Starting from the premise that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a fascinating and fast-changing area of social life, this book explores the challenging issues associated with CAM in the context of the social, political and cultural influences that shape people's health.
Divided into three parts, the introductory chapter sets out the general context of social change, consumption and debate around the rise of public interest in CAM. The first part goes on to argue for and against different classifications of CAM, leading into a discussion of how CAM developed in a political and historical context. The Reader is invited to critically assess the importance of ethics and values to CAM practice and how these inform what practitioners do. The second part focuses on the question of what people want, the changing and contested nature of health, and the nature of personal and social factors associated with the use of CAM. This leads to a focus on 'therapeutic relationships'. The final part of the book examines the diversity of settings in which CAM takes place and the social, political and economic milieu in which CAM is provided and used.
This book will appeal to everyone who is concerned with or has an interest in CAM. It will be of particular interest to people working in the areas of CAM, health and social care and the voluntary sector. Together with its accompanying text, Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Structures and Safeguards, it forms the core text for the Open University course K221 Perspectives on Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an emerging and increasingly popular group of treatments, therapies and philosophies of health and wellbeing. It is a fascinating and fast-changing area of social life, which also poses an interesting challenge to current healthcare delivery and policy making. This reader presents a lively and engaging collection of classic, controversial and new readings on CAM and covers issues including: changes in the way CAM is developing and being delivered holism and what this concept means to CAM practice changes in consumption and the health consumer that have lead to increased interest in CAM the safety and effectiveness of CAM treatments how integration is being achieved in contemporary society. The text provides insight into many of the current and complex issues surrounding CAM, and will appeal to everyone who is concerned with, or who has an interest in, complementary and alternative healthcare. The book will be essential reading for students of CAM, health studies, nursing, medicine and allied health subjects, as well as medical sociology and modern health policy.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an emerging and increasingly popular group of treatments, therapies and philosophies of health and wellbeing. It is a fascinating and fast-changing area of social life, which also poses an interesting challenge to current healthcare delivery and policy making. This reader presents a lively and engaging collection of classic, controversial and new readings on CAM and covers issues including: changes in the way CAM is developing and being delivered holism and what this concept means to CAM practice changes in consumption and the health consumer that have lead to increased interest in CAM the safety and effectiveness of CAM treatments how integration is being achieved in contemporary society. The text provides insight into many of the current and complex issues surrounding CAM, and will appeal to everyone who is concerned with, or who has an interest in, complementary and alternative healthcare. The book will be essential reading for students of CAM, health studies, nursing, medicine and allied health subjects, as well as medical sociology and modern health policy.

The nature of qualitative inquiry means that researchers constantly have to deal with the unexpected, and all too often this means coping with the presence of danger or risk. Danger in the Field is an innovative and lively analysis of the experience of different forms of danger in various qualitative research settings. Made up of researchers' reflexive accounts of their own encounters with 'danger' whilst carrying out research, this book expands our common sense use of the term to encompass not just physical danger, but emotional, ethical and professional danger too. In addition the authors pay special attention to the gendered forms of danger implicit in the research process.
From the physical danger of researching the night club 'bouncer' scene to the ethical dangers of participant observation in an old people's home, these contributions provide researchers and students with thought provoking insights into the importance of a well chosen research design.

This book is an innovative and lively analysis of the experience of different forms of danger in various qualitative research settings. Made up of researchers' reflexive accounts of their own encounters with 'danger' whilst carrying out research, this book expands the common sense use of the term to encompass not just physical danger, but emotional, ethical and professional danger too. From the physical danger of researching the night club 'bouncer' scene to the ethical dangers of participant observation in an old people's home, these contributions provide researchers and students with thought-provoking insights into the potential pitfalls of research.

eBook available with sample pages: 020313611X

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a fascinating and fast-changing area of medicine. This book explores the challenging issues associated with CAM in the context of the social, political and cultural influences that shape people's health. It: provides an overview of social change, consumption and debates arising from the increased public interest in CAM, arguing for and against different classifications discusses how CAM developed in a political and historical context, critically assessing the importance of ethics and values to CAM practice and how these inform what practitioners do analyzes the question of what people want, the changing contested nature of health, and the nature of personal and social factors associated with the use of CAM examines the diversity of settings in which CAM takes place explores the social, political and economic milieu in which CAM is provided and used. The book is one of three core texts for the forthcoming Open University course K221 Perspectives on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (first presented in February 2005).

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a fascinating and fast-changing area of medicine. This book explores the challenging issues associated with CAM in the context of the social, political and cultural influences that shape people's health.
The book provides an overview of social change, consumption and debates arising from the increased public interest in CAM, arguing for and against different classifications. It discusses how CAM developed in a political and historical context, critically assessing the importance of ethics and values to CAM practice and how these inform what practitioners do. The book continues by analyzing the question of what people want, the changing contested nature of health, and the nature of personal and social factors associated with the use of CAM. Examining the diversity of settings in which CAM takes place the book explores the social, political and economic milieu in which CAM is provided and used.
The book is one of three core texts for the forthcoming Open University course K221 Perspectives on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (first presented in February 2005).