Complementary and Alternative Medicine
alternative medicine.
Complementary medicine
• is alternative medicine used together with
conventional medical treatment, in a belief, not
proven by using scientific methods, that it increases
the effectiveness, or "complements", the treatment.
• Complementary medicine is treatments that are used
along with standard medical treatments but are not
considered to be standard treatments.
STANDARD MEDICAL CARE
• Standard medical care is medicine that is practiced by
health professionals who hold an M.D. (medical
doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degree.
• It is also practiced by other health professionals, such
as physical therapists, physician assistants,
psychologists, and registered nurses.
• Standard medicine may also be called biomedicine or
allopathic, Western, mainstream, orthodox, or regular
medicine. Some standard medical care practitioners
are also practitioners of CAM.
Alternative medicine
 is any of a wide range of health care practices,
products and therapies, which typically are not
included in the degree courses of established medical
schools teaching western medicine in the tradition of
the Flexner Report or similar.
 Alternative medicine is treatments that are used
instead of standard medical treatments.
 One example is using a special diet to treat cancer
instead of anticancer drugs that are prescribed by an
oncologist.
 Examples include homeopathy, Ayurveda,
chiropractic and acupuncture.
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
(CAM)
• CAM is the abbreviation for Complementary and
• Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is
the term for medical products and practices that are
not part of standard medical care.
• CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care
systems, practices, and products that are not generally
considered part of conventional medicine.
• Complementary medicine is used together with
conventional medicine, and alternative medicine is
used in place of conventional medicine.
• Integrative medicine combines conventional and
CAM treatments for which there is evidence of safety
and effectiveness.
HISTORY
• In December 2008, the National Center for
Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and
the National Center for Health Statistics (part of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) released
new findings on Americans' use of complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM).
• The findings are from the 2007 National Health
Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual in-person survey
of Americans regarding their health- and illness-
related experiences.
• The CAM section gathered information on 23,393
adults aged 18 years or older and 9,417 children aged
17 years and under. A similar CAM section was
included in the 2002 NHIS, providing the opportunity
to examine trends in CAM use, too.
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
• Integrative medicine is a total approach to medical
care that combines standard medicine with the CAM
practices that have been shown to be safe and
effective. They treat the patient's mind, body, and
spirit
• Integrative medicine (or integrative health) is the
combination of the practices and methods of
alternative medicine with evidence-based medicine
FIVE BROAD CATEGORIES
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 include:
– Acupuncture
– Ayurveda
– Homeopathy
– Native American healing practices
– Naturopathic medicine
– Tibetan medicine
– Traditional Chinese medicine
• Traditional Chinese medicine and the Ayurvedic
medicine of India are complex systems developed
over thousands of years, both based on regional
supernatural belief systems and traditional use of
herbs and other substances.
• Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese
medicine in which needles are inserted in the body to
alter the flow of supernatural energy believed to
propel the blood and influence health.
• Homeopathy was developed in Europe before the
existence of science of chemistry, which has
subsequently proven the premises of homeopathy to
be false.
• Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine is a form
of alternative medicine employing a wide array of
"natural" modalities, including homeopathy,
herbalism, and acupuncture
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)- is a broad
range of medicine practices sharing common
concepts which have been developed in China and
are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years,
including various forms of herbal
medicine, acupuncture, massage (Tui na), exercise
(qigong), and dietary therapy.
• Traditional Tibetan medicine- also known
as Sowa-Rigpa medicine, is a centuries-old
traditional medical system that employs a complex
approach to diagnosis, incorporating techniques such
as pulse analysis and urinalysis, and utilizes behavior
and dietary modification, medicines composed of
natural materials (e.g., herbs and minerals) and
physical therapies (e.g. Tibetan
acupuncture, moxabustion, etc.) to treat illness.
Native American Tools and Traditions
• Animal Totems: The appearance of birds and
animals, either in reality or dreamtime, are
considered to be totem messengers offering spiritual
guidance.
• Sweat Lodges: The Native American sweat lodge or
purification ritual cleans and heals the body, mind,
and spirit.
 
