Every day, newspapers and television news programs present stories on the latest controversies over healthcare and medical advances, but they do not have the space to provide detailed background on the issues. Websites and weblogs provide information from activists and partisans intent on presenting their side of a story. But where can students - or even ordinary citizens - go to obtain unbiased, detailed background on the medical issues affecting their daily lives? This volume in the Health and Medical Issues Today series provides readers and researchers with a balanced, in-depth introduction to the medical, scientific, legal, and cultural issues surrounding alternative medicine and its importance in today's world of healthcare. Alternative Medicine is organized to provide students and researchers with easy access to the information they need: Section 1 provides overview chapters on the background information needed to intelligently understand the issues and controversies surrounding complementary and alternative therapies, such as the theories that serve as the foundation for alternative treatments. Section 2 offers concise examinations of the contemporary issues and debates that provoke the most heated disagreements and misunderstandings, such as the debates over the efficacy of alternative treatments and whether the government should regulate herbal treatments. Section 3 includes reference material on alternative medicine, including primary source documents from important clinicians and researchers in the debate over alternative treatments, a timeline of important events, and an annotated bibliography of useful print and electronic resources. This volume in the Health and Medical Issues Today series provides everything a student requires to understand the issues involved in alternative medicine and serves as a springboard for further research into the issue.