Careers in Focus: Complementary and Alternative Health Care, Third Edition

COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE Careers in Focus: Complementary and Alternative Health Care, Third Edition Copyright © 2009 by Infobase Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, record- ing, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact Ferguson An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Careers in focus. Complementary and alternative health care. p. cm. Rev.ed. of: Careers in focus. Alternative health care. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-7302-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8160-7302-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Alternative medicine— Vocational guidance. R733.C365 2009 610.69—dc22 2008055094 Ferguson books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quanti- ties for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Ferguson on the World Wide Web at http://www.fergpubco.com Text design by David Strelecky Cover design Alicia Post Printed in the United States of America MP MSRF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Table of Contents Introduction. 1 Acupuncturists. 5 Aromatherapists. 17 Ayurvedic Doctors and Practitioners . 29 Biofeedback Therapists. 38 Chiropractors. 47 Creative Arts Therapists. 57 Dietitians and Nutritionists. 68 Ergonomists. 79 Herbalists. 88 Holistic Dentists. 101 Holistic Physicians. 111 Homeopaths. 122 Horticultural Therapists. 134 Hypnotherapists. 141 Kinesiologists. 151 Massage Therapists . 160 Myotherapists. 171 Naturopaths. 178 Nurse-Midwives. 191 Oriental Medicine Practitioners. 203 Osteopaths. 215 Reflexologists. 224 Index. 233 Introduction The fields of complementary and alternative health care are not part of an established industry, with a defined structure and branches, but rather a diverse collection of approaches to wellness, health care, and medicine. These therapies can be grouped into three broad cat- egories: ancient traditional medical systems, more recent complete medical systems, and individual therapies. Traditional medical systems, such as Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) and Oriental medicine, have been developed and practiced over thousands of years in their cultures of origin. These traditional systems are based upon complete philosophies of the origins and nature of life, human beings, wellness, and medicine. To learn and practice such systems successfully, you must be open to understanding what may be (for you) a different value system and integrating that philosophy into your approach to life and the practice of health care and medicine. A number of alternative health care approaches are of more recent origin, but these are also complete health care systems. Learning health care systems such as homeopathy and chiropractic does not require that you adopt a different philosophy, but many of these disciplines require an educational process that is as demanding as the study of conventional Western medicine. Other alternative health care approaches focus on a particular type of therapy. Aromatherapy and massage therapy are examples of this group. These therapies are not complete systems of health care: Many of these practices are incorporated into the work of other health care practitioners, and are labeled complementary, or integra- tive, treatments. Although the therapies in this category generally have less rigorous education requirements for practitioners, they still provide very meaningful opportunities to help people improve their lives. The rapid changes that have occurred in health care and medicine in recent years seem to have a life and momentum of their own, and the potential for further change is great. In late 1998, the U.S. government gave additional recognition to the field of complementary and alternative health care when it elevated the Office of Alternative Medicine to the status of a center: the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The U.S government has also dramatically increased NCCAM’s budget since its inception, from $20 million in 1998 to more than $121 million 1 2 Careers in Focus: Complementary and Alternative Health Care for fiscal year 2008. The center focuses on conducting clinical trials in a variety of complementary and alternative approaches. These trials may provide scientific data that will help legitimize alternative approaches in the eyes of conventional practitioners and thus pave the way toward more cooperation between alternative and conventional practitioners. In 2000, the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine was established to help access and regulate the methods and practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). According to a report from the commission, as much as 43 percent of the U.S. population used some form of CAM in 2002. (Although more recent data is unavailable, this percentage is likely higher today as more people embrace complementary and alternative therapies.) Medical professionals, hospitals, and other health care professionals are also showing a growing interest in CAM. In fact, 27 percent of hospitals offered CAM therapies in 2005, according to US News & World Report—an increase of 19 percent since 1998. With its atmosphere of hope, excitement, and change, complementary and alternative health care is one of the most rapidly growing segments of the field of health care. Significant recent events indicate that the complementary and alternative health care explosion will continue well into the 21st century. Each article in this book discusses a particular complementary or alternative health care occupation in detail. Many of the articles in Careers in Focus: Complementary and Alternative Health Care appear in Ferguson’s Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guid- ance, but the articles here have been updated and revised with the latest information from the U.S. Department of Labor and other sources. Throughout the book you will find informative sidebars, photos, and interviews with professionals working in complementary and alternative health care, as well as the following sections in each article: The Quick Facts section provides a brief summary of the career including recommended school subjects, personal skills, work environment, minimum educational requirements, salary ranges, certification or licensing requirements, and employment outlook. This section also provides acronyms and identification numbers for the following government classification indexes: the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), the Guide for Occupational Explora- tion (GOE), the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Index, and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)-Standard Occupational Classification System (SOC) index. The DOT, GOE, and O*NET-SOC indexes have been created by the U.S. government; Introduction 3 the NOC index is Canada’s career classification system. Readers can use the identification numbers listed in the Quick Facts section to access further information about a career. Print editions of the DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Indianapolis, Ind.: JIST Works, 1991) and GOE (Guide for Occupational Exploration. Indianapo- lis, Ind.: JIST Works, 2001) are available at libraries. Electronic ver- sions of the NOC (http://www23.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca) and O*NET-SOC (http://online.onetcenter.org) are available on the Internet. When no DOT, GOE, NOC, or O*NET-SOC numbers are present, this means that the U.S. Department of Labor or Human Resources Development Canada have not created a numerical designation for this career. In this instance, you will see the acronym “N/A,” or not available. The Overview section is a brief introductory description of the duties and responsibilities involved in this career. Oftentimes, a career may have a variety of job titles. When this is the case, alternative career titles are presented. Employment statistics are also pro- vided, when available. The History section describes the history of the particular job as it relates to the overall development of its industry or field. The Job describes the primary and secondary duties of the job. Requirements discusses high school and postsecondary education and training requirements, any certification or licensing that is necessary, and other personal requirements for success in the job. Exploring offers suggestions on how to gain experience in or knowledge of the particular job before making a firm educational and financial commitment. The focus is on what can be done while still in high school (or in the early years of college) to gain a better understanding of the job. The Employers section gives an overview of typical places of employment for the job. Starting Out discusses the best ways to land that first job, be it through the college career services office, newspaper ads, Internet employment sites, or personal contact. The Advancement section describes what kind of career path to expect from the job and how to get there. Earnings lists salary ranges and describes the typical fringe benefits. The Work Environment section describes the typical surroundings and condi- tions of employment—whether indoors or outdoors, noisy or quiet, social or independent. Also discussed are typical hours worked, any seasonal

Load more