Alternative medical practices, complementary

Complementary and alternative medicines A group of practices and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, including alternative medical systems (e.g., homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine), mind-body interventions (e.g., meditation and mental healing), biologically-based therapies (e.g., dietary supplements, vitamins, herbs, and other natural products), manipulative body-based methods (e.g., acupuncture and massage), and energy therapies (e.g., therapeutic touch and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies). 

As the popularity of new botanical products increases, they are used in concurrence with modern and traditional medicine—a practice known as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). A survey in the United States shows an increase of CAM use from 34% to 42% of the population in 1997 (Eisenberg et al 1998). The same report estimated Americans spent some 5.1 billion on herbal medicines (in a 20 billion global market) and another 27 billion on alternative medical treatments (Eisenberg et al 1998 Dev, 1997,1999). 

Often called complementary and alternative medicine, this group of medical practices has also been termed unconventional, unorthodox, unproven, and even quackery. Because these terms have significant negative connotations, terms such as alternative medicine are preferred. Alternative medicine is not one form of medicine, but rather a diverse group of health practices that are outside of what is considered usual or conventional by the medical establishment. Alternative medicine spans the range of practices, from home remedies to manufactured products, from patient self-treatment to care by a skilled practitioner, from efficacious to potentially dangerous. Specific definitions of more common alternative medicine practices used in the United States are listed in Table 1. ... 

The fear has been expressed that with the increased interest in alternative medicine, we [shall] see a reversion to irrational approaches to medical practice (28). The only way to minimize incompetence is proper education and training, combined with responsible regulatory control. While training and control are self-evident features of mainstream medicine they are often not fully incorporated in complementary medicine. Thus the issue of indirect health risk is particularly pertinent to complementary medicine. Whenever complementary practitioners take full responsibility for a patient, this should be matched with full medical competence if on the other hand, competence is not demonstrably complete, the practitioner in question should not assume full responsibility (29). 

Figure 1 Five major CAM domains. NCCAM defines complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices as those not presently considered an integral part of conventional medicine. As CAM modalities are proven safe and effective, they may become adopted into mainstream medical practice. The five areas shown in the schematic represent but one way to array CAM approaches. Examples in each area are provided below (see NCCAM strategic plan at http //www.nccam.nih.gov for more details) ... 

Some of the therapies mentioned in the BMA Report are complementary in that they can be used in conjunction with orthodox treatments. For example, chiropractic, osteopathy, reflexology, Shiatsu and the Alexander technique all involve manipulation of muscle and bones and could be used to complement NSAID-based treatment. Others are genuinely alternatives which attempt to replace orthodox medicines, e.g. herbalism and homoeopathy, while some, e.g. acupuncture, are being assimilated into conventional medical practice. This chapter concentrates on those therapies which rely heavily on the use of plant materials and attempts to explain the basis of the therapy and provide examples of the plants used. In particular, the interrelationship between herbalism, herbal medicines and the phytotherapeutic use of plants, described in Chapter VI, is explored. 

Most alternative approaches are frequently defined as any medical practice or intervention that lacks sufficient documentation with regard to its safety and effectiveness against certain diseases and conditions. Today, complementary approaches need to be mixed with complementary approaches. Many practitioners today prefer to use the word complementary as opposed to alternative approaches so traditional and alternative can be used in conjunction (Zahourek, 1999). 

Complementary and alternative medicine CAM. Forms of treatment that are used in addition to (complementary) or instead of (alternative) standard treatments. These practices are not considered standard medical approaches. CAM includes dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. [NIH]... 

Because of the interest in and popularity of alternative and complementary medicines and healing practices, the scientific method is being applied to a wide variety of these remedies. Different types of studies seek to establish if and how individual, alternative medicines exert their effect. Clinical trials are being conducted to compare a specific alternative medicines with the accepted conventional medical standard of care for a specific condition thus, for example, an herbal extract may be compared with a pharmaceutical-grade drug to demonstrate unequivocally the safety and effectiveness of a product or practice. However, complementary and alternative medicine has only recently been deemed worthy of scientific scrutiny (for decades many natural remedies and practices were dismissed outright as being obviously inferior to Western science-based medicine), and many alternative therapies have not yet been... 

It is hoped that aromatherapists do not try to convince their patients of a cure, especially in the case of serious ailments such as cancer, which often recede naturally for a time on their own. Conventional treatment should always be advised in the rst instance and retained during aromatherapy treatment with the consent of the patient s primary health care physician or consultant. Aromatherapy can provide a useful complementary medical service both in healthcare settings and in private practice and should not be allowed to become listed as a bogus cure in alternative medicine. 

A wide variety of medical practitioners uses herbology. In addition to traditional herbalists, medical herbahsts, natural healers, holistic medical doctors, naturopaths, and practitioners of alternative medicine (such as traditional Chinese medicine) use herbs. In a practice called complementary medicine, some conventional doctors and other medical professionals treat patients using herbology and other alternative therapies in addition to conventional Western medicine. According to the National Institutes of Health, in 2007, more than 38 percent of adults in the United States reported using complementary or alternative medicine, including herbs. 

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