Pros And Cons Of Complementary Therapies

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

Knowledge and lack of knowledge can have a major influence on whether individuals use complementary therapies. For example; people may have heard negative stories about certain therapies such as acupuncture, aromatherapy or massage. This negativity may implement fear of using these therapies. Lack of knowledge may also case negative feelings, for example; individuals may have never heard of certain therapies before that are now available in their local area. Some might know about the therapy, but do not understand the benefits of using it.

P5 – explain the advantages and disadvantages of complementary therapies in maintaining health and wellbeing

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.

Factors that could affect access to complementary therapies could stem from many sources. These could consist of physical barriers, geographical barriers, socio-economical barriers, cultural barriers, educational barriers and the barriers that may be faced by referral systems.

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.

CNHC is the UK voluntary regulator for complementary healthcare practitioners. CNHC stands for Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council. This was set up with the Governments support to protect the public by providing s UK voluntary register of complementary therapists. This regulator has been approved an Accredited Register by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care which main aim is to protect the public. Therefore, they have met the authority’s demanding standards. All registered practitioners are entitled to use CNHC’s quality mark which is commitment to professionalism and high standards. Also, the GMC (General Medical Council) confirms that GP’s are able to refer patients to practitioners. (What is the CNHC Register?, 2016)

In modern medicine, alternative therapies are poorly understood and studied. The preference for alternative therapies, and herbal medicine were indicated, and the fear of relinquishing information regarding these practices were almost paralyzing. It seemed as though they were ashamed to admit to cultural healing practices, and did not divulge information to practitioners regarding their usage. The cultural disconnect was present as alternative/complimentary medicines are valued as a culture, and “modern” practitioners cast judgment on their usage. This perceived stigma additionally limited the information shared by the cultural participants with modern medical treatments, potentially causing additional harm, as some herbals are potentially toxic.

Patients, as consumers have a say on the decisions a healthcare facility makes regarding integrating CAM practitioners in their clinical practices. As such, a specialty clinic’s Chief Medical Officer should pay attention to the consumer suggestions. The patient should know that they will be granted the right to make health care decisions that resonate with their preferences, wishes, and values. Additionally, a patient would want to know whether the practitioners would respect their autonomy, regarding treatment decisions and health care goals, and act in patients’ best interests, according to fiduciary duties.

Around the world, nurses help care for people who are in need. There are many resources that nurses can use in order to provide this care. A few examples of these resources are medications, spirituality, and complementary therapies. A complementary therapy is a therapeutic technique that is often paired with an ongoing treatment. There are many different types of complementary therapies that can be used to help relieve pain, stress, and anxiety. Some therapies include music, pleasant smells, and even herbs. Sometimes complementary therapies are overlooked because nurses are not properly educated on how to either perform these therapies or do not know how these therapies can benefit a client. I chose this topic because I have seen how some of these therapies have helped people, and I want the world to embrace these resources rather than reject them. I once witnessed a form of music therapy bring a single person out of their shell and reduce their anxiety; this helped foster my belief that these therapies can be the difference in a client’s satisfaction level within the nursing field. Although this was the main reason why I chose this topic, my fascination with the past helped make the decision easier. I love learning how things have developed over time, and complementary therapies have been around for hundreds of years. My purpose within this paper is to inform nurses about the benefits of complementary therapies in order to help them embrace

There is a growing interest in complementary and alternative therapies that are noninvasive, do not rely on expensive technology, and are holistic in focus. A prime example is reiki therapy. I became certified as a reiki Level-I practitioner in the summer of 2018 because I felt it would be the perfect complement to my growing nursing skills. As a reiki-certified nurse, I would be able to help my patients if they ever desired the holistic therapy to be added to their plan of care. Through my experiences as a reiki Level-I practitioner, I have become familiar with just how important complementary and alternative therapies can be. As healthcare professionals, we must pay attention to how we can improve a patient’s quality of life. We must think

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,

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.

The global health care arena in the past three decades has been transformed by the growth in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by residents in both developed and developing countries. The increase in public interest in the use of CAM is particularly high in Western societies where conventional biomedicine has dominated the health care landscape (Bishop & Lewith, 2010; Bodeker & Kronenberg, 2002; Boon, 2002). CAM has become a critical component of the public health care system of many western countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (Andrews & Boon, 2005; Eisenberg et al., 1993; Fautrel et al., 2002; McLaughlin, Lui, & Adams, 2012; Thomas, Nicholl, & Coleman, 2001). Whereas there are many definitions and conceptions of CAM, the term is often used in references to medical and health practices that have different traditions, practices, and bodies of knowledge from conventional biomedicine (Adams et al., 2011; Hall, Griffiths, & McKenna, 2014; Reid, Steel, Wardle, Trubody, & Adams, 2016). Thus, it encapsulates both indigenous health traditions of the world (for example, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine) as well as, contemporary alternative forms of health care such as chiropractic, aromatherapy, and naturopathy. A distinct feature of these alternative forms of health care is their psychosocial paradigm of health and wellbeing (Anyinam, 1990; Bowleg, 2012). A fundamental