Complementary And Alternative Medicine Cancer Patients Opt For And The Role Of Nursing Case Managers

Steve Jobs tried alternative medicine after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before changing to conventional medicine until he died in 2011 (Williams, 2012, 90). Alternative medicine is defined as “a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not presently considered part of conventional medicine”(NCCAM, 2011, 92). Moreover, people have known about alternative medicine for many years and some prefer it to conventional medicine. Thus, insurance companies should cover alternative medicine for two important reasons.

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.

This can indicate that the orthodox treatment that the individual may undergo may not be as useful for them as the therapy as the therapist may be aware of why the individual can be ill due to the blocked pathways. However, relating this to cancer, the orthodox treatment can still be beneficial for the individual due to the radiotherapy killing the cancer cells. Although, the complementary therapy may not be as useful for the individual, it could still make them feel at ease once the energy is being resorted and is balance. The complementary therapies could support the

Because many of the treatments of alternative medicine do not adhere to the principles of conventional medicine, whether or not to allow practice of these techniques in the United States is a major concern of the medical community today. The Food and Drug Administration is the decision making body of issues such as this and more often than not, does not approve many of these practices. Due to the fact that holistic medicine sometimes contradicts the fundamentals of biomedicine, health care regulation boards such as the FDA find it difficult to accept many of these treatments. Because the Western world is so unfamiliar with these techniques it is only natural for medical community to often disprove these methods. However, as more and more doctors discover the limitations of

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.

Complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, can be characterized as a gathering of restorative, human services, and healing systems other than those incorporated into health care in the United States. CAM incorporates the perspectives, speculations, modalities, items, and practices connected with these systems and their utilization to treat disease and advance health and prosperity (McKenzie, 2012). Even though heterogeneous, the significant CAM frameworks have numerous normal attributes, including an attention on individualizing medications, treating the entire individual, advancing self-consideration and self-recuperating, and perceiving the otherworldly way of every person. What's more, numerous CAM frameworks have attributes generally found in standard human services, for example, an emphasis on great sustenance and preventive practices. Dissimilar to standard medication, CAM frequently needs or has just restricted trial and clinical concentrate; then again, experimental examination of CAM is starting to address this learning crevice. In this manner, limits in the

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,

As complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) grows more popular with the American public, the question arises whether we should consolidate aspects of unorthodox medicine with standard care. Many, such as Dr. Andrew Weil, swear by CAM’s effectiveness and urge for a more patient-centered approach to care (Relman). While CAM has no shortage of critics, a growing body of research is indicating the effectiveness of many CAM therapies in treating a variety of conditions. Patients, physicians, and researchers sometimes find that CAM therapies are more

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).

The article chosen for this assignment is “Oncology Pain and Complementary Therapy” by Running and Turnbeaugh (2011). The researchers conducted a literature review of complementary remedies, evidence utilized in treating cancer patient pain and control symptoms (Running & Turnbeaugh, 2011). The utmost mass of patients that have progressed cancer suffers great pain and almost half of these patients have moderate to severe pain (Running & Turnbeaugh, 2011).

The scientific community is much quicker to label this second type as quacks, whereas the scientific community has failed to gain a consensus on the legitimacy of the first type. Unfortunately, both are encompassed by the term alternative medicine. This paper will focus on the more controversial alternative medicines described in the first group.

These therapies have proved to be of much benefit in supporting the normal healing course of the body. Even though there are many modern alternative remedies, with different beliefs, all of them operate under some common principles. One of these principles is that the body has the capacity to heal naturally and maintain stability (Paquette, 2000). The other one is that adverse health conditions can occur as a result of factors emanating from mind, emotions and the body. Alternative medicine, according to Goldberg, Trivieri and Anderson, (2002), focuses on determining the chief cause of a particular condition, and dealing with the whole person rather that concentrating on symptoms. If a person pays close attention to his/her health he/she can contribute to his/her wellbeing. Alternative medicine holds firmly to the principle that one treatment cannot be used for all people even though they may be suffering from the same condition. Each and every person as per alternative medicine has distinct bodily, mind and spiritual make up (Goldberg, Trivieri and Anderson, 2002).

People need to realize that going against basic treatment is not always a bad thing. Not using synthetic drugs for treatment is a smart and healthy choice. There are certain stigmas related to natural medicine, but being aware of the benefits may result in more people believing in these resources. People have been using herbal medicines and plants long before synthetic medicine was designed.