What's In a Name

Face it. Except possibly in music, "alternative" as a category name is almost always a poor branding choice.

Certainly, the immediate reaction is to blame the writer for perpetuating prejudice, when she scribbles in an article on a South Carolina vet helping patients with both traditional and alternative medicine that "some [people] are finding the pros [of alternative medicine for pets] far outweigh the cons" (as if the "cons" were self evident). But maybe the fault really is in the naming.

Maybe it's time to call a marketing guru and come up with something that doesn't suggest a non-traditional, non-western way of treatment is second best. On KP's Dog Blog, bloggette suggests "handy home remedies" instead of alternative or homeopathic. And that might work on some level, but the question of watchamacallit medicine for pets still does seem open.

Suggestions?