Alternative health is really not all that alternative anymore, at least not more than “traditional” medicine. More people use some form of alternative treatment, from chiropractor to acupuncture to herbal treatments etc., than do not. That doesn’t even start to count the people who use some sort of herbal or alternative type supplement. Last time I saw that number it was around 70%.
The power and money still are with the traditional treatments alone, however. The government medical programs will often pay for prescription drugs, but will never cover your herbs. Most insurance will not cover alternative treatments except in certain circumstances, even if has been shown effective in studies.
There are some efforts to incorporate the alternative world into the system of healthcare. There is a national alternative health organization, but the efforts are still very limited. With alternative health becoming more mainstream all the time, how long can this continue. How long until we get a sane system that costs less because we include these alternative modalities that have shown themselves safe and effective (and relatively cheap). Don’t count on it soon–the power in the medical corner is thoroughly entrenched.