Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Conventional medicine is medicine practiced by medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy and allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term given to approaches to health care that are outside the realm of conventional medicine.

Complementary medicine is treatment used in addition to the conventional therapies your doctor may prescribe. For example, you might use tai chi or massage in addition to prescription medicine for anxiety or aromatherapy could be used to help lessen a patient’s discomfort following surgery.

Alternative medicine refers to practices used instead of conventional methods. For instance, this might mean seeing a homeopath or naturopath instead of your regular doctor. What is considered alternative medicine constantly changes, as more and more treatments undergo rigorous study and are either proven to not be effective, or proven effective, and adopted into conventional health care.

Many CAM practitioners base their work around a few common principles, some being similar to those of the conventional doctor and others quite different. These basic philosophies include:

• Prevention: the key to good health. The best way to be healthy is to take steps to maintain/improve your health before you get sick.
• Your body has the ability to heal itself. Practitioners of alternative medicine see themselves as helpers. To them, treatment encourages your natural healing processes and your body does the healing work.
• Learning and healing go hand in hand. To the alternative medicine practitioner, you are the one who does the healing and they are teachers and mentors who offer guidance.
• Holistic care. Recognizing that physical health, mental well-being, relationships and spiritual needs are interconnected and play a part in your overall health, the focus is on treating you as a whole person.

Some health care providers practice both conventional medicine and CAM and, because they recognize that more than half of people try some kind of alternative treatment, conventional doctors are learning more about complementary and alternative medicine.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the Federal Government’s lead agency for scientific research on CAM. It is their mission to explore the healing practices of complementary and alternative medicine in the context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and distribute authoritative information to the public and professionals.

The NCCAM groups CAM practices into four domains and studies whole medical systems, which cut across all domains. Keep in mind that some techniques may fit in more than one domain, or category and some treatment systems may use techniques from more than one category.

Healing systems are complete sets of theories and practices, many of which were developed long before the conventional Western medicine that’s commonly used in the United States. A system isn’t a single practice or remedy, but many different practices that all center on a philosophy or lifestyle, such as the power of nature or the presence of energy in your body. Examples of CAM healing systems include:

• Homeopathy uses minute does of a substance that causes symptoms to stimulate the body’s self-healing response.
• Naturopathy focuses on noninvasive treatments to help your body do its own healing.
• Ayurveda incorporates treatments including meditation, yoga, massage, diet and herbs, emphasizing a unique cure for individual circumstances.
• Ancient medicines include American Indian, Chinese, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Tibetan practices.

Then there are four domains which are:

• Mind-body connection techniques which strengthen the harmony between mind and body.
• Dietary supplements and herbal remedies which use ingredients found in nature.
• Manipulation and touch methods use human touch to move or manipulate a specific part of your body.
• Energy therapies which are used to unblock or re-balance your energy force.

Even though some of these treatments sound promising and could be helpful, many have side effects and could have negative interactions with certain medications or health conditions. It is very important to consult with your doctor before combining complementary and alternative treatments with conventional treatment.

While conventional medicine relies on methods proven safe and effective with carefully designed trials and research, many complementary and alternative treatments lack that solid research on which to base sound decisions. The dangers and possible benefits of many of these treatments remain unproven, but there are studies currently under way to determine the safety and usefulness of many CAM practices.