Medical Doctors Practicing CAM: Peripheral Work, Informal Incorporation, and the Opening of Integrative Settings in Health Services in Buenos Aires

Abstract

Argentina lags behind in Latin America with respect to the development of national policies for the integration of the so-called alternative and complementary medicines (CAM), and only a few provinces and jurisdictions have taken initiatives in this direction in the public sector. Experiences of incorporating these medicines into health services in the country have been exceptional. Even though in Buenos Aires, the medical practice of CAM mostly transpires in the private sector, we analyze some experiences of integration in the health system that have been developed by the actions of doctors working in hospitals and health centers. By attempt ting to incorporate new ideas and practices in the institutions that reproduce orthodox medical knowledge, they have acted as agents of innovation and cultural change from within the profession, facing resistance to change from their peers and superiors in the establishments where they work. Data come from interviews conducted between 2009 and 2012 with physicians trained in Acupuncture, Ayurveda and Homeopathy.