Alternative care in the basic package

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Posted on 26/07/2019 in Current Affairs

More than half of the Dutch population would like one or more alternative medical treatments to be reimbursed through the basic package of health insurance. According to a quarter of our population, alternative care is just as valuable as regular healthcare.

60% would like to see change
This is evident from a study by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). According to this research, 6 percent of the population visited an alternative healer in 2018. The osteopath, chiropractor, and acupuncturist were mentioned most frequently. Women and those with higher education levels proportionally make more use of alternative healing methods than men and those with lower levels of education. So far, alternative treatments are only reimbursed through some supplementary insurances. About 60 percent of the population would therefore like to see a change in this.

Attraction
Peter Jan Margry, professor of ethnology at the University of Amsterdam, previously researched the attraction of the alternative circuit at the Meertens Institute. He is not surprised by the positive attitude of a large part of the population towards treatment methods that are not proven to be effective. 'The increased popularity also has to do with the fact that there is a significant group of patients with unexplained illnesses or complaints, who are not helped in medical science. They are looking for other healing methods. Of course, there were unexplained illnesses in the past as well, but precisely because medicine has become more and more perfect, we accept less and less that there is no solution somewhere.'

Acupuncture is natural and safe
Each year, we see an increase in positive findings (see the articles below) and more evidence emerges about the effectiveness of acupuncture. Acupuncture is a natural and safe way to alleviate various complaints. It is painless and has no side effects. An acupuncturist works on the premise that physical and mental complaints arise from a disruption in the body's energy balance. During the treatment, very thin needles are placed at specific points in the body. This helps regulate the flow of energy and restore balance to the body's energy. Symptoms decrease significantly or even disappear completely.

Want to know more about acupuncture?
Look at the top of the page for 'find an acupuncturist' to find a well-trained NVA acupuncturist.

*Source: de Volkskrant, June 18, 2019