Homeopathy and the Wellness Boom
Learn How Homeopathy and Other Alternative Medicines are Thriving
Find Homeopathy Schools | Homeopathy Career and School Guide
| | When Healthy Became HipLess than 10 years ago, people across the nation were eating at fast food restaurants weekly without a second thought. The word "trans-fats" wasn't yet printed on nutritional labeling, and school hallways were stocked with candy bar and soda vending machines. |
While the U.S. still has a long way to go, we have made some tremendous strides toward healthy living. Gym memberships are now prevalent, and the local, organic food industry is booming. Employers and health insurance companies are even offering incentives to members who exercise, eat right and refrain from smoking. One thing is for certain: sometime in the past decade, it became hip again to be healthy—most likely because the U.S. had a wake-up call with obesity, chronic stress and pollution posing a threat to Americans' health. As a result, homeopathy has seen a surge in the alternative medicine marketplace.
Natural Health in the Wellness Boom
This newfound health awareness made it possible for a complementary industry to come to life in a new way. As people got educated about lifestyle choices, they began to pay attention to the resurgent natural health movement. Grocery stores started labeling and advertising healthier food choices, organic produce and herbal remedies. Natural health stores and pharmacies started popping up in droves. In short, people were starting to recognize the wealth of body-friendly products and services that could lead them to wellness instead of merely treating symptoms or fighting disease.
Alternative Medicine Finds a New Audience
A study conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that even before alternative medicine's wellness boom, upwards of 60 percent of physicians from multiple specialties recommended alternative medicine therapies to their patients.* And now, practices such as naturopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, biofeedback and homeopathy are becoming more widespread and are being used more in conjunction with modern Western medicine. People who may have laughed at the notion years ago are now sending their children to naturopathic doctors (NDs) and reading books about homeopathy on the weekends. If alternative medicine retains its current rate of growth in the U.S., it may become more mainstream than "alternative" in time.
Homeopathy For Your Life
Homeopathy is an area of alternative medicine you can easily integrate into your normal health care routine. For example, if like many Americans, you would like to cut back on the amount of ibuprofen or acetaminophen you take for headaches, trying an inexpensive, gentle homeopathic remedy such as iris versicolor can be an easy, inexpensive substitute. In fact, that same AMA study mentioned above found that doctors recommended homeopathy to treat many health problems, including headaches.
Of course, homeopathy offers a holistic approach to health care, and many patients seek out homeopathic healing in all areas of life (for more information about homeopathy and its use in medical practice, see our Homeopathy Career and School Guide). But adding elements of this and other alternative medicine practices can also be a wonderful way to attain holistic, natural health.
If the natural health and wellness movement continues to play a larger role in the lives of Americans, we are certain to see improvements in our quality of life. For more information on alternative medicine, natural health and homeopathy, see our Natural Healers Career Resource Center.
*Source: Astin, John A. "Why Patients Use Alternative Medicine: Results of a National Study." Vol. 279 No. 19: May, 1998.
Search our directory and find more: Massage Therapy Schools, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and more.