SVKM’s Mithibai College of Arts, Chauhan Institute of Science &

Amrutben Jivanlal
College of Commerce & Economics (Autonomous)

SUBJECT: SOCIOLOGY
SEMESTER III
PAPER CODE: UAMASOC303
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN INDIAN SOCIETY
TITLE: THE MYTH OF THE HEALING POWER OF ALTERNATIVE
THERAPIES AND MEDICINE (CAM)

NAME: ESHEKA KANODIA

CLASS: SYBA C
ROLL NUMBER: 024
SAP ID: 40310200075
MOBILE NUMBER: 7506905145
EMAIL ID: eshekakanodia@gmail.com

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Index

Serial Number Topic Page Number

1 Introduction 3

2 Aim, Hypothesis and 5

Review of Literature

3 Methodology

4 Survey Results

5 Analysis

6 Personal Observation

7 Bibliography

8 Annexure

Introduction

"There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter
ignorance."
— Hippocrates

Complementary and Alternative Therapies and Medicine, widely known as CAM, is an

umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of therapeutic and medicinal systems and
techniques that are used along with or in place of conventional medicine. These health

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approaches are means to cure chronic or acute pain through indigenous or experimental
means. It is a categorical label that covers an array of treatments whose advantages and
therapeutic powers are often established via study, although they are not always scientifically
verified.
Alternative and complementary therapies are oftentimes lumped together, however they
pertain to two distinct concepts. Alternative therapies are the ones that used instead of
conventional medications. A few examples may include Chiropractic Manipulation, Yoga,
Guided Meditations and Energy Therapy. Complementary therapies, as the name suggests,
are those that are used side by side with conventional medication. These therapies are aimed
at pain management and making treatments like chemotherapy and such, more manageable.
Increasingly identified as integrative medicine, these methods help promote physical as well
as mental and spiritual well-being. While the efficacy of such therapies seem questionable (as
in the 300-year old German pseudoscience of Homeopathy)[ CITATION Opt13 \l 16393 ],

Safety Concerns Surrounding CAM

Modern medicine has always been a result of rigorous scientific evaluation and conclusive
scientific research. That, however, is not the case for CAM. Some of these have now been
tested in good quality scientific trials, but most have not.
Many supplementary medications are widely available, and when they come from ‘natural'
sources, they may be incorrectly thought to be safe. This isn't always the case, especially
when the dose is higher than what is organically gained in a normal diet.
In certain cases, complementary medicines might have negative side effects, such as severe
allergic responses. Misuse of complementary therapies, inaccurate diagnosis, or postponing
conventional treatment may put ones health at danger. Some complementary therapies can
have negative side effects or interfere with prescription medications. Active ingredients can
be found in a variety of supplemental treatments which is why all medicines, therapies, and
remedies you take or utilise should be discussed and verified with your doctor and
complementary practitioner.

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Figure 1: The image is a representation of common CAM practices

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Aim
The informative essay aims at determining the public perceptions and beliefs on the usage of
CAM. It also aims at understanding its importance in comparison with conventional
medication in an Indian household. To Study the prevalence of such practices.

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Review of Literature
What exactly are these therapies?
Every day, scientists learn more about CAM, but there is still much more to discover. Some
of the medicines described here require additional research to confirm their efficacy. If you
have cancer, you should talk to your doctor about utilising complementary and alternative
medicine before using any of the therapies indicated below. CAM is sometimes referred to as
a natural, holistic, home treatments. Experts, on the other hand, frequently divide it into five
categories. Several of them are listed below:

Figure 2: Acupuncture

1. Mind-Body Therapies
2. Physiological Therapies
3. Physical Therapies
4. Energy Medicine
5. Whole Medical Systems

The areas that this articled will be focusing on are as follows, with explanations for the same:

1. Meditation: Merriam-Webster describes meditation as the act of “engaging in

contemplation or reflection”.

2. Naturopathy: It is a system of alternative medicine founded on the belief that irregular

bodily functions can be fixed or solved without the use of allopathic medication,
drugs or pharmaceuticals.

