mainstream medicine = what all doctors do. All doctors will use certain drugs for certain conditions. stand defiantly mean = Proud and undefeated hoops = legislation/policy. Alternative medicine isn't tested in the same way as mainstream medicine is. a drug takes 10 years and billions of dollars to pass all the dose, safety and effectivity testing. alternative medicines do not. better off = better. This could mean that they are paying less or that they were healthier using alternative medicine hope this helps... I'm a teacher and a research scientist - if you need help with science english :)

1) "mainstream medicine" refers to all medicines that are used by doctors and hospitals to treat patients, whereas "alternative medicine" refers to natural remedies that are sold by non-professionals in private companies. 2) to be "defiant" means to fight against rules, so the sentences means that many sellers of "alternative medicines" still claim to offer benefits, even without scientific evidence. 3) "jump through hoops" is a set phrase which means to try and overcome a difficult challenge. 4) "better off" means to gain a benefit, it has nothing to do wealth.

1 - Mainstream medicine is the medical path mainstream doctors and health practitioners use in hospitals and clinics. A few examples of this would be using prescription drugs to clear up an illness, or treating a cancer patient with radiation. It's mainstream because it is the most common and used form of medical help. Vaccinations are also a part of mainstream medicine, and the alternative to vaccinations, or the opposite of the mainstream route, can be essential oils and/or homeopathy. 3 - In the sentence, they use hoops as another form for route, or path. They're saying that they would like to see all alternative medicine follow the same strict/expensive/difficult path that mainstream drugs like paracetamol and advil do. 4 - In this sentence, they're saying that homeopathy sometimes is a better solution than mainstream drugs. An example: Patient A comes to the doctor because they have a cold. They are prescribed a mainstream drug like antibiotics to kill off their cold, but because antibiotics are most effective for bacterial infections, and not viral ones like a cold, the patient A might be better off choosing to self medicate through more natural options, like Vicks on their throat, honey and lemon tea, and head steaming. For 2, I don't understand the sentence. Could you give a little more context? As for the other questions, I hope I answered them clearly enough for you. Let me know if you have any other question :)