Writing Notes: Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Many different areas make up the practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
In addition, many parts of one field may overlap with the parts of another field.
For example, acupuncture is also used in conventional medicine.
Traditional alternative medicine. This field includes the more mainstream and accepted forms of therapy, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and Oriental practices. These have been practiced for centuries worldwide. May include:
Chinese or Oriental medicine
Body therapies. Touch has been used in medicine since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is based on the idea that illness or injury in one area of the body can affect all parts of the body. If, with manual manipulation, the other parts can be brought back to optimum health, the body can fully focus on healing at the site of injury or illness. Body techniques are often combined with those of the mind. Examples include:
Chiropractic and osteopathic medicine
Dietary and herbal approaches. Over the centuries, man has gone from a simple diet consisting of meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains, to a diet that often consists of foods rich in fats, oils, and complex carbohydrates. Nutritional excess and deficiency have become problems in today's society, both leading to certain chronic diseases. Many dietary and herbal approaches attempt to balance the body's nutritional well-being. This may include:
External energy therapy. Some people believe external energies from objects or other sources directly affect a person's health. Some examples:
Mind. Standard or conventional medicine recognizes the power of the connection between mind and body. Studies have found that people heal better if they have good emotional and mental health. Therapies using the mind may include:
Senses. Some people believe the senses, touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste, can affect overall health. Examples of therapies incorporating the senses include:
Visualization and guided imagery
Alternative medicine - products or practices developed outside of mainstream Western, or conventional, medicine, but they are used in place of conventional medicine.
Complementary health approaches - include a broad range of practices, interventions, and natural products, which are not typically part of conventional medical care, or which may have origins outside of usual Western practice. Complementary health approaches can be roughly divided into two major groupsâmind and body practices, and natural products.
Holistic - (sometimes spelled wholistic) often refers to the treatment of the whole personâbody, mind, emotions, and spiritâto achieve wellness and good health. People who practice holistic medicine may use conventional medications to treat a personâs ailment, but they will take into consideration other factors such as sleep habits, lifestyle, stress, and diet to improve health and relieve symptoms.
Homeopathic medicine - an alternative medical system that was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago and is based in part on the principle called âlaw of minimum dose,â which is the notion that the lower the dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness. Many homeopathic remedies are so diluted that no molecules of the original substance remain; however, some products labeled as âhomeopathicâ can contain substantial amounts of active ingredients and therefore could cause side effects and drug interactions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers about different products labeled as homeopathic.
Natural - when it comes to medicine, there is no official definition for use of the term natural. And itâs important to know that a medicinal product labeled natural does not always mean safe. For example, the herbs comfrey and kava may be considered natural products, but they can cause serious harm to the liver. An herbal or botanical supplement labeled natural may contain dozens of chemical compounds and all of its individual components may not be known.
Naturopathic medicine - a medical system that has evolved from a combination of traditional practices and health care approaches popular in Europe during the 19th century. In the United States, naturopathic practitioners use many different treatment approaches, including dietary and lifestyle changes, stress reduction or relaxation techniques, herbs or botanicals, dietary supplements, and other natural products, homeopathy, manipulative therapies, counseling, conventional medicine, and others.
Sources: 1 2 â More: Notes & References â Writing Resources PDFs
