Introduction
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in complementary medicine, and indeed alternative medicine (Lee-Treweek 2002, Andrews 2004, Barry 2006). Moreover the number of professionally trained therapist and practitioners has increased giving the patient/client a better choice and at more competitive rates (Smallwood, 2005).
In this essay a critical assessment of the view that ‘patients use of complementary and alternative medicine, can be understood as part of the individualisation of responsibility for health’ will be made and argued, that there are many aspects which influence the uptake of such therapies. Responsibility for health has changed and this will be discussed by examples of sociological theories. Medical sociologists have been previously concerned with illness rather than health. Functionalists such as Parsons (1951) suggested illness was a deviance and had the effect of disruption on society which had to be controlled. He used the sick note to illustrate that the sick person was excused from performing normally, but this had to be kept to a minimum and the sick person had to want to get better. The function of the medical profession was to socially control the use of the sick note to those genuinely sick (Webb, Westergaard, 2004). However in today society the working person aims to keep working during some illnesses or at least limit the time spent away from work. To do this it involves taking some responsibility for keeping healthy and reducing the time actually being ill. Therefore by choosing to use CAM and alternative medicine, it could provide an additional method which may combat illness and help speed up recovery (Lett, 2000).
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...t approach of dictating the direction the Nation Health Service should follow. This caused a vast change in how services were delivered, with cost influencing many decisions. Clinical governance emerged in the late 1990’s when New Labour took power, and evidence based practise became the norm. Netteleton (2010) likens clinical governance to Foucault’s term of ‘governmentality’ whereby collective objectives are kept in check. Evidence- based practise is an aspect that has been the most difficult for CAM and alternative practises to combine with, as measuring and gathering quality evidence is difficult to obtain. The integration into conventional health care will depend upon finding a balance between the two disciplines. However if individualism proves to favour CAM and alternative methods then social pressure may yield quicker than the academic struggle.
Joos S.,(2008). The role of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Germany - a focus group study of GPs. BMC Health Services Research,8,127–140.Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2442431/
Ernst, E. (2001) The Desktop Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine an evidence-based approach, 1st edition, Harcourt Publishers Limited, London, pp 48-49
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a treatment or cure that is given additionally along with doctor’s care. There are many different CAMs such as acupuncture, hypnosis, yoga, massage and herbal therapy. They are very popular in Asia, especially among Chinese communities. However, the use of CAM is very limited in the health care system of many Western countries, including Canada, due to several reasons. In my point of view, it should be formally recognized and provided as a part of mainstream health care system. Firstly, people nowadays would prefer complementary and alternative medicine rather than conventional medicine. Secondly, the altitude of healthcare professionals has changed a lot, most of young physicians are now considering the use of CAMs into their practice. Finally, the government needs to regulate some of the CAM treatments so in order to promote the use of CAMs and create a better healthcare system.
An ancient Chinese proverb proclaims, "Nature, time and patience are the three great doctors". Nowadays more and more people choose to be treated by methods that are not based on Western systematic techniques that are the knowledge and practice of medicine which is usual in the West. These methods are known as “Alternative medicine”, which consists of homeopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, chiropractic medicine and others. Chinese medicine is also gaining popularity among people. The alternative way of treatment has verified its efficiency and is methodically founded, but, unfortunately, has its little disadvantages and needs a scientific base. For that reason, the alternative medicine is not generally available in all countries, and people have to pay for their individual treatment. Whereas some people consider it an ambiguity and do not dare try it because they consider it might be quite dangerous or insecure, some others just think about it as nonsense and pay little or no attention to it. People who feel anxious or doubtful of it claim that if non-traditional medicine had really worked, then appropriate doctors would have used it. Nevertheless, since the early 1980s, the alternative medicine has become increasingly popular, and although it is not officially accepted by the medical base, some doctors do accept that such methods can be effective in treating some types of illnesses. Moreover, usual medicine has its boundaries, since some illnesses are untreatable and some others which are caused by mental troubles cannot be cured by its methods (Kowalski, 1998).
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has been around for centuries. It is said to have spanned almost the entire history of man. From primitive medicine, mythology, and folklore of ancient times to the traditional Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic systems of medicine, CAM therapies have a broad and captivating past that extends well beyond American medical history (The History of CAM, 2003). CAM is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard care. Complimentary medicine is used in conjunction with conventional medical practices. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medical practices. For the projected hundreds of thousands of people that will develop cancer this year, the majority of them will experience cancer related pain. On average seventy-five to ninety percent of cancer patients will feel pain, whether it is pain from a tumor pushing on the surrounding tissue or bone, pain from cancer related treatments, or pain from cancer related surgeries. A growing number of these patients will turn to complementary and alternative therapies to assist with the management of their pain and other cancer-related symptoms. The World Health Organization's suggested approach to pain management begins with the time-honored use of opioids, but recommends the use of adjuvant therapies early in the management process. More patients are using complementary and alternative therapies each year to assist with the management of their pain. Practitioners and researchers must be aware of the evidence that exists to support or refute the use of these therapies (Runnin...
