Second, alternative therapies are similar to the first two legs of the three-legged stool. For example, taking an herb is akin to taking a drug and acupuncture is akin to a procedure. They are part of the third leg. In prepaid, capitated systems, this is money in the bank. In contrast, when patients use an alternative therapy, such as acupuncture, they do not give up penicillin and surgery.
Alternative medicine is cost additive.
There is little question that the use of alternative medicine helps patients. Homeopathy is therapeutically effective in many disorders, but it is effective, not because of the homeopathic remedy, but because of the belief in homeopathy, that is the belief of the patient in homeopathy, the belief of the person administering the homeopathic remedy and the belief engendered through the relationship between the patient and homeopathist. Other alternative medicines may also be therapeutic, but are, most likely, effective because of the powerful placebo effect, not because of the remedy or procedure itself. It then becomes quite clear how to proceed with alternative medicines - test them against placebos as you would any other drug or procedure. Furthermore, this new drug could also prevent these conditions from occurring and recurring.