ABSTRACT
IN THIS ARTICLE WE EXPLORE the political potential of alternative health, focusing on two alternative health networks we have studied, one New Age (or what some call “holistic health”)1
and the other a conservative Christian cancer support group and a group that provide resources on agricultural practices and dietary habits. Among the New Age groups we studied, Art Sutton is an activist who embodies this sensibility. He no longer believes in marriage, traditional religion, or conventional ways of making a living. He believes that the purpose of life is to break through boundaries and open oneself to a wide range of experiences. Following his divorce, he has traveled widely in a spiritual search for an enlarged self-definition. In contrast, Lenny Gamulka, head of the Committee for Freedom of Choice in Cancer Therapy (CFC), describes himself as a “conservative born-again Christian.” He has been married to the same woman his whole adult life and organizes his life in accordance with biblical principles. He opposes abortion and believes that New Age forms of spirituality are expressions of dark forces, almost satanic in character.
