Premium Essay

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Cam)

In:

Submitted By wmoor028
Words 1102
Pages 5
What is CAM and how it may be applied
Alternative medicine is any practice that claims to heal, but does not fall into the area of conventional medicine. Normally this type of health care is based on historical or traditions, rather than some type of scientific evidence. An example of alternative medicine is treating cancer with a specific diet instead of undergoing a surgical procedure or a chemotherapy treatment. Complementary medicine is a diagnostic and therapeutic discipline and is normally used in conjunction with conventional medicine. An example of complementary medicine would be a patient using acupuncture after a surgical procedure to assist in lessoning the discomfort after surgery. Integrative medicine (IM) is a combination of mainstream medical therapies with non-conventional complementary therapies; however, IM does in fact use complementary therapies if there is high quality scientific evidence of the effectiveness. Conventional medicine is and will still be a major focus when it comes to health care, but it is evolving into a broader area of concern. Traditionally conventional medicines only concern was getting to the main issue and resolving it by only looking at the flesh and bones of an individual. Now with the influence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) doctors are implementing a new focus that encompasses the entire body, including the mind, body, and spirit, therefore, broadening the possibilities of a treatment approach.
There are a total of five domains that are covered under CAM. The first domain is whole medical systems and it is a system that involves complete systems of theory and practice. Some of these systems may reflect cultural systems, like the traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda medicine. This is a belief that the body has the ability to heal itself by involving techniques that use the mind, body, and spirit.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Cam Modalities Paper

...CAM Therapeutic Modalities In recent years many people have had increased reservations about conventional avenues of medical treatment and are perusing alternative treatments for what ails them. Numerous westerners are engaging in preventative health and wellbeing, outside the boundaries of traditional treatments. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine over 38 percent of persons make use of complementary and alternative medicine or CAM technique (2012). This is due to the fact that people take pleasure in the aspect that they can focus on improving wellbeing with things other than drugs. This paper will highlight the differences between conventional medicine, complementary medicine, and alternative medicine, while outlining the CAM treatment for menopause and bring to light annotations from the scientific society about CAM therapies for menopause. Alternative, Integrative, and Complementary Medicine Alternative, complementary, and integrative medicines are associated with CAM and conventional medication treatment (NCCAM, 2012). Alternative medicine is defined as any remedy that does not fall in the standard dominion of conventional medicine. Many of these therapies and views come from ancient or cultural customs. Examples include traditional Chinese medicine, biofeedback, homeopathy, and Native American medicine. In numerous of these alternative approaches conventional medicine is not incorporated. Complementary medicine is a therapy or...

Words: 889 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

...Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Shift in Medicare Policy to Benefit the Elderly Disabled Nursing Role in Leadership, Management, Current Issues, and Gerontology The United States Department of Health and Human Services identifies the disabled as individuals having difficulties in movement, deficiency in senses, impairments in emotional or cognitive functioning, which is usually in connection to some sort of health problem (Altman & Bernstein, 2008). Data from the National Health Interview Survey for 2001 to 2005 indicates that 61 percent of people aged 65 years and over have some form of disability (Altman & Bernstein, 2008). The main resource for the medical needs of almost all elderly disabled people is the Medicare program (Altman & Bernstein, 2008). The Medicare program provides them with access to primary healthcare providers, hospital care, nursing home care, hospice, home health, some medicines, and medically necessary services like durable medical equipment and supplies (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, n.d.). Unfortunately, according to the Medicare National Coverage Determinations Manual (2012) it does not reimburse Complementary and Alternative Medicine services. The author proposes that Complementary and Alternative Medicine should be included in Medicare’s coverage for elderly disabled people as part of an integrative approach to their care. The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) offers the elderly disabled...

Words: 1898 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Cam Essay

...CAM and its Categories of Treatments Christian Rosales SCI/201 04/29/2012 Macharia Waruingi CAM and its Categories of Treatments In the pursuit of health and well-being, many Americans along with the world, have used Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) over the past decade. In July 30, 2009, National Health Statistic Reports demonstrated on a test conducted in 2007 “that about 38.3% of adults (83 million persons) and 11.8% of children (8.5 million children under the age of 18 years) have used Complementary and alternative medicine” (NHSR, 2009). In this paper, I will define the terms alternative medicine, complementary medicine, and integrative medicine and clarify how these terms differ. I will also describe how conventional medicine plays a role in these three terms. After, I will review the philosophy of CAM and how it relates to or is different from conventional Western medicine. Followed by describing one CAM treatment modality within one of the five NCCAM domains and give an example of how such a therapy could be used as an alternative therapy, a complementary therapy, and an integrative therapy for a specific medical condition. Then, I will explain how each example meets the definition of alternative, complementary, or integrative therapy and support the rationale for each section. Lastly, I will conclude with the results of scientific studies, if available, that show a clinical benefit from the examples selected. Complementary and alternative...

