#vcucamh3

As I am here reflecting on this course, I am so surprised at how much I have learned! At the beginning of this course I had absolutely no idea what CAM was. After reading a little about it and after the first chapter of “The Story,” I had an idea of what CAM is but still wasn’t sure what it means. The first article that I read about CAM gave examples and so I decided to explore those examples of therapies like animal assisted therapy. After doing research on these topics I have such a better understanding of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, as well as an interest in the topic. 

I really liked the structure of this course. I liked that grades were a result of your effort that you put into the course. I also liked that we had the freedom to write about anything we wanted related to CAM! To me that was the most fun part about this course! I also really enjoyed the animated storyline! I thought that was an interesting touch! 

I also liked the interaction with my fellow classmates. Every time that I got feedback from my peers on my posts, I was excited as well as eager to read their comments. I enjoyed reading other people’s posts and understanding their point of views. 

Recently, the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine changed its name to the National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health. I think that Integrative Health is more appropriate than Alternative Medicine because “alternative medicine” implies unconventional treatment, as opposed to “integrative,” which is conventional treatment and intends to unify separate forms of treatment. In this course I have learned about many different types of treatment and therapies such as animal-assisted therapy, tai-chi, yoga, acupuncture, reiki, and many more. All of these have different affects on the patient such as reducing stress and increasing happiness. With it being integrative instead of alternative, these therapies help in addition to other forms of treatment as opposed to instead of other treatments. 

Many of the ideas that I have learned about in this course such as Tai-chi, reiki and acupuncture originated in other countries but have been adapted to modern western medicine. All of the concepts that I have learned about and discussed in my blogs are currently being practice as part of western medicine. I think that there is a place for integrating CAM therapies because I believe that they increase the chances of the patience healing as well as wellbeing.  I think that the main challenge that integrating CAM therapies into mainstream western medicine will be the skepticism that will come with not knowing about the science or medical benefits of these practices, but once the public is educated and aware of these benefits I think that there wont be any other challenges. I have enjoyed learning about these different concepts and theories and look forward to going out and trying many of the practices that I wrote about throughout this course. 

While on my learning journey of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, I came across the topic of acupuncture.  I have heard about it before, but I know little to nothing about the topic. After doing some research, I learned quite a bit about acupuncture, and am excited to share! 

Acupuncture originated in China nearly 2500 years ago. The general concept of acupuncture is that there are patterns of energy flow throughout the body and a disruption of these patterns causes diseases. Acupuncture corrects the imbalances at points close to the skin. Studies suggest that acupuncture reduces vomiting, nausea, and dental pain after chemotherapy and post-operative. Acupuncture also helps with addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headaches, menstrual cramps, asthma, lower back pain, and many more. 

I was always skeptical about trying acupuncture, but now that I know more about it I would love to try it in the near future!

Listed below is a link to more information about acupuncture:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/acupuncture/basics/definition/prc-20020778

Whenever my roommate is upset about something, she always works out way more than she normally does. For her she feels immediately better while working out and after. I did some research to find out more about exercise and how it can be used as therapy as way to help with stress or mood. 

Research shows that exercise is crucial to the prevention, management and treatment of various chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and other medical problems. Physical activity also improves self-esteem. Endorphins are released during physical activity, which trigger positive feelings in the body. Endorphins lessen the perception of pain and also act as sedatives. Physical activity increases health by strengthening your heart, increasing energy levels, reducing depression, reducing stress, improving sleep, and boosting self-esteem. Now its a lot harder for me to come up with an excuse to skip cardio! 

More information on exercise as therapy can be found in the following link:

http://www.exerciseismedicine.org/

Recently I was talking to my grandmother about this class and explaining to her what this course is about. While talking about the different types of alternative therapies, she commented and said, “What about chocolate? I feel so much better when I eat chocolate! Can that be a type of therapy?” I thought to myself, “What a GREAT question!” And I began my research. 

The use of chocolate goes back to the Olmec civilization in Mesoamerica. Throughout the years, chocolate has had a negative connotation because of it’s fat content and negative association with obesity, but there are several health benefits of chocolate that are frequently overlooked. Chocolate helps with aging, stress, blood pressure regulation, lowering cholesterol levels, preventing cognitive decline, atherosclerosis (or arteriosclerotic vascular disease), as well as preventing other cardiovascular diseases. 

