The Peterson Group Review: Homeopathy and Ethnicity

Homeopathy has been famous since the British royal family has openly supported it. This branch of complementary, integrative and alternative medicine has already proven helpful in treating a lot of diseases and ailments and is already being integrated to mainstream health medication.

When it was once totally banned in medical schools and practices, the last few decades show how the medical world is already assimilating fundamentals of CAM in their curriculum. Some of the treatments are already being viewed as another set of options for the patient to take in dealing with their health problems, acknowledged by doctors and health practitioners.

Although CAM is already recognized to be practiced all over the world, reviews show a greater acceptance and usage in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific especially in Australia and Indonesia. The increasing number of businesses offering CAM services and therapies in Jakarta is enough to prove the enthusiasm for its use in these regions.

As per the reviews, the use of CAM has substantially increased even more in the present times with millions of people using it before going to the doctor or after mainstream medication has failed. Among the most important findings were: use of at least one alternative therapy increased from 34 to 42%; the number of office visits increased from 427 million to 629 million (a 47% increase); and total out-of-pocket expenditures in 2002 were estimated at $21.2 billion, comparable to the projected out-of-pocket expenditures for the same year on all US physician services.

Further studies show, however, that the acceptance of homeopathy and other conventional medicines is not generalized. Based on the ethnicity survey conducted by The Peterson Group to Indonesian citizens, there are more middle class citizens who choose to take CAM treatments other than proceeding to the doctor. The cost of the items for treatment and the availability of ingredients also affect the number of people patronizing the medication.

It is a different case in more developed countries. Those in the higher class and belonging to the higher status in society are more likely to use homeopathy and CAM treatments.

In a study by Chin, et al 2000, “while African Americans report less use than whites, Asian and Hispanics have been found to be less than or as equally likely as whites to use CAM therapies depending on the study considered. One limitation of existing studies that report racial/ethnic differences is that they focus on prevalence rather than on factors that might explain these differences or are limited in the correlates considered.”