Alternative medicine in Washington

In Washington there is a growing trend of people seeking their medication and medical treatment from alternative sources. This new trend and concern has been sparked by the interest in seeking alternatives by the Washington residents. As we stated in our other sections, Washington enjoys a vast and effective healthcare system, however the attraction to other lesser known alternatives keeps gaining more adepts. This has created a debate and several questions about the reason why this is so. Many have argued and stated that the main reason for this trend lies in the lack of coverage in healthcare coverage and the ineffectiveness of the traditional healthcare system. It is normal to find out that a large number of Washington residents would rather go on an online pharmacy and buy Viagra than to get a prescription from the physician and the local pharmacy even if it's generic Viagra. Viagra online has a large market and literally hundreds of possible vendors and markets that offer straight forward dealing of the drug, no questions asked. Medical authorities might argue against this method, but the reality is that these methods appear to have pros that even they can't refute.

Complementary therapies are often used in palliative care or by practitioners attempting to manage chronic pain in patients. Complementary medicine is considered more acceptable in the interdisciplinary approach used in palliative care than in other areas of medicine. From its early experiences of care for the dying, palliative care took for granted the necessity of placing patient values and lifestyle habits at the core of any design and delivery of quality care at the end of life. If the patient desired complementary therapies, and as long as such treatments provided additional support and did not endanger the patient, they were considered acceptable.

The National Science Foundation has also conducted surveys of the popularity of alternative medicine. After describing the negative impact science fiction in the media has on public attitudes and understandings of pseudoscience, and defining alternative medicine as all treatments that have not been proven effective using scientific methods, as well as mentioning the concerns of individual scientists, organizations, and members of the science policymaking community, it commented that 'nevertheless, the popularity of alternative medicine appears to be increasing.'