Research suggests that chocolate can reduce chances of stroke, as well as prevent memory decline. Chocolate is a delicious snack, and may satisfy our cravings and bring us joy, but also secretly helps lower the chances of the diseases listed above. Now you can feel less guilty when overindulging in chocolate! 

Below is a link to more information about the positive effects of chocolate:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3708337/

I have gotten several body massages at a few different places and thoroughly enjoyed them all! I love full body massages and I always feel 10 times better when I leave, than I felt when I walked in! I decided to learn more about massage therapy to get a better understanding of why I feel the way I do after a massage. 

I learned that the effects of massage therapy can help with pain and stress, but the effects are short term, so one would have to continue with massage therapy for it to be beneficial over time. Any licensed massage therapist can perform massage therapy with training in treating specific problems. This practice goes back to the Chinese from over 5000 years ago, but a neurologist in the United states brought massage therapy to the attention of the medical community around 1884. Massages help reduce pain and stress and are super enjoyable and relaxing in my opinion! I enjoy the Red Door Spa at Short Pump and would recommend it to everyone! 

Additional information about massage therapy can be found in the following link:

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/massage/massageintroduction.htm

So, the end has come. Today is the final day of my UNIV 291 class, Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Health, Hype or Hocus Pocus?

Final Post

Remember what CAM means? Let’s recap!

Complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM is a category of non-Western medicine or treatments that fall outside of mainstream medicine. The difference between complementary and alternative medicine is that complementary medicine is used together with mainstream medical care; whereas, alternative medicine is used instead of mainstream medical care. 

But what is integrative medicine? How does it apply to CAM?

Integrative medicine is when health care providers and facilities offer both types of care. In other words, it is basically combining Western medicine and CAM to form one big happy family called integrative medicine!

So, what is the point of recapping? How would this apply to future medicine?

Recently, the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) changed its name to the National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health (NCCIH). The article can be found here. According to the National Institute of Health, “the change is made to more accurately reflect the Center’s research commitment to studying promising health approaches already in use by the American public.“ The mission of NCCIH is to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, the usefulness and safety of complementary and integrative health interventions and their roles in improving health and health care (NCCIH). To read more about their mission and goals, click here.

From what I learned in this class, I think NCCIH changed their name in order to accurately inform the public of their scientific research on complementary and integrative medicine. As stated above, integrative medicine combines CAM and Western medicine. By changing their name, NCCIH clearly promotes not only the research of alternative medicine, but how CAM and Western medicine work together.

I learned how to connect modern Western medicine with CAM. For example: when my mother received a bone fusion operation, she still had to take pain medication since the surgery only reduce the pinched nerve. She seek complementary medicine such as acupuncture and chiropractic, in order to reduce the intake of pain medicine. Another example is my boyfriend who prefers doing yoga to help relieve soreness after going to the gym. He tells me all the time that yoga helps with his physical posture if he slightly injured himself when using the gym equipment.

I do feel there is a place for integrating CAM therapies because of how beneficial it is for people who are going through health issues. My mother is a very good example since she has been able to manage her condition for over 5 years now. As long as the patient is satisfied, the news will most likely spread about how CAM therapies can help others. Hopefully there will be more research about how to integrate CAM and Western medicine.

The main challenge I can see for integrating CAM therapies into mainstream Western medicine is if people are not well-educated, or did not do their research before trying CAM therapies. I think it is extremely important when trying anything new to do the research. Another challenge could be that the CAM therapies made a condition worst, which can lead to lawsuits or even death. This beings me back to research! Before seeing any practitioner, patients should make sure that the therapist is certified and educated. Just like purchasing a new laptop, do the research to make sure it accommodates your needs.

For the most part, all of my questions are answered in this class. I really did learn a lot from my own research as well as fellow peers and professor. It has been a really enjoyable summer course - didn’t even feel like work! I like how everything ties together and how many branches of medicine there is. In the end, it is all one giant tree! Thank you so much for reading and the lovely experience. :-)

Disclaimer: This was created by students for a class and is not intended to provide any medical advice.