logical problems. Osteopaths, licensed physicians whose education is essentially the same as that of M.D.'s, also include manipulative therapy in their treatments. Studies at the University of Miami's School of Medicine Touch Research Institute have found that premature infants gain weight much faster after being massaged than babies in an unmassaged control group (Cooper and Stoflet). Massaged infants cry less and are calmer than those who are only rocked. It is surprising that only now, in the late 1990's, are we discovering the fact that not only infants but also children and adults respond favorably to the human touch--both emotionally and physically.ConclusionMany Americans flock to alternative practices either because their suffering has not been alleviated by standard medical or surgical treatment, or because the traditional treatments themselves are too expensive or dangerous. These patients often feel that the intrusion of increasingly complicated and impersonal technology has widened the gap between mainstream caregivers and patients. Too many doctors are thought to be coolly professional and emotionally distant, inclined to cure a specific disorder narrow-mindedly without comforting or caring for the patient. Americans have made it clear with their pocketbooks that they find this unacceptable.Thomas Roselle, a licensed chiropractor and acupuncturist who runs an alternative-care practice in Falls Church, Va., states, "Traditional medicine shines in crisis intervention, but where it fails at times is in day-to-day-care. We see a lot of different things where traditional medicine has failed to do anything about it. Too often the question of why the body is broken down isn't asked" (Lombardo). Of course, acceptance of alternative medicine by the medical establishment will not occur until research has proven its efficacy. However, with so many Americans already using alternative treatments, doctors need to better unders...
