引文

The first students to study alternative medicine at university level in Australia began their four-year, full-time course at the University of Technology, Sydney, in early 1994. Their course covered, among other therapies, acupuncture. The theory they learnt is based on the traditional Chinese explanation of this ancient healing art: that it can regulate the flow of ‘Qi’ or energy through pathways in the body. This course reflects how far some alternative therapies have come in their struggle for acceptance by the medical establishment.

第1自然段

Australia has been unusual in the Western world in having a very conservative attitude to natural or alternative therapies, according to Dr Paul Laver, a lecturer in Public Health at the University of Sydney. ‘We’ve had a tradition of doctors being fairly powerful and I guess they are pretty loath to allow any pretenders to their position to come into it.’ In many other industrialised countries, orthodox and alternative medicine have worked ‘hand in glove’ for years. In Europe, only orthodox doctors can prescribe herbal medicine. In Germany, plant remedies account for 10% of the national turnover of pharmaceuticals. Americans made more visits to alternative therapists than to orthodox doctors in 1990, and each year they spend about $US1 2 billion on therapies that have not been scientifically tested.

第2自然段

Disenchantment with orthodox medicine has seen the popularity of alternative therapies in Australia climb steadily during the past 20 years. In a 1983 national health survey, 1.9% of people said they had contacted a chiropractor, naturopath, osteopath, acupuncturist or herbalist in the two weeks prior to the survey. By 1990, this figure had risen to 2.6% of the population. The 550,000 consultations with alternative therapists reported in the 1990 survey represented about an eighth of the total number of consultations with medically qualified personnel covered by the survey, according to Dr Laver and colleagues writing in the Australian Journal of Public Health in 1993. ‘A better educated and less accepting public has become disillusioned with the experts in general, and increasingly skeptical about science and empirically based knowledge,’ they said. ‘The high standing of professionals, including doctors, has been eroded as a consequence.’

第3自然段

Rather than resisting or criticising this trend, increasing numbers of Australian doctors, particularly younger ones, are forming group practices with alternative therapists or taking courses themselves, particularly in acupuncture and herbalism. Part of the incentive was financial, Dr Laver said. ‘The bottom line is that most general practitioners are business people. If they see potential clientele going elsewhere, they might want to be able to offer a similar service.’

第4自然段

In 1993, Dr Laver and his colleagues published a survey of 289 Sydney people who attended eight alternative therapists’ practices in Sydney. These practices offered a wide range of alternative therapies from 2 5 therapists. Those surveyed had experienced chronic illnesses, for which orthodox medicine had been able to provide little relief. They commented that they liked the holistic approach of their alternative therapists and the friendly, concerned and detailed attention they had received. The cold, impersonal manner of orthodox doctors featured in the survey. An increasing exodus from their clinics, coupled with this and a number of other relevant surveys carried out in Australia, all pointing to orthodox doctors’ inadequacies, have led mainstream doctors themselves to begin to admit they could learn from the personal style of alternative therapists. Dr Patrick Store, President of the Royal College of General Practitioners, concurs that orthodox doctors could learn a lot about bedside manner and advising patients on preventative health from alternative therapists.

第5自然段

According to the Australian Journal of Public Health, 18% of patients visiting alternative therapists do so because they suffer from musculo-skeletal complaints; 12%suffer from digestive problems, which is only 1% more than those suffering from emotional problems. Those suffering from respiratory complaints represent 7% of their patients, and candida sufferers represent an equal percentage. Headache sufferers and those complaining of general ill health represent 6% and 5% of patients respectively, and a further 4% see therapists for general health maintenance.

第6自然段

The survey suggested that complementary medicine is probably a better term than alternative medicine. Alternative medicine appears to be an adjunct, sought in times of disenchantment when conventional medicine seems not to offer the answer.

引文

第一批在大学层次学习替代医疗的澳大利亚学生在1994年初于悉尼科技大学开始了他们为期四年的全日制课程。他们的课程在其他疗法之外还涵盖针灸。他们学到的理论基于中国对这种古老疗法的传统解释：它可以调节“ Q i ” 或能量在身体内的流动路径。这门课程反映了替代疗法在争取医疗机构接受方面取得了多大的进展。

第1自然段

在保罗·拉沃（悉尼大学公共健康学院的讲师）看来，澳大利亚对自然或者替代疗法抱有十分保守的态度，这在西方世界很不寻常。我们已有医生的传统相当强大，我想他们很不愿意让任何觊觎他们地位的东西进入其行业。在许多其他工业化国家，正统疗法和替代意料已经合作了很多年。在欧洲，只有正统医生可以开草药。在德国，植物疗法占全国药品营业额的10％。1990年，美国人对替代治疗师的访问次数比对正统医生的访问次数还多。每年，他们在未经科学检验的治疗上花费约12亿美元。

第2自然段

在过去的20年中，对正统药物的清醒态度使得澳大利亚替代疗法的受欢迎程度稳步上升。在1983年的国家健康调查中，有1.9％的人说在调查前的两周内，他们曾经联系过按摩师，自然疗法，整骨，针灸或中医。到1990年，这一数字已上升到人口的2.6％。拉弗博士及其同事在1993年《澳大利亚公共卫生杂志》上写道，在1990年的调查中，与替代治疗师进行的550,000次咨询约占该调查所涵盖的拥有合格医疗资质人员的诊治总数的八分之一。受过更好教育，对替代医疗不怎么接受的公众对一般意义上的专家失去了幻想，并日益怀疑以科学和实证为基础的知识，他们说，因此，包括医生在内的专业人士的较高地位受到了侵蚀。

第3自然段

越来越多的澳大利亚医生，特别是年轻的医生，没有抵制或批评这种趋势，而是与替代治疗师结合或自己参加相关课程，尤其是针灸和草药方面的课程。拉弗博士说，部分动机是经济上的。“最重要的是，大多数全科医生是商人。如果他们看到潜在客户流向其他地方，他们可能希望能够提供类似的服务”。

第4自然段

1993年，拉沃博士和他的同事们发表一份对289名参加过8个替代医疗诊所项目的悉尼民众的调查。这些诊所的2 5位治疗师提供了广泛的替代疗法。接受调查的人患有慢性病，而正统医学对此几乎无济于事。他们评论说，他们喜欢替代疗法治疗师的整体方法以及其友好的态度、真挚的关心和细致的关注。调查也突显了正统医生冷淡，非人格化的态度。根据这一调查和在澳大利亚进行的其他相关调查，越来越多的人从他们的诊所流失。所有这些都指向正统的医生的不足。而这也导致主流医生自己开始承认他们可以学习替代性治疗师的个人风格。皇家全科医师学院院长Patrick Store博士同意，除了行为方式之外，正统医生也可以从替代医疗师那里学习如何建议病人采取预防性措施

第5自然段

根据《澳大利亚公共卫生杂志》，有18％的寻求替代治疗师的患者之所以这样做，是因为他们患有肌肉骨骼疾病。12％的人患有消化系统疾病。这仅比那些患有情绪问题的人多1％。患有呼吸道不适的患者占病人的7％，念珠菌患者所占的比例相同。头痛患者和抱怨整体健康的患者分别占病人的6％和5％，另有4％的人寻求治疗师的全面健康呵护。

第6自然段

调查表明，补充医学可能比替代医学的名字更为合适。当传统疗法无法提供答案而人们不再为此痴迷的时候，替代疗法似乎是一种辅助。