Evidence Shows That Consumers Wish Alternative Health and Mainstream Medical Work Together12/1/2023 Studies have shown that consumers are using alternative health more often. It is often perceived that this is due to dissatisfaction with mainstream health avenues. This is not always the case. Data has shown that patients often access alternative health out of a belief that the treatment better aligns with their personal values, beliefs, philosophical attitudes towards health.
People often use alternative health alongside mainstream medical practices. Those who use alternative health alongside mainstream medical services are often managing chronic conditions. Alternative health can assist with symptom management, and afford consumers a sense of regained control over their health. Often, doctors are unaware that consumers are using alternative health. This use of both alternative and mainstream health shows a desire from consumers to have these health services work together for their benefit. People are willing to access both mainstream and alternative health, to achieve the best health and wellness outcomes. Practitioners need to take this into consideration when evaluating alternative or mainstream health. It’s important to be aware of other services that a patient may be accessing, and how these can interact and complement one another. It can be useful to initiate conversations with patients regarding their use of alternative and mainstream health. This enables practitioners to get a better picture of the overall health management strategies in place and offer greater support to the consumer. The Australian Government has put together a guide to assist clinicians in having these conversations with patients. By initiating these conversations, practitioners are able to better equip consumers for making decisions around alternative health treatments. Want to read more on this topic? Check out some of the studies we mentioned in today’s blog post. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/187543 https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/about/why-used
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There seems to have been a surge in health and wellness entering into the beauty sphere. Businesses traditionally focused on beauty have begun exploring the health and wellness sphere. It’s not uncommon for publications such as Cosmo or Marie Claire to publish articles with a focus on health and wellness. With this emphasis on health, the lines between beauty and health are becoming blurred, but why?
Healthy inside and out While traditional beauty was focused on the exterior appearance of individuals, there has been a movement in recent years for inside beauty. Beauty that goes more than just skin deep. Promotion of good mental and gut health are just two areas this can be seen in. There seems to be a desire for not just external beauty, but an emphasis on the beauty that comes from within. This cultural shift is coupled with an increased understanding between internal health issues and external symptoms. People understand that some external beauty concerns can be caused by internal health issues. Such as dermatitis being caused by an allergy or bloating is caused by food intolerance. Consumers may not always realise this connection and may approach the beauty industry for a resolution to what they have identified as a problem. The beauty industry has therefore played a role in the education of people that some issues need the assistance of healthcare to be properly resolved. The beauty industry certainly has a role to play in the healthcare space, with consumers approaching them with what are in many cases, healthcare needs. Expert engagement and education To address this need, beauty companies will often consider the content they produce. Company’s such as ‘Now to Love’ (which produce the magazine’s Women’s Day and Good Health) recently produced articles ‘Is it healthier to have low fat or full fat milk in your coffee?’ and ‘This expert says managing your mental health in self-isolation comes down to three strategies’. Likewise, Marie Claire recently published ‘How To Reduce The Appearance Of 'Tech Neck' Wrinkles, According To A Dermatologist’. These articles all rely on health practitioners advising readers on a healthcare issue. In a sense, this positions these beauty magazines in the position of intermediary and educator on these issues. The reader is getting access to healthcare information, via the beauty industry. This once again shifts the line between the role of the beauty industry. Consumers are approaching them with concerns, which they are providing a level of information and advice on. Changing the trust balance In the past, the beauty industry has been heavily critiqued for promoting methods of obtaining beauty standards that were unhealthy. There seems to be an emphasis from companies on changing how they are perceived. Emphasis on promoting good health may be a part of this. Having articles that are endorsed by healthcare professionals provides readers with a sense of trust. The endorsement from healthcare providers can influence readers to be more trusting of that publication, and by extension, the beauty products it promotes. A similar thing can be seen to have occurred with the beauty industry and the emphasis on ‘clean beauty’. Producing beauty products that are ethically and environmentally sustainably produced is the new standard. The beauty industry is making efforts to recover from the criticism they have received in the past and make consumers trust them. Is this bad? Not necessarily. The beauty industry is engaging with the health sphere in new ways, mostly because of the demand from consumers. There’s an opportunity fora broader education of consumers, with ease of access to information. But that needs to be tempered by healthcare professionals to engage with the beauty industry and provide accurate, helpful information to people. |
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