• Dreamcatchers: The earliest dreamcatchers (sacred
hoops) were crafted for children to protect them from
nightmares.
• Feather Fetishes: Fetishes are sacred objects used as a
tool to facilitate an awakening into your whole self,
used in prayer, or utilized for protection and healing.
• Prayer Ties: Prayer ties are offered to The Great
Spirit in exchange for blessings.
• Smudge Sticks: Using a smoking smudge wand for
purification is part of many Native American
traditions.
• Ceremonial Peace Pipes: The Native American pipe
is smoked in a ceremonial or ritual to call upon
the four elements and give an offering to the Great
Spirit.
• Curanderismo: Blending and evolution of Native and
Hispanic healing techniques involving herbs, sweats,
diet, and magic.
• Medicine Wheels: Each direction of the medicine
wheel offers its own lessons, color association,
and animal spirit guide.
• Talking Sticks: Passing the talking stick from speaker
to speaker is a respectful way to communicate and
share opinions. This tradition is especially helpful in
keeping disagreements from getting out of hand.
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 alternative in
the past have become mainstream (for example,
patient support groups and cognitive-behavioral
therapy).
Other mind-body techniques are still considered
alternative, including:
– Art therapy
– Biofeedback
– Dance therapy
 – Guided imagery
– Humor therapy
– Hypnotherapy
– Meditation
– Music therapy
– Prayer therapy
– Yoga
• Biofeedback - is a technique that trains people to
improve their health by controlling certain bodily
processes that normally happen involuntarily, such as
heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and skin
temperature.
• Guided Imagery -  is a mind-body intervention by
which a trained practitioner helps a patient to evoke
and generate mental images that simulate or re-create
the sensory perception of sights, sounds, tastes,
smells, movements, and images associated
with touch, such as texture, temperature,
and pressure, as well
as imaginative or mental content that the participant
or patient experiences as defying
conventional sensory categories, and that may
precipitate strong emotions or feelings
• Hypnotherapy - is a type of complementary therapy
that uses hypnosis, which is an altered state of
consciousness. Hypnosis is widely promoted as a
treatment for various long-term conditions and for
breaking certain habits.
3) Biologically-Based Therapies
• Biologically based therapies in complementary and
alternative medicine use substances found in nature,
such as herbs, foods, and vitamins. Some examples
include:
– Diet
– Dietary supplements
– Herbal products
– Megavitamins
It also includes 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
complementary and alternative medicine are based on
manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts
of the body. Some examples include:
– Acupressure
– Alexander Technique
– Chiropractic
– Feldenkrais Method
– Massage therapy
– Osteopathy
– Reflexology
– Rolfing
– Therapeutic Touch
– Trager Approach
• Acupressure (a blend of "acupuncture" and
"pressure") is an alternative medicine technique
derived from acupuncture. In acupressure physical
pressure is applied to acupuncture points by the hand,
elbow, or with various devices.
• The Alexander technique, named after Frederick
Matthias Alexander, teaches people how to avoid
unnecessary muscular and mental tension during their
everyday activities. It is an educational process rather
than a relaxation technique or form of exercise
• Chiropractic manipulation of the spine was
developed in the United States, and involves
manipulating the spine to influence supernatural
energies believed to cause disease.
• Feldenkrais Method - aims to reduce pain or
limitations in movement, to improve physical
function, and to promote general wellbeing by
increasing students' awareness of themselves and by
expanding students' movement repertoire.(somatic
education)
• Reflexology is an alternative medicine involving
application of pressure to the feet and hands with
specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques without
the use of oil or lotion.
• Rolfing is a "holistic system of soft tissue
manipulation and movement education that
organize(s) the whole body in gravity". Dr. Ida Rolf
pioneered the highly skilled technique of
manipulating the body's connective tissues in order to
release stress patterns within the human form. This
leads to improved posture and facilitates the greatest
ease of movement each individual can achieve.
• The Trager approach is a form of somatic
education. Proponents claim the Trager Approach
helps release deep-seated physical and mental
patterns and facilitates deep relaxation, increased
physical mobility, and mental clarity.
5) Energy Therapies
Energy therapies involve the use of energy fields.
They are of two types:
• Bio field 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 bio fields by applying pressure
and/or manipulating the body by placing the hands in,
or through, these fields. Examples include:
 – Qi gong
– Reiki
– Therapeutic Touch

• Bio electromagnetic-based therapies involve the

unconventional use of electromagnetic fields, such
as:
– Pulsed fields
– Magnetic fields
– Alternating-current or direct-current fields

• Qi gong - is an ancient Chinese health care system

that integrates physical postures, breathing
techniques and focused intention. The word Qi
gong (Chi Kung) is made up of two Chinese
words. Qi is pronounced Chee and is usually
translated to mean the life force or vital-energy that
flows through all things in the universe.
• Reiki - a healing technique based on the principle
that the therapist can channel energy into the patient
by means of touch, to activate the natural healing
processes of the patient's body and restore physical
and emotional well-being.