Complementary and Alternative Medicine
There is a renewed interest in complementary and alternative medicine because of the benefits associated with its use. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is defined as a “group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) identified two subgroups of therapies: natural products and mind-and-body practices which are then classified in five categories: biological based, mind-body therapies, manipulative and body-based therapies, energy therapies, and systems of care (Kramlich, 2014). “According
Conventional drug therapy includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, and corticosteroid injections. However, many older adults do not experience any pain relief from these medications and result in serious side effects, such as liver damage, ulcers, and gastrointestinal bleeding, heart attack, and stroke. Older adults, 5.2 percent, are using complementary approaches for joint stiffness and 3.5 percent for arthritis (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2014). Dietary supplements used by older adults are glucosamine and chondroitin
“Acupuncture has been considered a viable adjunct therapy of symptoms of knee osteoarthritis” (Siddiqui et al, 2014, p. 16). It is considered to be one of the most popular sensory stimulation therapies that involves inserting and manipulating fine needles to stimulate specific anatomic points to facilitate recovery of health (Wang, 2013). According to Wang (2013), it is estimated that 3 million adults are using acupuncture for treatment of chronic pain and most recently with OA. As Siddiqui et al (2014) discussed how multiple studies have proved that acupuncture had significant reduction of pain and mobility, primarily in knees and hip, greater than pharmacological treatment group with
Papas, E., & Cluxton, R. J. (2011). Vitamin D: beneficial for pain, fracture, and falls in long-term care residents?. Annals of long term care, 19(5), 33-36.
Osteoarthritis is not a curable condition, but it can be treated using both pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods. Mild analgesics are a common form of treatment for OA, including Acetaminophen and NSAIDs, taking into consideration other co-morbidities that may be present. It is recommended that adults over 75 years of age utilize topical NSAIDs rather than oral for treatment of the pain (Tugwell et al, 2012). Research by A...
Arthritis affects people of all age groups. More than 100 types of arthritis are known. Among these osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis having the highest incidence. One of the major causes of chronic debilitation in industrialized nations is Osteoarthritis which results from damage to the joints, which may be due to trauma, infection, or age-related wear. Rheumatoid arthritis is encountered less frequently than osteoarthritis and is estimated to affect around one per cent of the world’s population. Amongst patients of Rheumatoid arthritis, women are three times more likely to be affected by this condition than men. This condition is caused by an inflammatory process where the body starts attacking itself. Rheumatoid arthritis also affects several joints, with inflammation sometimes seen in and around the lungs, the heart, the eyes and the skin. The most commonly reported complaint by arthritis patients is pain. The pain might be from the joint itself and be a result of inflammation, damage from the disease, or through daily wear and tear. Muscle pain is also common and is caused by having to force movements against stiff and painful joints. Although range of movement in the affected joint may be limited and uncomfortable, physical exercise has been shown to benefit those with arthritis. Physical therapy has been shown to significantly improve function, decrease pain in the long term and delay the need for surgery in advanced cases. The majority of arthritis cases occur among theelderly, however the disease can occur in children as well. Over 70% of the population that get affected by arthritis in North America are over the age of 65 (4). The disease occurs more commonly in females than males in all races, age groups, and ethn...
Mendelson G, Selwood TS, Kranz H, Loh TS, Kidson MA, Scott Ds. (1983). Acupuncture treatment of chronic back pain. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Medicine, 741), 49-55.
Complementary and alternative treatments are identified as a group of medical and healing systems different from the traditional ones. This type of approach centers on individualized treatment for the patient, treats the body as a whole, and promotes self healing and search for the spiritual nature of each individual. One of the crucial points that conventional and alternative medicine have in common is the awareness on good nutrition and the promotion of preventive care (White House Commission, 2014).
Thesis: The use of alternative medicine in autistic kids should include medical supervision in order to avoid overdosing, internal bleeding, and organ failure.
Most of the time when going to the doctor’s office they will prescribe a prescription drug to the patient to help manage their pain. This pain can be described as a “sensation of physical or mental suffering or hurt that usually causes distress or agony to the one experiencing it.” (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, and Lynn, 2011) However, there are some instances where medication may not be enough for some patients; they may require more relief than what a prescription drug can offer. This is why many patients may benefit from complementary and alternative therapies (CAT). These types of interventions are “complementary therapies (they can be used with traditional medical interventions and thus complement them).” (Taylor et al., 2011)
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
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.
As we grow older our bodies begin to degenerate, and stop working. There are many different kinds of diseases that we are subject to as we age, cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, and many others. All have a negative affect on our lives, making it difficult to function. Arthritis is the second leading chronic disease in the United States.
According to Sandra Augustyn Lawton in Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Teens, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can be defined as “a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine” (Lawton, 2007, p.3). Although complementary and alternative medicines are often interpreted as the same thing, complementary methods are used in coordination with conventional methods and alternative methods are used in place of conventional methods of medicine (Lawton, 2007, p.3). Another method used is integrative medicine, which uses conventional medicine and CAM together because there is proven scientific evidence to support that the treatment plan is safe and effective (Lawton, 2007, p.3). Complementary and alternative medicines are used throughout the world in many different countries, some more specifically than others.
Acupuncture doesn’t allow people to get ahead of themselves like Victor did; the way of thinking brought about is that of a natural sense. The techniques of the alternative medicine allow people to remember how magnificent and sacred the human body is and realize that it cannot be created through lab work or perfected through medicine. With Western medicine, patients can take up to four or five medications before finding one that suits their needs and most can have many life threatening side effects. With acupuncture, it is one procedure and one attempt to heal a patient with NO major side effects. Acupuncture is a unique ancient art that is backed by thousands of years of Chinese thought and research and has been proven affective for many people and their illnesses.
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
There is no way to know how long forms of alternative medicine have been used. Mainly because of the modern treatments scientists have discovered involving medicine. Willem De Blécourt and Cornelie Usborne, authors of Medical History, state that “different times produce different historians of medicine and differing definitions of their object of research.” What we now refer to as alternative medicine was once considered the most modern form of medicine. Author, Jacqueline Langwith, refers to alternative medicine as a “wide range of healing practices that are not considered part of conventional medicine.” Langwith also mentions in her book, Alternative Medicine, that it is widely used when doctors believe that the body will heal itself
My passion for “original” medicine, also known as natural medicine, will elicit an advancement in the diversity of medicine. There needs to be a paradigm shift in the way the field of medicine is viewed, by both the public and the physician. When I become a physician, I will indubitably utilize the power of natural medicine to offer vitality and true health to my patients. I will be an advocate of diversity and I will be a pioneer of what is seemingly “abstract” medicine, which has technically been around longer than any class of medication; simply, Foxglove (Digitalis Lanata) came before Digox, and Poppy (Papaver Somniferum) before Vicodin-case closed. The reality is that Western medicine is diametrically opposed to the medicine practiced by the cultures of many of America’s inhabitants. It is