ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews selected literature that exemplifies research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in more naturalistic or 'field' settings. It also explores some current issues concerning CAM efficacy studies, and review alternative research models from health services and social science research that can be used. The study of alternative healing is not new, and there has been a long and well developed research tradition in sociology, anthropology and cross-cultural psychiatry on the persons who use non-medical healing practices and beliefs. Current attempts to validate or invalidate the utility of CAM therapies have created some debate about the most appropriate methods for its study. The area of health outcomes research has emerged from empirical studies of health care reimbursement, health care utilization, and quality of care and health status outcomes. Increasing the repertoire of research methods acceptable to evaluate CAM takes into account the variation in style and substance that characterizes the field of alternative healing today.
