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Alternative to What?
A Reflection on What Came Before What (When it Comes to Alternative Healing)
When healing modalities based on natural processes are termed “alternative,” we perpetuate the idea that convention should dictate what we view as primary. Rather than present convention in healing (which is presently centered on our modern technological medicine), nature herself should be our starting point when determining what is “alternative.”
Something very bizarre is going on in our thinking when we can talk about “alternative energy forms” and include solar energy among them. Remembering that the sun is the original source of energy for our planet, it is a wonderful bit of human arrogance to call solar energy an “alternative” to secondary, man-made energy sources. Just who do we think we are?
The same thing happens when we feel obliged to label certain healing modalities as “alternative.” Of course, the alternative label has come to refer to a wide spectrum of practice which includes herbal and homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, subtle energy therapies, and contact healing methods such as massage and chiropractic approaches to the therapeutic use of touch. There is an idea in the atmosphere that “alternatives” must be distinguished from conventional methods and are therefore a bit suspect because they apparently have not yet received their seal of approval. This is presumably so that the unwary…
