IELTS 4 Test 2 Reading Passage 2

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN AUSTRALIA

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.

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 $US12 billion on therapies that have not been scientifically tested.

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 sceptical about science and empirically based knowledge,’ they said. ‘The high standing of professionals, including doctors, has been eroded as a consequence.’

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.’

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 25 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.

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.

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.

单词

• alternative /ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv/ adj. 可供替代的；非传统的；n. 替代品；选择
• therapy /ˈθerəpi/ n. 治疗；疗法；心理治疗
• acupuncture /ˈækjupʌŋktʃə(r)/ n. 针灸（疗法）；v. 为…… 施行针灸
• regulate /ˈreɡjuleɪt/ v. 调节；管理；控制
• conservative /kənˈsɜːvətɪv/ adj. 保守的；传统的；n. 保守派；保守主义者
• loath /ləʊθ/ adj. 不情愿的；勉强的
• pretender /prɪˈtendə(r)/ n. 觊觎者；冒名顶替者；假装者
• orthodox /ˈɔːθədɒks/ adj. 传统的；正统的；规范的
• hand in glove 勾结；狼狈为奸；密切合作
• herbal /ˈhɜːbl/ adj. 草本的；用草药制成的；n. 草药书；草本植物志
• remedy /ˈremədi/ n. 治疗方法；补救措施；v. 纠正；治疗
• turnover /ˈtɜːnəʊvə(r)/ n. 营业额；人员流动率；（货物的）周转
• pharmaceutical /ˌfɑːməˈsuːtɪkl/ adj. 制药的；药物的；n. 药物；药剂
• disenchantment /ˌdɪsɪnˈtʃɑːntmənt/ n. 失望；幻灭；醒悟
• steadily /ˈstedəli/ adv. 稳定地；持续地；稳步地
• chiropractor /ˈkaɪərəʊpræktə(r)/ n. 脊椎按摩师
• naturopath /ˈneɪtʃərəpæθ/ n. 自然疗法医师
• osteopath /ˈɒstiəpæθ/ n. 整骨疗法医师
• disillusion /ˌdɪsɪˈluːʒn/ v. 使幻灭；使醒悟；n. 幻灭；失望
• sceptical /ˈskeptɪkl/ adj. 怀疑的；多疑的
• empirically /ɪmˈpɪrɪkli/ adv. 以经验为依据地；实证地
• erode /ɪˈrəʊd/ v. 侵蚀；腐蚀；逐渐削弱
• resist /rɪˈzɪst/ v. 抵抗；抗拒；忍住
• incentive /ɪnˈsentɪv/ n. 激励；刺激；动机；adj. 激励性的；刺激性的
• clientele /ˌkliːənˈtel/ n. 顾客群；客户群
• chronic /ˈkrɒnɪk/ adj. 慢性的；长期的；习惯性的
• holistic /həʊˈlɪstɪk/ adj. 整体的；全面的；整体论的
• approach /əˈprəʊtʃ/ v. 接近；靠近；探讨；n. 方法；途径；接近
• exodus /ˈeksədəs/ n. 大批离开；外出；撤离
• clinic /ˈklɪnɪk/ n. 诊所；门诊部；临床实习
• inadequacy /ɪnˈædɪkwəsi/ n. 不足；不够；不胜任
• practitioner /prækˈtɪʃənə(r)/ n. 从业者；执业者；从业人员
• concur /kənˈkɜː(r)/ v. 同意；赞成；同时发生
• preventative /prɪˈventətɪv/ adj. 预防的；防范的；n. 预防措施；预防物
• musculo-skeletal adj. 肌肉骨骼的
• digestive /daɪˈdʒestɪv/ adj. 消化的；助消化的；n. 助消化药
• respiratory /rəˈspɪrətri/ adj. 呼吸的；呼吸系统的
• complementary /ˌkɒmplɪˈmentri/ adj. 互补的；补充的；相辅相成的
• adjust /əˈdʒʌst/ v. 调整；调节；适应
• sought /sɔːt/ v. 寻找；寻求；谋求（seek 的过去式和过去分词）
• conventional /kənˈvenʃənl/ adj. 传统的；常规的；依照惯例的