Words: 907 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

...Complementary and Alternative Medicine “CAM stands for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a group of diverse therapies and products that are neither part of conventional medicine as taught in U.S. medical schools, nor generally available at U.S. hospitals,” (Bowling, Steward, 2007). Although, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the many different CAM practices, I believe, based on current research and individuals experiences, that CAM practices can benefit anyone who would like to improve their health and wellness. The research I will use to support my beliefs about CAM practices could help to integrate CAM as part of our regular health care system and reduce all the skepticism surrounding Complementary and Alternative therapies. There are also many reports and testimonies available today that support the positive effects CAM therapies can have. Still with these many clinical and laboratory research experiments and the reports and testimonies, people still have questions about Complementary and Alternative therapies and the benefits surrounding CAM practices as well as the safety of their techniques. Complementary medicine is becoming more integrated into our mainstream health care system largely in response to consumer demand, as well as the recognition of new scientific findings that explain the views of health and healing-which push against the limits of the current biomedical paradigm (Micozzi, 2006). There...

Words: 1456 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Cam Therapeutic Modalities Paper

...CAM Therapeutic Modalities Paper In today's world, there are many treatment methods for the different ailments people encounter. Although traditional medical practices are the predominant choice among Americans, many also use complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM) to treat certain conditions. According to NCCAM Clearinghouse (n.d.), CAM is defined as "a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine" (Defining CAM). In this paper alternative, complementary and integrative medicine will be defined and differentiated, and the role of conventional medicine in these medicines will be discussed. There will also be a comparison of the regulations and oversights in conventional and non-conventional medicine in the United States, a review of the CAM philosophy, and a description of the domains of therapies according to the NCCAM website. Finally, a CAM treatment modality within one of the domains will be described and evaluated. Alternative medicine is the use of CAM as a replacement for conventional medicine such as faith healing ("alternative medicine," 2014). Conventional medicine does not play a role in alternative medicine because the conventional methods are discarded for the alternative methods. "An example of an alternative therapy is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that has been recommended by a conventional doctor"...

Words: 1355 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Cam in Nursing Practice

...Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Today’s Nursing Practice Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Today’s Nursing Practice Complementary and Alternative Medicine is becoming more and more prevalent in the healthcare world as an acceptable treatment modality. Due to increase in patient demand for these treatments, it is important for the nurses to be able to implement various CAM into their nursing practice to provide holistic care for their patients. It is also important for nurses to be knowledgeable about the various forms of therapy and its benefits. CAM is meeting the needs of many consumers due to various reasons. The increase in healthcare cost has encouraged many consumers to research alternative methods to help cope with various medical conditions as opposed to turning to the pharmacological methods that were typically accepted years ago. Consumers also have more access to new trials and studies in regards to CAM because of increased access to the internet and media. Because of this, patients are more involved in their own healthcare and treatment decisions than in the previous years. According to the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 1 in 4 adults from various backgrounds are currently using CAM therapies. (“The use of, 2011) Some of the most common medical reasons patients decide to try CAM therapies are problems with anxiety and depression, reoccurring nausea and pain related to cancer, and symptom management related to...

Words: 1561 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Should Complementary and Alternative Medicine Be Integrated Into Mainstream Medical Practices in the United States

...SHOULD COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE BE INTEGRATED INTO MAINSTREAM MEDICAL PRACTICES IN THE UNITED STATES October 29, 2015 The health industry in the United States (US) over the last decades has gone through tremendous changes more specifically the passing of the 2012 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The healthcare movement in terms of medical treatment has evolved as a result of increased in chronic illnesses, pain management, injuries and illnesses associated with rare diseases. As a result, more and more Americans are seeking unconventional or unorthodoxy forms of treatment to manage their illnesses. While there are millions of established medical orthodoxy medicines and treatments, patients of the above illnesses are migrating towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) also known as alternative and complementary medicine (ACM). The prevalence of CAM has gained significant attention among policymakers, insurance firms, and stakeholders. The advancement of CAM in the US presents a fundamental problem in the health care system. This problem indicated that practitioners lack responsibility for population health outcomes and health care spending (Cohen, 2006). In this paper, I will examine CAM and identify some of the legal aspects of CAM, whether it should be integrated into mainstream America medical practices and analyze cases where CAM was incorporated with conventional medicines or used as a substitute treatment option...

Words: 1634 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Medical Community

...Alternative, complementary, and integrative healing are all part of a well debated but poorly researched area of medicine. Doctors of the conventional American and European medical communities have been long prone to dismiss unconventional healing methods such as acupuncture, herbal supplements, and massage therapy as ineffective, or outright crackpot methods of treating illness. The view of the medical community, however, seems to have little impact of the growing popularity of CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) among patients. An increasing number of people in the United States and Europe have been turning to these treatments in addition to or instead of traditional Western medicine. The sheer popularity of CAM has forced the medical community to better examine the acceptance of CAM in medicine. CAM encompasses a wide range of healing methods from acupuncture to massage therapy to herbal remedies such as St. Johnís Wort and Echinacea. Many of these remedies have been around for centuries. In the case of Acupuncture, there have been regulations on acupuncture in China and Japan for years. However, since many of these procedures have not been proven ìscientificallyî, western medicine had largely rejected the remedies as being effective forms of treatment. One professor of medicine at the Rabin Medical Center likened CAM to beliefs in magic and superstition that medicine relied on before modern scientific advances. "The deep model of Alternative medicine is anthropocentric...

Words: 1347 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Cam Therpuetic Modalities

...CAM Therapeutic Modalities Mark Apelo SCI/201 November 12, 2011 Jennifer Kuo CAM Therapeutic Modalities Sickness is a challenge that every person has to go through. Conventional management is doubted regularly, while we search for alternative treatments for our illness. Many of us are pursuing preventative measures to avoid getting sick and to live a healthy life style and go beyond treating diseases. In search for a better way of staying healthy many are looking for other possibilities such as alternative or complementary medical treatment (CAM) options. Conventional medicine also known as allopathic treatment is therapies provided by Medical professional such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. It usually involves both invasive such as surgery or noninvasive procedures. This is the most common and popular choice for medical care in the United States hence it is called Western Medicine (Dosey & Keegan, 2013). There are other way of treating diseases and illness that are being used by many people. These are the nonconventional medicine such as CAM. Complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) are practices that falls under nonstandard medicine category; People with chronic disease use this form of treatment to alleviate pain, stress, anxiety and to feel more involve in their care. Although a further need of research to understand properly why patient turn to CAM for additional management of their chronic disease, however, researchers believed that culture and ethnicity...

Words: 1009 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Survey of Complementary and Alternative Medicines

...Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) describes a number of non-allopathic treatments which may or may not have benefit to the patient. According to "What Is Complimentary And Alternative Medicine"(2011),"Defining CAM is difficult, because the field is very broad and constantly changing. NCCAM defines CAM as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine”. According to"Types Of Complementary Medicine"(2009), "Complementary medicine is a nonstandard treatment or medicine that you use together with conventional treatment or medicine. For example, acupuncture, when used to treat nausea and vomiting that accompany chemotherapy or post-surgery pain, is a complementary therapy. Alternative medicine is a nonstandard treatment or medicine that you use instead of conventional medicine. If you use kava in place of prescription medicines such as benzodiazepines or tricyclic antidepressants to treat anxiety or depression, the kava is considered alternative medicine. Integrative medicine is, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a combination of standard medical therapies and complementary or alternative therapies about which there is scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness. As practitioners of conventional Western medicine pay more and closer attention to the benefits of many complementary and alternative therapies and determine how to...

Words: 1025 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Alternate Medicine

...Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s Effectiveness in Increasing Health Quality Alyson Dzierzynski HPA 18 Abstract Four articles in which complementary and alternative medicine was discussed. In this essay I discuss after reviewing the different articles a couple of things. The topic of the paper reviewed will be discussed, as well as the research question or the hypothesis. If there are any variables they are identified. The participants, the type of research (qualitative or quantitative), the data collection process and how the data was analyzed will be noted. The results of each article and each of their findings will be noted. Then, there will be a summary of the findings in the research, and it will be told whether or not the data supports or contradicts the hypothesis. The strengths and weaknesses in the articles reviewed will also be mentioned in the article review. An analysis of four articles was preformed in order to test Complimentary and Alternative Medicine’s Effective in Increasing Health Quality. The topic of the first paper was to establish why older Americans tend to use complementary and alternative medicines. In this article (Tait, Laditka, Laditka, Nies, Racine & Tsulukidze, 2013), there were a couple of hypotheses made based on four categories, conventional medicine was no help, treatments were too expensive, they were recommended by a healthcare provider and lastly, they were recommended by family, friends...

