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Complementary and Alternative Medicine
1
Complementary and alternative medicine
(CAM), as defined by National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), is a group of
diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are
not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.2,3
Complementary and alternative medicine often plays an important
role in the holistic approach to health.
There is
some traditional scientific evidence for certain CAM therapies.
However, according to NCCAM, for most
there are questions that are yet to be answered through well-designed
scientific studies. In general the questions focus on the safety of CAM therapies
and their efficacy (i.e., whether they work or not for the diseases or medical conditions for which they
are used).
The list of what is considered to be CAM changes continually, as the
therapies that are proven to be safe and effective become adopted into
conventional health care and as new approaches to health care emerge.
Certainly, the rise of interest in a holistic approach to health has
coincided with an increase in interest concerning alternative medicines
and therapies.
Questions and Answers
Q.
Are complementary medicine and alternative medicine different from each
other?
A.
Yes, they are different.
1. Complementary medicine is used together with conventional
medicine. An example of a complementary therapy is using aromatherapy to
help lessen a patient's discomfort following surgery.
2. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional
medicine. 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.
Q.
What is integrative medicine?
A. Integrative medicine, as defined by NCCAM, combines mainstream medical
therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality
scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness.
Q.
What are the major types of complementary and alternative medicine?
A.
NCCAM classifies CAM therapies into five categories, or domains:
1. Alternative Medical Systems
Alternative medical systems are built upon complete systems of theory and
practice. Often, these systems have evolved apart from and earlier than
the conventional medical approach used in the United States. Examples of
alternative medical systems that have developed in Western cultures
include homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine. Examples of
systems that have developed in non-Western cultures include traditional
Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.
2. Mind-Body Interventions
Mind-body medicine uses a variety of techniques designed to enhance the
mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms. Some techniques
that were considered CAM in the past have become mainstream (for example,
patient support groups and cognitive-behavioral therapy). Other mind-body
techniques are still considered CAM, including meditation, prayer, mental
healing, and therapies that use creative outlets such as art, music, or
dance.
3. Biologically Based Therapies
Biologically based therapies in CAM use substances found in nature, such
as herbs, foods, and vitamins. Some examples include dietary supplements,4
herbal products, and the use of other so-called natural but as yet
scientifically unproven therapies (for example, using shark cartilage to
treat cancer).
4. Manipulative and Body-Based Methods
Manipulative and body-based methods in CAM are based on manipulation
and/or movement of one or more parts of the body. Some examples include
chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, and massage.
5. Energy Therapies
Energy therapies involve the use of energy fields. They are of two types:
a. Biofield therapies are intended to affect energy fields
that purportedly surround and penetrate the human body. The existence of
such fields has not yet been scientifically proven. Some forms of energy
therapy manipulate biofields by applying pressure and/or manipulating the
body by placing the hands in, or through, these fields. Examples include
qi gong, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch.
b. Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies involve the
unconventional use of electromagnetic fields, such as pulsed fields,
magnetic fields, or alternating-current or direct-current fields.
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Notes
1. Information on this page has been adapted from source material on the website of the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine.
2 Conventional medicine is medicine as practiced by holders of M.D.
(medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and by their
allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists,
and registered nurses. Other terms for conventional medicine include
allopathy; Western, mainstream, orthodox, and regular medicine; and
biomedicine. Some conventional medical practitioners are also
practitioners of CAM.
3 Other terms for complementary and alternative medicine include
unconventional, non-conventional, unproven, and irregular medicine or
health care.
4 Some uses of dietary supplements have been incorporated into
conventional medicine. For example, scientists have found that folic acid
prevents certain birth defects and that a regimen of vitamins and zinc can
slow the progression of an eye disease called age-related macular
degeneration (AMD).
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