine in present days. It intends to explain this spread in a sociological approach, trying to advance two basic hypotheses: the first one concerns the present double crisis in health and medicine, and the second one concerns the search for a new rationale in health and care by both patients and therapists in our contemporary society. It seems to exist a clear cultural lag between cultural changes in practices and representations in health, healing and care and the direction of medical progress. References. Adapted from the source document.