HerbalEGram: Volume 5, Number 2, February 2008

What’s in a name? Plenty, it appears. Alterative Medicine Magazine’s new name does a better job of describing its content, according to Linda Sparrowe, editor-in-chief of what is now Natural Solutions: Vibrant Health, Balanced Living (oral communication, February 1, 2008). It’s also better at selling the magazine. In fact, according to Sparrowe, after tests of 3 special issue publications in Fall 2006, Winter 2007, and Fall 2007, the issue with the name Natural Solutions out-sold Alternative Medicine tremendously.

The new name was also put to several test groups before its selection and the results were overwhelmingly in its favor, according to Sparrowe. After viewing a copy of the magazine with its cover removed, focus groups agreed that it was very interesting and something they would read. However, focus groups who viewed the magazine with the cover still on said they wouldn’t necessarily buy the magazine because they weren’t sick. However, this magazine is not just about fighting certain diseases with alternatives to pharmaceuticals. It’s mainly about keeping one's body healthy overall with the use of herbal supplements, yoga, and other healthy solutions. The phrase “vibrant health, balanced living” was later added to further illuminate the magazine’s content.

“The focus of the inside of the magazine has not changed,” said Sparrowe. “We’ve simply changed the name to reflect what’s already inside.”

The old name also confused advertisers: “Some of the places we solicited advertising from said they would ignore our calls because they’d think, ‘Why is a scientific journal calling us?’” However this publication is not a scientific journal; it’s a consumer magazine, so changing the name is no easy feat.

“It’s very scary for a magazine to change its name,” said Sparrowe. “This is a little more than a redesign. Truly, it’s almost a re-launch. In fact, for the next four or five months we plan to have ‘formerly Alternative Medicine’ somewhere on the cover so we don’t lose any of our current readership.”

The name change was also a way to acknowledge a shift toward creating a healthier lifestyle and not just relying on conventional medical practices, mainly the use of pharmaceuticals, once something goes wrong. “Alternative has ceased to be alternative,” said Sparrowe. “We’d like to move toward a society that doesn’t just think about making money off of pharmaceuticals. We want to look to things that aren’t so violent on the body first.”

The newly-named magazine will grace newsstands February of 2008 in an issue featuring subjects such as drug-free heart health, foods that aid fertility, and information about the new menstruation-free birth control pill.¹

Natural Solutions is published 10 times a year by InnoVision Health Media, which also publishes 3 peer-reviewed journals: Alternative Therapies, Integrative Medicine, and Advances in Mind Body Medicine.^1,2 More information about Natural Solutions is available at http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/.

—Kelly E. Saxton

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