Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Practice Essay
What is complementary / alternative medicine and how does it differ from the traditional western approach?
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a medical approach, which combines varied medical products, and health care systems to alleviate pain (National center for complementary and alternative medicine, 2008, par.2). Authentically, CAM intertwines the physical, social, and behavior of an individual with various natural products like dietary supplements, probiotics, and botanical extracts for therapeutic purposes.
Commonly applied physical and behavioral practices include yoga, meditation, and acupuncture among others (National center for complementary and alternative medicine, 2008 par.6). Therefore, herbalists and spiritual leaders are some of the people who practice CAM. Unfortunately, most of the people who offer CAM do not hold licenses and therefore their practices may health risk to their users.Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Practice Essay
On the other hand, the main difference between CAM and the traditional western approach is that the latter must involve qualified medical personnel or physicians. Doctors of osteopathic medicine, medical doctors, registered nurses, physiotherapists, and psychologists are some of the professionals licensed to practice western medicine.
What are your views on the use of complementary/alternative medicine?
Personally, I think the use of CAM has both pros and cons. For instance, most people who use CAM may believe in some health and social factors that bar them from accessing traditional medicine. Due to cultural beliefs about sickness and the subsequent treatment some patients may defy to consult a medical doctor in cases where CAM will not alleviate the problem (Galanti, 1997, p. 20). Secondly, traditional medicine is expensive than CAM therefore, most patients may decide to use the latter and eventually put their lives at risk. Therefore, the ability of CAM to combine cultural, social and health beliefs in their system may pose a risk factor in fighting infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS. On the other hand, the use of natural products together with the consultation with medical personnel will definitely lead to a better health system.Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Practice Essay
