RHETORIC of MEDICINE
If all the events in the short cartoon Topsy and Tim go to the Doctor seem quite normal and predictable, then it seems safe to assert that this is the conventional representation of the current health care system. When something is wrong with our bodies, whether it is a sore throat, severe chest pain or weird lump somewhere, we seek out medical attention and the authority of a doctor’s diagnosis with the goal of feeling better and getting fixed. However, it must be emphasized that the events as depicted in the cartoon are specifically the representation of the Western health care system, and should not be taken as how medicine operates around the entire world and for each individual person. Indeed, there is a elaborate historical tradition of holistic and natural healing practices stretching back into the very beginnings of human society that have been carried into contemporary times, adopted by practitioners as alternative medicine with the foundation that these methods do not rely on the conventional or mainstream understanding of scientific fact. However, between these two groups exists a fiery and well-documented exchange of attacks and accusations and it is easy for the individual consumer (or patient) to get lost in the midst of these hostilities. With the current political landscape so embroiled and focused over the controversial implementation of the Affordable Care Act and many individuals recoiling at the rising costs of conventional healthcare, it seems especially important to study the rhetoric of medicine and how specific arguments are used both by the conventional and alternative health care industries.
Before beginning to examine the specific rhetorical devices, techniques and arguments that each side uses, it is important to first provide brief definitions of what constitutes conventional medicine versus alternative medicine. Conventional medicine is often called mainstream medicine, biomedicine or evidence-based medicine, and relies primarily on “its commitment to diagnose and treat patients in the light of current scientific knowledge” (Kaptchuk 286). As related above in response to the short cartoon depicting a child’s trip to the doctor’s office, conventional medicine is the dominant Western healthcare practice in much of the developed world revolving around doctors, drugs, surgeries, clinical trials, genetic testing, etc. In response, alternative medicine, also called unconventional, holistic, or natural healing, can be described as “health systems… that are not intrinsic to the politically dominant health system” (Ning 136). These systems include many well-known and popular therapies including acupuncture, homeopathy and massage therapy, and some other not-so-common practices like energy manipulation and psychic healing.
The Mayo Clinic’s summary article on alternative medicine states that “nearly 40 percent of adults” have used non-mainstream therapies and practices at some point, suggesting that the use of what is often called complementary and alterative medicine (CAM) is more widespread than previously thought, despite our typical perception of healthcare, and this percent has most likely increased in the past few years. On the other hand, some scientists and medical experts acknowledge that while alternative medicine is typically “characterized as a set of therapeutic and diagnostic modalities that are inconsistent with scientific knowledge,” many methods, such as massage therapy, can be found in both alternative and conventional medicine, and so it is sometimes incorrect to view particular medical treatments or practices as falling into just one category or the other (Mornstein 40). Likewise, the blending of conventional and alternative practices together is commonly referred to as the integration model of medicine which “offers multiple mainstream and alterative interventions aimed at promoting wellness, in addition to treating disease,” and sometimes the pluralistic model, which has important implications for the future of medicine (Kaptchuk 288).
In order to illuminate the particular rhetoric(s) used in the realm of medicine, I have pulled key words and phrases from some fundamental articles on conventional and alternative medicine in order to offer impressions on each stance. On the following pages, each section highlights the key words and phrases before I undertake a detailed analysis of how those words fit within the arguments made by either side. As a final note, I will summarize the rhetoric of pluralism in order to argue a more appropriate model of medicine, as well as providing some personal context behind my decision to examine this topic.