Alternative, complementary or concurrent health care? A critical analysis of the use of the concept of complementary therapy

In this paper I critically address what is becoming the wholesale adoption of the concept of complementary medicine in researchers' analyses of lay pa rticipation in alternative therapies. This paper emerged out of a qualitati ve study of 21 Canadians who use and/or practice alternative therapies. I f ound that only seven informants used the term 'complementary' in describing their use of alternative therapies. Of those seven who did, five were alte rnative practitioners. I discuss the variability of meaning of the concept of 'complementary' and I argue that alternative practitioners have a profes sional interest in using the concept to avoid seeming in competition with m edical professionals and to reduce the likelihood of being labelled 'quacks '. I conclude with a plea for researchers to define their terms in analyses of individuals' use of alternative and/or their dual use of alternative an d allopathic health care. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd