...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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 medicine (CAM) is a term used to describe medical products and practices that are not part of conventional medicine used and practiced by western or allopathic medicine. Our conventional medicine is practiced by medical...
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...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 medicine utilized in adjunct to traditional care. Examples of complementary medicine include: acupuncture, hypnosis, yoga...
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...Complementary and Alternative Health Practices HLT 321 Marco Tassone Wilmington University Complementary and Alternative Health Practices Complementary and alternative medicine is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products not generally considered part of conventional medicine (Donatelle, 2015, p. 490). Although often used interchangeably, complementary medicine and alternative medicine are distinctly different. According to the Donatelle (2015), complementary medicine is a treatment used in conjunction with conventional medicine (p. 491). Conversely, alternative medicine is a treatment used in place of conventional medicines and medical practices (p. 491). Two examples of complementary medicinal practices include combining acupuncture treatments with prescription medication to reduce chronic pain and combining vitamin C supplements with antibiotics to boost immunity and rid the body of infection. When used correctly, complementary medicinal practices may offer a more integrative approach to healing (The Healing Benefits, 2015). According to the article “The Healing Benefits of Complimentary Medicine,” these practices are often used in conjunction with cancer patients to help ease the side effects that come from aggressive chemo and radiation therapy (The Healing Benefits, 2015). Some side effects that complimentary medicine works to combat include pain, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. Some complementary practices that doctors...
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...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" (NCCAM Clearinghouse, n.d.). Complementary medicine, unlike alternative medicine, is used in addition to conventional medicine. Conventional medicine plays a significant role in this case because it...
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...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...
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...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...
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...13, 2012 Alternative health care is a growing industry in medicine. Canada has one of the highest rate of their population seeking alternative medicine in the U. S. According to the National Population Health Survey by Statistics Canada (1998-99) found that 3.8 million Canadians aged 18 and over had consulted an alternative health care provider at least once during the previous 12 months. This is just one state out of 50 for the U.S. Imagine the popularity of this type of treatment being sought as medical attention for sicknesses. A definition frequently referenced in research comes from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in the United States. They define alternative medicine as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine (medicine as practiced by medical doctor or doctors of osteopathy and their allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses). Alternative health care is sometimes referred to as complementary and alternative health care. The terms “alternative” and ‘complementary” refer to using the same therapy in many different ways. That is, alternative refers to using a particular type of therapy instead of conventional treatment. Also complementary treatment is used along with conventional medicine. There are other terminology that can be used to describe alternative medicine which include;...
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...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...
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...Mediation Draft Complementary Medicine and its Future in Mainstream Health Care Apple founder Steve Jobs, a firm believer in alternative medicine, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003. According to Barrie Cassileth, chief of integrative medicine at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, “Steve Jobs’ faith in alternative medicine likely cost him his life” (Szabo 2). He had chosen to delay a much needed surgery to use alternative methods such as acupuncture, herbs and special diets. When he finally decided to have surgery, it was too late. He died in 2011, eight years after his diagnosis. Although this is a very extreme case for someone using alternative medicine instead of traditional western medicine, it is a fear many in the health care industry have for the growing popularity of its use. However, many other practitioners have stood by its use and claim that in most cases it can be very beneficial. The problem between these two opposing viewpoints is that there is no common ground between the two--for many practitioners it’s all or nothing. However, there is a new wave of healthcare that is gaining popularity in parts of the medical community, and it combines the two into what is called Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM). Instead of leaning more to one side of either spectrum of medicine, CAM tends to combine the scientifically proven methods of alternative medicine with those of the more trusted and traditional methods of conventional medicine. This is truly...
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...Complementary Health Practices Alternative and complementary medicine is common today due to the interest for more natural treatments and a healthier approach that rely more on natural elements and less chemical or pharmacological substances that are traditionally used in medicine. “Most complementary health approaches fall into one of two subgroups – natural products or mind and body practices.” (National Center for Complimentary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s in a name?, 2016) Complementary medicine may also help reduce the costs of treatments and decrease the use of medications with the use of therapies. It is very important to choose the right health professional and the most appropriate complementary natural product and/or...
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