What’s the

ALTERNATIVE?
Considering alternative healing
from a Christian perspective.
By Dr Stanley Arumugam
The last decade has seen a growing global
interest in alternative healing popularised in
the west by Dr Deepak Chopra. In 1998 alone,
Americans spent 32 billion dollars on alternative
healing.
South African shopping malls and suburban
homes have become new healing centres. Local
book stores are stacked high with mind-body-spirit
literature and magazines advertise a variety of
alternative healing services. Even the traditional
Sunday Service TV is replaced with a New Age
spirituality in which all religions and alternative
healing is offered without bias in a user-friendly
manner.
Hundreds of alternative healing products
and methods are offered such as acupuncture,
homeopathy, aromatherapy, Reiki, chiropractics,
guided visualisation, psychic healing and
shamanism. Some practices are natural, holistic
therapies providing an alternative to clinical drug
based treatments. Others have ancient mystical
roots, whilst others bring healing and personal
spirituality in a New Age unity. In the midst of
this new awakening is a global multi-billion dollar
industry promising alternative healing.

Examining Alternatives
The Church’s response to the subject of
alternative healing ranges from extreme rejection,
labelling all alternative healing practices as

60 TODAY SEPTEMBER 2009

eastern, New Age and therefore demonic
to the other extreme of indifference. This
is a complex topic requiring educated
discussion based on biblical reasoning
and deep sensitivity to those in and
outside the church.
How should Christians deal with
alternative healing? The apostle Paul
advised that we need to “examine
everything carefully and hold fast to that
which is good,” (1 Thes 5:21). At the
same time as we are firm in defending
our faith we do this with a spirit of
gentleness and respect (1 Pet 3:15). In
this journey we will start by examining the
roots of western medicine; why there is
a growing interest in alternative healing
and how this new spiritual landscape can
be a postmodern missionary ground for
people seeking God in foreign places.
WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE?
This has no easy answer. In the last
decade it referred to all treatments not
taught to doctors of western (allopathic)
medicine. However this definition is
changing as 34 of the 125 medical
schools in the US including Harvard
now teach alternative healing courses
in an emerging discipline known as
complementary or integrative medicine.
What is considered alternative healing
in western society is an integral part of
other cultures and traditions. Alternative
medicine originates from the traditions
of ancient cultures such as China and
India. Larimore and O’Mathna in their
book Alternative Medicine: The Christian
Handbook give examples of ancient
medicine. The Chinese had over 16000
healing preparations. In South Africa too,
African traditional medicine is finding a
respected place. Every ancient culture
has a rich tradition of healing practice
integral to these societies.
To what extent these practices are
effective, or not, present a different
discussion. Alternative healing is not
regulated to the same standards
of western allopathic medicine. Its
practitioners are a mix of highly trained
professionals to self proclaimed
neighbourhood healers. Despite the
limited scientific proof of effectiveness
many people still seek out alternative
healing reporting varying degrees
of success. Their need for healing
extends beyond clinical proof to deeper
dimensions of personal and holistic
wellbeing.
WHY IS IT ATTRACTIVE?
Modern medicine has made
remarkable contributions to global
health bringing under control once
Seeing is
believing became
the motto of the
scientific age
deadly epidemics such as small pox,
yellow fever, leprosy, malaria and scarlet
fever. Despite the success of biomedical
medicine we paradoxically have an
increase in health conditions not easily
understood or treated by our modern
scientific model. These include cancer,
strokes, heart disease and mental
illness.
The age of Modernism replaced faith,
customs, tradition, magic, witchcraft
and sadly also the Church as a healing
community with scientific rationalism.
‘Seeing is believing’ became the motto
of the scientific age in which God was
rejected.
In our postmodern age there is
disillusionment with the promise of
rationalism. There is a deeper hunger for
personal spirituality and holistic healing.
People are desperate to be heard,
touched and compassionately ministered
to without judgment or dogma or clinical
precision. They are experiencing this in
alternative healing communities. In the
midst of this mission field, many churches
are still offering quick fix positive thinking
solutions, entertaining programmes and
clinical efficiency; everything desperate
seekers are running away from in modern
society.
We will examine a Christian response
to alternative healing in a series of
discussions over the next months. We will
discuss what we stand for as Christians
and not only what we’re against. In doing
this we will systematically examine the
major systems of alternative healing;
understand how they work; what their
roots are and their consistency with a
biblical view of health and healing. We will
also explore ways of discerning the many
available practices. Most importantly we
will constantly consider the restoration of
the Church as a healing community.
Dr Stanley Arumugam is a Counselling
and Community Psychologist. He can
be contacted at stanley_arumugam@
yahoo.com.
STOCKTAKE
WHAT CAN I LEARN
FROM DR STANLEY?
• I should examine everything
and hold on to what is
good.
• God is the ultimate Healer.
• “I am the Lord who heals
you,” (Exodus 15:26).
2009 AUGUST TODAY 61