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'''Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)''' is a catch-all phrase used in a variety of ways that can encompass a broad variety of concerns.  It might be used, on the one hand, for any set of health, medical or therapeutic practices not blessed by generally accepted conventional [[medicine]] and thus not covered by [[medical insurance]].  It might also refer, used by a different person, to practices believed by medical regulators to be dangerous, deceptive or ineffective.  It might even refer to matters on which physicians and biomedical scientists have no opinion, either because no studies have been done or no opinion sought.  Public debates include extreme viewpoints in conflicting directions, from, on the one hand, banning anything and everything not blessed by the establishment, and, on the other hand, to providing individual freedom to try a wide variety of therapies as long as they are not actually banned as dangerous or illegal and as long as no patently unprovable claims of efficacy are being made to potential clients.


'''Alternative medicine''' is a set of therapies that are considered whole systems of healthcare that typically operate outside the realm of mainstream healthcare in the Western world. '''Complementary medicine''' is comprised of those systems, or parts of systems, that have shown some efficacy experimentally and are frequently used in conjunction with the mainstream. Since some techniques may be found both in whole and complementary systems, it is convenient to speak of '''complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)''' as one broad field.  Many of these systems predate modern scientific methods and some, particularly the eastern therapies, stem from well before the time of Hippocrates. Some of these practices include [[acupuncture]], [[homeopathy]], [[Plants, medicinal|herbal medicine]], [[faith healing]], [[chiropractic]], and [[prayer]].  
The underlying problem is easy to identify: who gets to decide?  The U. S. [[Food and Drug Administration]] is supposed to prevent companies or individuals from marketing drugs or food which are not known to be safe, and also to prevent anyone from making claims of efficacy which are not supported by independent studies using accepted scientific methodology.  At the national research, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is part of the U.S. [[National Institutes of Health]]. For a taxonomy of CAM techniques drawn from both NCCAM and the U.K. Parliament committee on CAM, see [[integrative medicine]].


Conventional, biologically-based medicine is not inherently critical of CAM, as some alternatives show as much efficacy as conventional methods, certainly for specific indications.  Physicians do express concerns over ''whole systems'' whose patients have not first been evaluated by medically trained physicians for fear that this might delay proper treatment for conditions that are not sufficiently assessed. They also suggest that therapists may either not identify dangerous conditions that are treatable by conventional medicine, such that the patient does not have the information to decide to give [[informed consent]] to alternative treatment alone. Another aspect of that concern is that some conditions can respond to mainstream medical treatment early in the process, but delay of diagnosis could put the patient in a situation where the conventional treatment would no longer be effective.
A common distinction is that while there may be varying levels of efficacy data both for complementary and alternative medicine, complementary disciplines are open to collaboration with mainstream medicine and also other complementary practitioners. Alternative practitioners, however, present themselves as a literal "alternative" to conventional medicine. NCCAM also uses the term "whole system" for alternative paradigms that present themselves as "whole" alternatives to conventional medicine.


''Integrative medicine'' is a term coming into increased use, which looks at wider and wider partnerships. While many patients today see both conventional and alternative practitioners, there may be no communication among them; the patient keeps them in different compartments. In integrative medicine, there is active consultation among the various practitioners and the patient. Integrative medicine also includes [nursing|nurses]], whose training emphasizes managing chronic diseases (e.g., compliance with monitoring and medicine), encouraging healthy lifestyles, and providing continuity.
But many state agencies also become involved in regulating what is allowed or not allowed. For example, while medical insurance may not recommend or pay for therapeutic massage, chiropractic manipulation, or acupuncture (just for example), many states require practitioners of these arts to be licensed by a state agency intended to guarantee a certain minimum level of competence and training.


Integrative medicine reduces some of the concerns that physicians have with patients who self-refer to practitioners of what are indeed complementary techniques, but which might interact with other treatments if all the prescribers are not aware of everything being done. Indeed, one of the challenges of many primary care physicians is simply to find out all the drugs their patients are taking, prescribed by different physician specialists who do not share information.
The history of struggles and disputes over medical and health approaches is better told in articles related to a specific unofficial health approach.  It is easy to consult a regulating authority to find out what therapies and approaches are "official" (and by definition, everything else may be considered CAM). But the issue of whether a specific therapy is "complementary", "harmful", "useful", or whatever, is open to much and passionate dispute.  For specific cases, see [[Complementary_and_alternative_medicine/Related_Articles]].


