title: [Factors determining the selection of treatment options of complementary and alternative medicine].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Complementary and alternative medicine have undoubtedly been gaining ground on the healthcare market, thus the vital question arises why patients choose these treatments, oftentimes at the cost of discontinuing the Western medical therapy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the authors was to investigate and scrutinize factors leading to the utilization of various alternative medical services.
  
  
  METHODS
  The basis of this qualitative research was medical anthropological fieldwork conducted at a clinic of Traditional Chinese Medicine including participant observation (355 hours), unstructured interviews with patients (n = 93) and in-depth interviews (n = 14).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients of alternative medical systems often do not receive a diagnosis, explanation or cure for their illness from Western medicine, or they do not agree with what they are offered. In other instances, patients choose alternative medicine because it exhibits a philosophical congruence with their already existing explanatory model, that is, previous concepts of world, man or illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A particular therapy is always part of a cultural system and it is embedded in a specific psycho-social context, hence choice of therapy must be interpreted in accordance with this perspective.
authors.affiliation: Magatartástudományi Intézet, Semmelweis Egyetem, Általános Orvostudományi Kar Budapest, Nagyvárad tér 4., 1089.
authors.forename: Szilvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zörgő
authors.affiliation: Magatartástudományi Intézet, Semmelweis Egyetem, Általános Orvostudományi Kar Budapest, Nagyvárad tér 4., 1089.
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Purebl
authors.affiliation: Magatartástudományi Intézet, Semmelweis Egyetem, Általános Orvostudományi Kar Budapest, Nagyvárad tér 4., 1089.
authors.forename: Ágnes
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Zana
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D019366:Western World
keywords: Western medicine; complementary and alternative medicine; globalization; globalizáció; komplementer és alternatív medicina; medical anthropology; nyugati orvoslás; orvosi antropológia; terápiaválasztás; therapy choice