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 3. Acupuncture and Massage: It is a system of complementary medication where in
pressure points are found and needles are inserted into “lines of energy” used to
relieve the body off stress fatigue and provide and ease muscle stiffness.

4. Reiki: Reiki is a form of “energy healing” based on the value system that our bodies
are made up of life force energies that sometimes are in a state of imbalance. It is a
pseudoscience that advocates stress relieving through the mode of energy transfer.

5. Homeopathy: This pseudoscientific system of alternative medication, developed by is

based on the principle of ‘like cures like’. In this method, homeopaths mix the
ingredients with water to make it less potent, believing in the notion that the water
will remember what it was mixed with the first time around.

Why are these therapies used?

Use of complementary and alternative medicine appears to be driven by a shared set of values
and beliefs rather than dissatisfaction with allopathic therapy. India has long been known for
Ayurveda, or traditional medicine, which is still widely practised in the country. It is a tried-
and-true, effective method of treatment. That is primarily due to the fact that it focuses on
preventing instead of curing using unconventional ways.
There are also economic, socio-cultural and ethical reason why certain people may choose
one kind over another. Even the accessibility or availability is a factor highly responsible.
Like for example, several studies have found that parents with a higher level of education use
complementary and alternative medicine more frequently than those with a lower level of
education. Similarly, families with a higher income and SES status use complementary and
alternative medicine for their children more frequently.[CITATION Cra06 \l 16393 ]

What is the public perception?

With the resurgence of deadly Corona viruses all around the world, the country of India was
left ravaged by the pandemic. The importance social distancing, mask mandates and
vaccination drives felt gravely, now more than ever.
There are many benefits to practicing these, most of which is the positive impact they have
on the wellness and state of mind those that do.
An important aspect to keep in mind while understanding the public opinion and usage of
Complementary and Alternative therapies is understanding the history of India. When did
conventional medicine become prevalent in India? Which demographic most relies on such

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medical marvels and which? How educated is India’s almost 900 million people rural
population1 on the topic at hand? What relationship do doctors share with such practices?
Public Perception
Perception of CAM among Indian Doctors[CITATION MDh18 \t \l 16393 ]

Both doctors and people frequently use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
There is a dearth of communication between doctors and patients about complementary and
alternative medicine, which may be remedied if clinicians were sensitised and CAM was
included in the medical curriculum. One point to consider is the coexistence of spiritual
practices such as Yoga and Transcendental Meditation along with allopathic care. Suffice to
say, such an accord is a result of prejudices and weariness of Western medicine.
CAM and Sars-Cov-2 [ CITATION Jay20 \l 16393 ]

In conclusion, it is observed that the public perception of CAM is positive and thriving.
According to the World Health Organization, "traditional remedies" are used by 80% of the
world's population[ CITATION Ban83 \l 16393 ] and in a country like India where these ancient
systems are heavily applied, there seems to be mixed opinions.

1
India rural population 2020. (N.D.). World Bank. Retrieved July 29, 2021, from

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL?locations=IN
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Survey Results

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Methodology
Data was collected by primary data collection method. The data collected was quantitative
in nature. A survey was conducted to gain more insight into the ‘Public Opinion on the
Complementary and Alternative Therapies and Medicine’, and questions related to the same
were asked. Participants selected for this survey were from the age range of 18-40 and were
selected through my mutual and personal contacts. This survey was conducted via Google
Forms. A total of 10 questions were asked, it was mandatory for participants to respond to all
the questions. All questions except question 4 which was opinion based. The survey was
conducted with 13 participants from July 25, 2021 to July 26, 2021. No time limit was given
to the participants to fill up the survey. The participants were required to fill this survey
anonymously. All the 13 participants responded to all questions. The students were allowed
to select multiple options when answering questions labelled “multiple responses. The data
collected was analysed through Google Forms. Since, the objective of this research was to
gain an insight into the ‘Public Opinion on the Complementary and Alternative Therapies and
Medicine’ therefore a survey was the best method to get opinions which were partially open-
ended but to the point, this was also the reason why the questions asked were objective in
nature.

