The paper starts with a discussion on the concept of medical pluralism, then presents a theoretical framework of the exclusive medical model, which recognizes only one legal system for medicine. The author then considers psychotronics activities as a specific form of alternative healthcare, along with describing and analysing the healthcare situation that existed during the socialist period in former Czechoslovakia and compares it with the contemporary pluralistic situation that emerged in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The findings of this paper suggest that, despite the prevalent rationalist view during the socialist period and the tendency to promote biomedicine as the only legitimate and superior healthcare practice, the conditions for the development of pluralism in medical healthcare were nevertheless created. The paper concludes that research on the shifting relationship between alternative medicine and mainstream medicine reveals how scientific objectification fluctuates, or at least is negotiable, under the influence of social circumstances.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Europe has intensely increased in recent decades. To acquire information about the patterns and trends of CAM use in Slovakia, a nationwide representative survey was conducted on Slovakian adult population. A nationally representative cross-sectional survey was administered to the general population of Slovakian residents aged 18 years and over. The respondents were interviewed face-to-face by professional interviewers. Data were collected during September 2019 as a part of an omnibus survey on a variety of subjects. Altogether, 82.4% of the respondents reported either regular CAM method use or the lifetime prevalence of such use. The most frequently reported group of methods were biologically based treatments (78.9%), followed by manipulative and body-based methods (54.4%), mind-body interventions (31.9%), whole medical systems (18.2%), and energy therapies (4.2%). Vitamins (71.1%), herbal teas (68.1%), massages (53.6%), religious healing (20.3%), and special diets (18.8%) were the five most commonly preferred CAM modalities. Female gender, higher income and higher education are significant predictors of CAM use. The study highlights the association between satisfaction with healthcare systems, health situations, and the use of CAM.

Although the narrative of modernity has been rejected by numerous scientists, it remains a powerful paradigm. Several Western countries have, during the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessed renewed interest in some archaic practices and beliefs. Based mostly on media analysis, this paper provides an insight into religious responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia and India, two completely different cultural areas. Simultaneously, it challenges the self-identification of the West as the epicentre of rational thought, in contrast to the so-called non-Western world. The self-image of superiority adopted by the modern West in terms of religious relevance has proved to be distorted, as the tendency to turn to spiritual practices in times of crisis is not exclusively a feature of non-Western societies.

The phenomenon of unconventional medicine is an important feature of any contemporary society. Considering the increasing popularity of various forms of non-biomedical methods of healing among various groups of people, the necessity of an in-depth investigation of traditional, complementary and alternative therapies continues to grow. Existing terminology along with prevalence rates, legal status and historical development, vary greatly in European countries. The main reason behind the compilation of this publication was, therefore, to provide an overview of the field of unconventional medicine in Slovakia, where social science research into medicine has largely been neglected and only limited data exist in relation to medical practices and products, not associated with standard healthcare. Despite various concerns and controversies that have been raised regarding alternative medicine, the intent of the book is not to provoke criticism, the representatives of which are sufficiently represented in the public debate. Likewise, it does not try to reinforce the idealized and non-critical image of unconventional therapies, adopted by a number of alternative healthcare practitioners and providers. Rather than contribute to the polarization of the topic, the purpose of this monography is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the historical background of unconventional therapies, the main trends in this area, the patterns and reasons for the use of alternative medicine and the factors determining the efficacy of alternative therapies. The first section briefly introduces the historical development of the most notable forms of unconventional medicine in Slovakia, while highlighting various institutionalization and professionalization strategies, that have dominated over the last few decades. The second section mainly concerns a representative survey, investigating the patterns and trends of unconventional medicine use and concentrates on the execution of data on prevalence and types of non-conventional medicine, examining attitudes towards different topics related to alternative healthcare. Lastly, the book briefly enters the ongoing discussion as to how unconventional medicine might work and how efficacy is negotiated between the different actors involved in the healing process.

Using data from International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), the principal aim of this study was to conduct a cross-cultural comparision of medical pluralism in Eastern and Western European countries. In Easterne Europe, a total of 531 (5.5%) respondents reported and alternative/traditional/folk (A/T/F) healthcare practitioner visit during preceding 12 months, the results of the survey showed that in Western Europe, similar visits were reported by 17,881 (11.6%) individuals. In the Western region of Europe, CAM methods either provide a coping strategy for those on low incomes, with limited access to conventional healthcare or an alterantive option for members of the younger generation. However, in the Eastern region, A/T/F practitioners are mostly visited by city dwellers, who have a higher socio-economic status, a relatively high level of trust in physicians. <br>