Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Legal Boundaries and Regulatory Perspectives (Hardcover)

~ Professor Michael H. Cohen JD (Author) "When Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1782, he announced that he had observed a new star..." (more)
Key Phrases: practicing medicine unlawfully, antineoplaston treatment, holistic providers, New York, United States, North Carolina (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a concise, authoritative synthesis of biomedicine, alternative medicine, and the regulatory environment. It succeeds admirably in giving the reader a broad view of biomedicine and holistic healing and in outlining the growth, evolution, and eventual dominance of biomedicine to the present when, for various social, political, and medical reasons, alternative medicine is beginning to assert itself."--'Annals of Internal Medicine' "This academic resource tool is a necessary addition to any health practitioner's library. Michael H. Cohen as written a very detailed legal guide for alternative healthcare practitioners...All holistic practitioners should be well-versed in the federal and state laws that affect them. This book does an admirable job of addressing those legal issues pertinents to alternative healthcare providers."--'Alternative Healthcare Management' "A must read for alternative/complementary advocates, consumers, and practitioners who want a better regulatory framework and better health care."--Rep. Peter DeFazio, Oregon "This outstanding recommended resource--nearly one-third of the text is devoted to case law and references--belongs on the library shelf of anyone thinking about or involved in health care."--Rena J. Gordon, University of Arizona "A provocative, pioneering, and timely contribution to the future of health care and medical regulation. Professor Cohen provides an original and authoritative synthesis of current regulatory and medical thinking regarding complementary and alternative medicine, together with a comprehensive framework for the evolution of regulatory authority governing alternative treatments and providers. Future discussions by clinical and research professionals in health care law and policy will find this authoritative text to be indispensable."--Kenneth R. Pelletier, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), Stanford University School of Medicine

Review

"A must read for alternative/complementary advocates, consumers, and practitioners who want a better regulatory framework and better health care." -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, Oregon

"This outstanding recommended resource -- nearly one-third of the text is devoted to case law and references -- belongs on the library shelf of anyone thinking about or involved in health care." -- Rena J. Gordon, University of Arizona

"A provocative, pioneering, and timely contribution to the future of health care and medical regulation. Professor Cohen provides an original and authoritative synthesis of current regulatory and medical thinking regarding complementary and alternative medicine, together with a comprehensive framework for the evolution of regulatory authority governing alternative treatments and providers. Future discussions by clinical and research professionals in health care law and policy will find this authoritative text to be indispensable." -- Kenneth R. Pelletier, Ph.D., Stanford University School of Medicine

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (January 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801856876
• ISBN-13: 978-0801856877
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #653,217 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Compact and lively analysis ... comprehensive.", January 19, 1999

By A Customer

Review from the Integrative Medicine Consult: In this compact and lively analysis, Michael Cohen sums up the history and current status of the legal underpinnings of complementary and alternative medicine vis-a-vis conventional medicine. His language is moderate, falling into neither the caricature of the strident establishment nor the dreaded flowerchild-like New Age interlopers. Cohen covers the areas of regulation, scope of practice, informed consent and malpractice, and describes some of the more widespread alternative providers and treatment. A comprehensive notes section gives the inquisitive reader an in-depth resource of case studies and related literature. Cohen argues that the challenge to the court system is to regulate providers of medicine and healing treatments, protecting patients from unscrupulous practitioners, and yet giving enough leeway to preserve an individual's freedom of choice. Laws and regulatory bodies governing medicine in the United States are geared to the reigning biomedical model, which views the human body as an elaborate machine that operates with many distinct functioning parts. Alternative medicine adopts a broader definition of disease, one that is more holistic. Rules now in place tend to favor conventional medicine and punish other healing practices. Cohen describes what he understands as the inevitable bias of the law toward biomedicine: these laws and this view of medicine evolved together. Slowly the laws are changing in response to the integration of a new medical paradigm. But it will be some time, Cohen points out, before the legal structure can fully adjust, expand the definitions to encompass other forms of healing, and still safeguard the patient population.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best of its kind, December 8, 2000

By A Customer

This book is the best of its kind in describing the new terrain covered by the intersection of modern medicine and complementary therapies from a variety of traditions. It should be on the bookshelf of every doc and every CAM provider.