Complementary And Alternative Medicine ( Cam ) Essay

According to the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine “CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine.” (NCCAM, 2007) Science has yet to determine if these therapies are safe. Regardless of the answer there are hundreds of thousands of people today that use CAM to treat hundreds of different medical problems. Societies have used many of these practices for over 4000 years and are still in use today. CAM allows for a complete and holistic way of treatment of the human body.

Throughout the years there have been two traditions within the practice of medicine. One is the 'art of healing ' which involves its own specialised brand of training. The art of healing is dependent on the prescriber 's foreknowledge and the clients’ viewpoint of the prosperous results. The 'Science of healing ' is based on scientific and technological ideas. This tradition results in a lower liability for practitioners regarding the showing of an original approach to medicine, however the results of this method are more calculable (Kayne 2002). It is believed that the tradition of the ‘art of healing’ is increasing in popularity. The World Health Organisation states ' 'that the terms ' 'complementary medicine ' ' or ' 'alternative medicine’ ' are used interchangeably with traditional medicine in some countries. They refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country 's own tradition and are not integrated into the dominant health care system” (World Health Organization 2000). This type of treatment, is commonly known as ‘Complementary and alternative medicine’ (CAM). The word complementary derives from the meaning ‘together with’ established practices and the word alternative refers to ‘in place’ of established practices. Some patients choose to participate in complementary therapies along with the medication prescribed by their general practitioner whilst others prefer complementary therapies as opposed to the medications

It could be considered that conventional medicine has indirectly contributed to the rise of complementary and alternative medicine. A broad definition of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is “a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country’s own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health-care system” (The World Health Organisation, n.d.). Expanding on this definition it is important to address the variable similarities of CAM modalities. CAM therapies across the various modalities have in common a shared, in varying degrees, holistic approach and subscribe to some form of vitality - a contrast from the science-based view point of conventional medicine prevalent in western society. In spite of CAM therapies empirical nature and efficacies, it is suggested that dissatisfaction of conventional medicine underpins the popularity it has garnered, thus, it will be examined further as to how and why. A further discussion will be made to related dangers of both alternative and science-based medicine; providing an opportunity to constructively educate the public on the differences between the two systems.

The term complementary medicine is used by conventional medical practitioners to refer to nom-invasive, non-pharmaceutical techniques which are used in conjunction with allopathic medical treatments such as drugs and surgery. The term implies that sometimes conventional medicine is used as a primary tool and also a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical complementary technique is used as a supplement when needed. Complementary medicine has become an increasing feature of healthcare

An increasing number of medical schools are now offering courses in alternative medicine for their students, and some hospitals already have alternative medicine departments. The availability of healers and doctors practicing holistic medicine has also increased in recent years, and more and more people are educating themselves in these new fields. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that between 65 and 80 percent of the world’s population (about 3 billion people) rely on traditional medicine as their primary form of health care.

In this assignment I will be explaining factors that affect access to complementary therapies; I will then explain how the use of complementary therapies is regulated. Then I will explain the principles and practises of complementary therapies I will then go on to discuss complementary therapies that are available for users of Health & Social Care services.

In contemporary society modern medicine usually takes on a curative role, it attempts to cure. Complementary therapy however takes on a very different role; it is used to maintain wellbeing and health as well as a helping to restore wellbeing to before illness or poor health. These therapies are usually used in conjunction with modern medicine. This is usually to relieve symptoms that traditional medicine fails to help with or to boost a person’s emotional or physical health.

P4 – explain the role of complementary therapies in relation to orthodox treatments (IE3; CT2;

The complementary therapy practice has become progressively universal, with a significant indication for nurses to ensure patients are well cared and their safety. The objective of the review is to find out the perspective of using complementary therapies by patients has impact on nurses. There were fifteen articles which were included in the review, the five researched themes were from the statistics associated with ‘’nurses' attitude towards complementary therapies”, the pros and cons of the conventional medicine, the Complementary therapies to improve nursing practice, the patient consent and their needs, the cultural differences and incorporation as well as the constitutional differences and incorporation. The support for complementary

The mission of NCCAM is to investigate the “usefulness and safety” of alternative and complementary medicine and the roles they could possibly play in improving health of the nation and our healthcare system by advance research on mind and body interventions,

Alternative Medicine is defined as any practice that is not included in traditional medicine care. There are various reasons why hospitals or health care settings include alternative medicine. Some health care facilities are experimenting with different therapies to advance the health care system. One therapy that has been proven to have positive results is the doll therapy for patients with dementia. In “Doll therapy: Therapeutic or Childish and Inappropriate?”, doll therapy is examined and the ethicality of the medicine is discussed. The qualitative experiment carried out in the article shows the ways that patients, families, and staff feel about using dolls in the care plan of dementia patients. The authors, Julia Heathcote, and Moira Clare, hypothesize that the dolls are positive ways to increase patients’ wellbeing because the dolls encourage a childish happiness for many clients (Heathcoat & Clare, 2014).

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in complementary medicine, and indeed alternative medicine (Lee-Treweek 2002, Andrews 2004, Barry 2006). Moreover the number of professionally trained therapist and practitioners has increased giving the patient/client a better choice and at more competitive rates (Smallwood, 2005).

Although "Alternative" or "Complementary" medicine has been kept on the fringes of the medical sciences in the past, it is becoming increasingly more popular, and more reputable. Alternative medicines are those medical systems which are not taught to or practiced by most conventional medical doctors. Alternative medicines seemingly have always existed, changing and conforming to the current climate of society. There seems to be an almost endless number of alternative medicines, each with their own method of gaining perfect health. Often people who are dissatisfied with conventional medicine turn to alternative medicine for their medical needs. Many similarities link the diverse extremities of alternative medicine.

Alternative remedies, sometimes known as complementary remedies, offer a wide variety of products and methods in improving well-being separate from contemporary medicinal practices. According to

It is important to understand the cause of the current crisis on the matter, factors that lead to diseases and good health, in addition to the steps that need to be taken by an individual so as to maintain good health.