While some conventional physicians will reject any complementary method for which they do not know the exact mode of action, there are many productive, collaborative treatments by teams of mainstream and complementary (but not whole system) practitioners. For example, it is quite common for [[pain medicine]] specialists to use complementary methods.
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}


Complementary techniques may complement one another. For example, one preliminary clinical trial found that aromatherapy alone, while pleasant, did not speed healing, while using the essential oils of aromatherapy as the lubricants in massage therapy caused more of an effect than massage alone.
[[Category:Complementary and alternative medicine]][[Category:Suggestion Bot Tag]]
 
==Classification of CAM==
To begin a discussion, it is necessary to define the scope of the problem.  The table below is derived from one created by the U.S. [[National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine]].
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Major field and  Description
! Subfield
! Subfield
|-
| '''Whole Medical Systems''' comprise 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. These are usually alternative rather than complementary.
| '''Western''' systems include [[homeopathy]] and [[naturopathy]]
| '''Non-western systems''' include classical [[traditional Chinese medicine]]<ref>To be distinguished from the official Chinese "Three Roads" approach corresponds to using TCM in the context of complementary medicine</ref>  and [[ayurveda]]
|-
| '''Mind-Body Medicine''' uses a variety of techniques designed to enhance the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms.  Some of the "still considered CAM" techniques are more and more accepted.
| '''Accepted as mainstream (not strictly CAM)''' include  patient support groups and [[cognitive-behavioral therapy]]
| '''Still considered CAM''' include [[meditation]], [[visualization]], and [[relaxation (physiology)]] techniques; [[eye motion desensitization reprocessing]]; [[healing prayer]], [[mental healing]], and creative outlets such as [[art therapy]], [[music therapy]] and dance
|-
| '''Biologically based practices'''  in CAM use substances found in nature, such as [[Plants, medicinal|medicinal herbs]], [[diet therapy]], [[vitamin, pharmacologic dosage|pharmacologic doses of vitamins]], [[essential oil]]s, and [[dietary supplement]]s. An example of an unproven method is using shark cartilage to treat cancer.
| 
| 
|-
| '''Manipulative and Body-Based Practices''' involve the controlled use of force against parts of the body, or maneuvers that move body parts out of their usual range of motion. These may be used as whole systems or as complementary methods. They include [[osteopathic manipulation]], [[massage therapy]], [[chiropractic]], and methods involving movement or posture instruction.
|
| 
|-
| '''Energy Medicine''' breaks into therapies that use forces that are, and are not, detectable with conventional scientific instrumentation.
| '''Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies''' involve the unconventional use of electromagnetic fields, such as pulsed fields, magnetic fields, or alternating-current or direct-current fields.
| '''Biofield therapies''' are intended to affect energy fields that purportedly surround and penetrate the human body. These include [[qi gong]] (part of [[traditional Chinese medicine]]), [[reiki]], and [[therapeutic touch]]
|-
|}
 
 
 
 
== References ==
<references />

Latest revision as of 11:19, 17 August 2024

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Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a catch-all phrase used in a variety of ways that can encompass a broad variety of concerns. It might be used, on the one hand, for any set of health, medical or therapeutic practices not blessed by generally accepted conventional medicine and thus not covered by medical insurance. It might also refer, used by a different person, to practices believed by medical regulators to be dangerous, deceptive or ineffective. It might even refer to matters on which physicians and biomedical scientists have no opinion, either because no studies have been done or no opinion sought. Public debates include extreme viewpoints in conflicting directions, from, on the one hand, banning anything and everything not blessed by the establishment, and, on the other hand, to providing individual freedom to try a wide variety of therapies as long as they are not actually banned as dangerous or illegal and as long as no patently unprovable claims of efficacy are being made to potential clients.

The underlying problem is easy to identify: who gets to decide? The U. S. Food and Drug Administration is supposed to prevent companies or individuals from marketing drugs or food which are not known to be safe, and also to prevent anyone from making claims of efficacy which are not supported by independent studies using accepted scientific methodology. At the national research, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. For a taxonomy of CAM techniques drawn from both NCCAM and the U.K. Parliament committee on CAM, see integrative medicine.

A common distinction is that while there may be varying levels of efficacy data both for complementary and alternative medicine, complementary disciplines are open to collaboration with mainstream medicine and also other complementary practitioners. Alternative practitioners, however, present themselves as a literal "alternative" to conventional medicine. NCCAM also uses the term "whole system" for alternative paradigms that present themselves as "whole" alternatives to conventional medicine.

But many state agencies also become involved in regulating what is allowed or not allowed. For example, while medical insurance may not recommend or pay for therapeutic massage, chiropractic manipulation, or acupuncture (just for example), many states require practitioners of these arts to be licensed by a state agency intended to guarantee a certain minimum level of competence and training.

The history of struggles and disputes over medical and health approaches is better told in articles related to a specific unofficial health approach. It is easy to consult a regulating authority to find out what therapies and approaches are "official" (and by definition, everything else may be considered CAM). But the issue of whether a specific therapy is "complementary", "harmful", "useful", or whatever, is open to much and passionate dispute. For specific cases, see Complementary_and_alternative_medicine/Related_Articles.

Notes

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