The Pros And Cons Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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,

Complementary therapies are good for a person’s health and wellbeing. It is used as a form of medicine and treatment to some illnesses. Complementary therapies can be used to help the individual manage pain and help relieve pain. According to NHS Direct “These medicines and treatments range from acupuncture and homeopathy to aromatherapy, meditation and colonic irrigation.”

Complementary and alternative therapies are very large group of non-orthodox therapies that may be used alone or with other non-orthodox and orthodox therapies. This term (CAM) is applied to over 700 different therapies. Some relaxation techniques, massage therapies, special diets and self-help groups could be considered to be lifestyle rather than true therapies, also it can be considered as actions that enhanced the feeling of

The National Health Institute defines complementary alternative therapy as a health care methodology used outside of or in addition to mainstream medicine (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), 2013). CAM is divided into five groups: (1) oral based product, such as supplements, (2) body manipulation, such as massage, chiropractic, reflexing and osteopathy, (3) mind and body therapies, consisting of yoga, tai chi, meditation, biofeedback and hypnosis, (4) energy touches, which includes Reiki, Gigong, and prayer; and (5) holistic approaches, such as homeopathy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese and Indian medicine. According to Efthimiou, Kukar, and Mackenzie (2009) there has been exponential growth in those who seek CAM. In 2010, data demonstrates that 40-60% of Americans use CAM to cope with medical conditions. This growth trend is attributed to increased public awareness through social media and patient’s desires to try something new and promising. Barnes and Bloom (2008) determined that individuals decided to use CAM therapies because they were frustrated by the lack of response

In the last two decades, the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) by the American public has grown exponentially, especially among women, meriting the question of “why?”. CAM is defined as any medical practice not regularly taught in biomedical schooling, and that is undertaken to replace or to be used in conjunction with standard biomedical practice (Su, D et al, 2011). Examples of CAM typically used include acupuncture, chiropractic care, and herbal medicine, as well as deep-breathing exercise, yoga, meditation, and prayer. The recent surge in CAM use has been so extreme that it is now estimated that 40 to 45 percent of Americans currently practice CAM use, with 68 percent of Americans having used CAM at some point in their

The people in the UK who use CAM (Complementary Alternative Medicine), are usually satisfied with their mainstream health care. The usage of CAM correlates with their philosophy; self-healing and self-care. Individuals who choose to use an alternative way, do so because they usually want to expand their options. CAM has come to identify as self-care, which plays a big role in the UK health care system, it focuses on prevention rather than curing[1]. Due to insurance coverage, preventive care is presumed to-be much cheaper than paying out-of-pocket for services that are not covered, such as, medications and GP visits. Conversely, due to long wait times with GP's and emergency rooms, the most efficient way to avoid the agonizing wait is to,

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