Medicinas complementares: experiências de pessoas idosas vinculadas a um plano de saúde nas cidades de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro / Complementary medicines: experiences of people related to health insurance in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro / Medicinas complementarias: experiencias de personas mayores vinculadas a un plan de salud en las ciudades de Sao Paulo y Rio de Janeiro

RESUMO

As medicinas complementares são um conjunto de práticas que não pertencem ao escopo da medicina convencional, que tem por finalidade ampliar o cuidado integral do ser humano. Esta pesquisa traz um estudo qualitativo que analisa a utilização de práticas complementares por um grupo de idosos vinculados a um plano de saúde, nas cidades do Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo. Todos os entrevistados procuraram as práticas complementares sem, contudo, abandonar o serviço biomédico, constituindo assim, um rico itinerário terapêutico.

ABSTRACT

Complementary medicines are a set of practices that do not belong to the scope of conventional medicine, whose purpose is to expand the integral care of the human being. This research presents a qualitative study that analyzes the use of complementary practices by a group of elderly people linked to a health plan, in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. All interviewees sought complementary practices without, however, abandoning the biomedical service, thus constituting a rich therapeutic itinerary.

RESUMEN

Complementary medicines are a set of practices that do not belong to the scope of conventional medicine, whose purpose is to expand the integral care of the human being. This research presents a qualitative study that analyzes the use of complementary practices by a group of elderly people linked to a health plan, in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. All interviewees sought complementary practices without, however, abandoning the biomedical service, thus constituting a rich therapeutic itinerary.