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Analysis
Following is a question-wise analysis of the survey conducted:
1. It was observed that the plurality of the respondents that participated in the survey
belonged to the age group of 18-24. at 46.2%. 6 of the respondents were from the age
range of 18-24 years. This contributed to 46.2% of the total sample size. 2 were from the
age range of 25-32. There were 5 respondents who were from the range of 33-40. The
choices of the spacing out was deliberate and was done to recognize if there were any
similar beliefs as a cause of age, generation and media perception of the time.

2. This question was asked to gauge the general consensus of the participants that
responded to the survey. It was observed that the simple majority (7 people) chose the

answer ‘Yes’ when asked if they considered “natural” and “chemical-free” medication
to be better than allopathic medication. Three participants each then responded with
“No” (23.1%) and “Maybe” (23.1%) to the same question.

3. In the most polarizing result yet, 46.2% of people said they did in fact believe in the
healing powers of complementary and alternative medicine such as Homeopathy and
CAM while, notably, 46.2% of people did not believe in the healing power of CAM.
Only one response was recorded for “Maybe” making the remaining 7.7%.

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4. Four participants responded to this question with the following answers. Three
seemed to respond to the question of “If yes, why?” and one a criticism of the
aforementioned therapies.

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5. This multiple choice question allowed the participants to choose between five options
provided by the survey and one option that allowed them to add a therapy of their own
choosing. Here the highest chosen option was Acupuncture/ Massage while Reiki and
Naturopathy came in at 23.1% each with three people in each camp. One participant
participated in Hypnosis, Bach flower and Homeopathy each while two have
participated in none.

6. The sixth question allowed us to understand whether this set of people values CAM
over over-the-counter medication. The majority of the responses (8) made up 61.5%
of this pie chart while 4 made up 30.8%. One response was recorded as never.

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7. This open ended question allowed us to realize how well-known and commonly
discusses these practices are.

8. This question gave insight into whether or not most people believe in the placebo
effect or not.

9. This question was topical. It was asked in hopes of understanding the public
perception of it. Most people believed that CAM is not a threat to public health.

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 10. In the current state of our healthcare system, it felt important and it was necessary to
understand the people’s beliefs and perceptions on whether to

Observation
Having read and analysed the data from various research articles as well the data from the
survey, I believe that different people respond differently to various therapies, medication and
more and the people have every right to choose whatever system of medication that suits
them. However, it seems unwise to dismiss proven scientific evidence in favour of
indigenous traditions that may have worked in the past, but are unequipped to prove
beneficial for the people of the seconds-most populated country in the world. It is critical to
make the distinction between scientifically confirmed, lab-tested drugs and pseudo-sciences
that do not actually have any substantial evidence to support their claims. Especially given
the surge in frequency of fatal viruses in the last decade- most notably the novel Sars-Cov-
2 that has caused many preventable deaths due to ignorance and non-compliant - it is entirely

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our collective responsibility to combat misinformation and put our faith in medical authorities
rather than media and other personalities that conspire against vaccine efficacy.

Bibliography
Bannerman, R. B. (1983). Traditional Medicine and Health Care Coverage: A Reader for Health
Administrators and Practitioners. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organanization.

Crawford. (2006). A cross-sectional survey of complementary and alternative medicine use by

children and adolescents attending the University Hospital of Wales. BMC Complement
Altern Med., 6-16.

Dhankar, M. (2018, April 4). Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Cross-Sectional

Observational Study in Pediatric Inpatients. Retrieved from Sage Journals:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2515690X18765119#_i18

Dhankar, M. (January 2018). Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Cross-Sectional

Observational Study in Pediatric Inpatients. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine.,
https://doi.org/10.1177/2515690X18765119.

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Jaykaran Charan, P. B. (31 Oct 2020). Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
Springer, 108-111.

n.d. (2020). India Rural Population. Retrieved from World Bank:

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS?locations=IN

Optum. (October, 2013). Effectiveness of Homeopathy for Clinical Conditions: Evaluation of the
Evidence .

Straus, M. H. (2004, Nov 1). Complementary and alternative medicine: assessing the evidence for
immunological benefits. Retrieved from Nature Reviews Immunology:
https://www.nature.com/articles/nri1486?proof=t

Annexure

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Sample Survey:

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