Words: 2668 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Alternate Medicine

...Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s Effectiveness in Increasing Health Quality Alyson Dzierzynski HPA 18 Abstract Four articles in which complementary and alternative medicine was discussed. In this essay I discuss after reviewing the different articles a couple of things. The topic of the paper reviewed will be discussed, as well as the research question or the hypothesis. If there are any variables they are identified. The participants, the type of research (qualitative or quantitative), the data collection process and how the data was analyzed will be noted. The results of each article and each of their findings will be noted. Then, there will be a summary of the findings in the research, and it will be told whether or not the data supports or contradicts the hypothesis. The strengths and weaknesses in the articles reviewed will also be mentioned in the article review. An analysis of four articles was preformed in order to test Complimentary and Alternative Medicine’s Effective in Increasing Health Quality. The topic of the first paper was to establish why older Americans tend to use complementary and alternative medicines. In this article (Tait, Laditka, Laditka, Nies, Racine & Tsulukidze, 2013), there were a couple of hypotheses made based on four categories, conventional medicine was no help, treatments were too expensive, they were recommended by a healthcare provider and lastly, they were recommended by family, friends, or...

Words: 2651 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Sci/201 Cam Therapies

...Credibility and Reliability of CAM Sources SCI/201 February 01, 2014 Credibility and Reliability of CAM Sources "The art of healing comes from nature and not from the physician. Therefore, the physician must start from nature with an open mind." (Paracelsus). Complementary and alternative medicine is a diverse group of medical and healthcare, practices, systems and products that are not considered conventional medicines. (“What is Complementary,” 2013.) When searching for information on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the credibility and reliability of the source is in question. How do individuals know if the information is true or fraudulent? Maintaining a professional website with scholarly articles and references from credible sources are a must in providing legitimate CAM knowledge via the World Wide Web. "Our emotions and thoughts are always accompanied by biochemical reactions in our bodies. Energy fields interact within an individual person, interact between one person and another, and between one person and the world in general. When we begin to appreciate ourselves as fields of energy with the ability to affect the quality of our own experience, we will be getting in touch with our innate ability to heal ourselves and create health every day of our lives." (Christiane Northrup, MD.) This quote was retrieved from Nancy Russell Energy Therapy. I find this CAM modality interesting and when searching for information I look for professionalism in a...

Words: 709 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sci 201 Cam Therapeutic Modalities Paper

...SCI 201 CAM Therapeutic Modalities Paper http://homeworkfy.com/downloads/sci-201-cam-therapeutic-modalities-paper/ To Get this Tutorial Copy & Paste above URL Into Your Browser Hit Us Email for Any Inquiry at: Homeworkfy@gmail.com Visit our Site for More Tutorials: (http://homeworkfy.com/ ) CAM Therapeutic Modalities Paper Resource: NCCAM website https://nccih.nih.gov Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper that describes an overview of CAM and its categories of treatments. Include the following: Compare and contrast conventional current regulations and oversights that exist in the United States with that of nonconventional medicine. Define the terms alternative, complementary, and integrative in relation to medicine and clarify how these terms are different. Describe how conventional medicine plays a role in these three terms. Examine the philosophy of CAM and how it relates to or is different from conventional Western medicine. Describe how NCCAM classifies Complementary Health Approaches. Select one CAM treatment therapy (modality) from among the complementary health approaches and describe it. Using one medical condition, describe how your chosen therapy can be used as an alternative, a complementary, or an integrative therapy for that specific medical condition. Include the results of scientific studies that show a clinical benefit from the example selected, if available. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Use at least two references besides...

Words: 373 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Modern Medical Practices vs. Alternative Health Practices

...Modern medical practices vs. Alternative health practices Robin Phillips English composition 1 Sarah MacDonald July 16, 2012 Modern medical practices vs. Alternative health practices With the countless illnesses of today, there are various options available in the health field to receive the care and treatment desired. Two of these choices are with the General practitioner and a Complementary & Alternative health practice. Comparably, both practices treat the same set of common illness’s or diseases such as pregnancy, childhood illnesses, common cold, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, injury, and anxiety; however, there are differences in the technique to treatments and healing methods, which should be considered in choosing the type of practice that best fits your needs. In order to discuss the similarities and differences between the two practices we must first define them. A general practitioner, that practices modern medicine is defined by Collins English Dictionary as “ a physician who does not specialize but has a medical practice (general practice) in which he deals with all illnesses” (2005); while Collinsenglishdictionary.com defines Complementary health as” also called: alternative medicine , the treatment, alleviation, or prevention of disease by such techniques as osteopathy, homeopathy, aromatherapy, and acupuncture, allied with attention to such factors as diet and emotional stability, which...

Words: 1287 - Pages: 6