Pros And Cons Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine

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Recommended: The benefits of complementary health practice

Jenna Coffelt
Honors Project
Health Care of the Client I
April 2014
Complementary and Alternative Medicine In Treatment Of Cancer Pain
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...

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...upuncture points and were left in place until they fell out. Pain intensity was measured on day zero and day sixty. The results showed that pain intensity decreased or remained stable after auricular acupuncture in all patients, with a significant average pain intensity decrease (Acupuncture, 2014).

Acupuncture, like massage, is widely used but the evidence in the form of clinical trials warrants further investigation to overcome the methodological shortcomings of the existing evidence.

Quality research and subjective reports all point to significant benefits in treating chronic pain with soft tissue therapy. The compassionate touch of an accomplished massage therapists is a wonderful gift to those with cancer pain. For many, finally finding some relief through skillful soft tissue therapy can be an immensely relieving, and life changing, experience.

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