Have you ever questioned your doctor about a diagnosis or wondered why a drug with an extensive list of side effects would be prescribed to you? If you have ever experienced this, you know how unsettling it is to feel stuck in the confines of a diagnosis and its corresponding treatment plan–almost feeling like you are labeled for life.

Personal experiences, research, and the complexities around health, disease, and medical care may lead you to question the whole healthcare system–especially in the United States. What led to the rise of conventional (modern) medicine? Why did it stray away from the traditional forms of alternative medicine that have been healing people for centuries?

The main driver towards conventional medicine began with a report, the Flexner Report.

The Flexner Report 
Published in 1910, the Flexner Report had perfect timing as it was being read during the push towards scientific advancements and improving the quality of healthcare. The Report had the primary goal of progressing the training of medical universities in the United States and Canada towards evidence-based medical practices, or allopathic (conventional) medicine.

The issues of the report lay in the evaluations set in place for the 155 universities that were under assessment. Since allopathic medicine focuses on treating symptoms of disease or illness using drugs, surgery, radiation, or treatments that can be provided with scientific evidence, the report excluded other forms of healing that do not meet the criteria. This meant natural and alternative forms of medicine such as herbs, nutrition, mind-body practices, and other holistic remedies of healing were disregarded due to their lack of science-based evidence at the time. In fact, the Flexner Report labeled alternative medical universities as “illegitimate” which further weakened the trust between holistic medicine and the general population.

Flexner's Evaluation and Criteria of Medical Education 
The five criteria Flexner created for his evaluations were: entrance requirements, size and training of the faculty, size of endowment and tuition, quality of laboratories, and availability of a teaching hospital whose physicians and surgeons would serve as clinical teachers.

Flexner believed “non-scientific” approaches such as natural or alternative forms of medicine were actively competing with the scientific paradigm of research and education. This scientific push created an interest in needing to prove something worked with quantifiable evidence. At the time, there were almost no published studies to validate the ways nature, the mind-body connection, nutrition, and environmental factors all affect health. This reinforced the idea that natural forms of medicine were not reliable.

Shutdown of Alternative Medicine Universities and Programs 
The Report created an immense setback for holistic methods of healing and it witnessed a major decline as a source of healthcare after not meeting the criteria. As a direct result of the revised and standardized university evaluation, over 80% of alternative medical schools were shut down. This left patients with fewer choices of medical attention, especially in rural or underserved areas that relied on natural remedies as the main source of care.

Present Day: Need for Inclusive Healthcare 
Today we see how natural and alternative forms of medicine are healing people of terminal and incurable diseases or conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. More studies than ever are being released that showcase the science rooted in natural ways of healing. Focusing on integrative medicine–one that treats not only medical conditions but one that cares for the whole person–is the way forward.

In order to have a healthier nation, the healthcare system must work for all people. A more inclusive form of healthcare is one that focuses on preventing a disease from occurring, not just masking symptoms once it develops. Integrative medicine will revolutionize the way the healthcare system views, treats, and diagnoses patients to not only live well but to live optimally.

Sources 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3543812/

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22835-western-medicine

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/complementary-alternative-medicine

https://www.slu.se/en/departments/forest-ecology-management/forskning/nordic-nature-health-hub/research/naturhalsotanken-genom-historien/#:~:text=The%20major%20breakthrough%20came%20in,to%20be%20more%20broadly%20accepted.

https://becker.wustl.edu/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-homeopathic-medicine-in-the-us-and-its-continued-popularity-today/#:~:text=As%20the%20standards%20for%20medical,followers%20of%20homeopathic%20medicine%20today.

https://hope4cancer.com/