COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND THE DESIRE FOR AUTONOMY AGAINST BIOPOWER: RETURN TO THE HUMAN MEDICINE?

Abstract

This article aims to examine the preferences of the patients for complementary alternative medicine(CAM) and clarify the desire to be autonomic against the biopower by the choice of the practice of Kampo, Japanese traditional medicine. The information of CAM like the experience of healing of diseases or of maintaining of the well-being, attracts the patients and the people who want to live in good health condition. This fact seems to reflect the imperfect autonomy in the ordinary medicine. The reasons of the choice of the patients and the families on the treatment of CAM in the last period of the life, signifies the lack of the ordinary medicine on the total comprehension of the patient. We can see the desire of the patient for taking back one’s autonomy in the choice of CAM outside of the consultation of the doctors and the specialists in the system of the ordinary medicine.