Nowadays, complementary alternative medicine is very popular in the United States. It is widely used by adults and children. National health statistic reports done in 2007 shows that 38.3% of adults and 11.8% of children use some form of alternative medicine (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). But why is this happening? Why is it becoming so popular? Why are more people turning to it? Many times, this is because conventional medicine has not work and they want to try an alternative. That is the case of the author of this paper.
Easthope, G., 2005. Alternative Medicines. In: Germov, ed. An Introduction to Health Sociology. Melbourne :Oxford University Press, pp. 332-348.
My topic is about how holistic medicine is used. I became interested in this topic because all I knew about medicine was the modern western practices. As an occupation when I am older I would like to go into the medical field. This influenced me to want learn about what other medical treatments were used and then I learn what holistic medicine is. All I know about holistic medicine is that it is an alternative form of healing and incorporates the entire person. Also, I know that there are many different natural treatments that are incorporated into holistic remedies including acupuncture. Through my research I am planning on discovering what holistic medicine is, what holistic practitioners believe, what different treatments there are, what one must to do become a holistic specialist, and what the different factors that are included in holistic medicine.
Complementary and alternative therapies are relatively new and essential options in health care, they help to increase the quality of life of patients and provide them with numerous possibilities to ensure growth of their health, beyond current medicine. Recently, these therapies, such as massage therapy and acupuncture, have become more prevalent in research. Consequently, their substitution with standard medicine in the healthcare system has been supported by the literature. The literature that supports these methods has explored why complementary therapies are needed, the different and distinct features of each therapy, and they also examine the education and knowledge those implementing the services must have. To accurately analyze if complementary and alternative therapies are valuable to the health care system, this paper will aim to learn why they are becoming predominant and why nurses should use these therapies’ to assist in improving the health of individuals. To determine the main attributes of these therapies, a variety of resources that extensively discuss complementary and alternative therapies will be examined and the paper will also examine the benefits and weaknesses they have on improving health. Lastly, this paper will aim to determine if these services should be implemented by nurses as alternative options for their patients, as nurses should have substantial knowledge pertaining to implementing these therapies.
For many centuries, humanity has been on an eternal quest for cures and treatments for many chronic conditions. At the present time, conventional medicine is mostly performed by doctors and other health care professionals, with the extensive use of pharmaceutical drugs, surgery or radiation treatments for disease treatment. Conversely, even though not as popular, complementary and alternative medicine and treatment options are slowly gaining popularity and becoming an addition to traditional medicine.
In today’s world, many people assume that the latest medical technology and treatments are always the best option. However, all over the world, different techniques for curing diseases and aliments are being used. These methods fall under the category of complementary and alternative medicine.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is slowly becoming better known all over the world. CAM encompasses various types of therapies, such as yoga, reflexology, chiropractic therapy, herbal therapy, ayurveda, meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, homeopathy, acupuncture, etc. The evidenced-based research, recognition of disconnect between patients and also the positive and negative aspects of CAM modalities are reasons behind the increased attention it has gained in medicals schools all over the United States. (Hart, 2009, p. 287).
These alternative treatments include acupuncture, meditation, and therapy among many others.There is growing evidence that the desire for alternative medicine is expanding because people undergoing procedures in today’s health care system has had unmet needs as well as feelings of being uncared for (Acari & Flanagan, 2015). Alternative medicine is able to provide patients with treatments that provide relief for hard to cure problems such as back pain, neck pain, and arthritis. Many of these alternative treatments have been shown to be successful for various problems. The use of complimentary and alternative medicine as well as the open ended communication that holistic nursing provides is gaining popularity from patients who are fed up with traditional care and hospital
Broom, D.H. and Woodward, R.V. (1996) ‘Medicalisation reconsidered: toward a collaborative approach to care’ in Sociology of Health and Illness, 18, 3: 357-378.
You live life how it is, you wake up go to work or school. You eat food and drink water. Then once you touch a doorknob to open the door, but you don’t know that the door knob was previously touched by a person who coughed into his hands. You get sick with a minor flu and a fever, so what is next? Do you go to your doctor knowing she can only see you in like two weeks? She is really busy being a professional in medicine and health. Do you go to the hospital, but is your 5 day flu really an emergency? Or do you just go to the closest CVS and buy Tylenol? Well, 30 percent of adults use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). CAM is a term describing health and wellness therapies. These typical therapies are not part of the