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Introduction:
This assignment aims to provide an overview of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies and their categories of treatments. It will also compare and contrast current conventional medicine regulations and oversights with regulation and oversight of alternative medicine in the United States. Additionally, it will define the terms alternative, complementary, and integrative in relation to medicine and discuss how these terms differ from one another. The philosophy of CAM and its similarity or difference from conventional Western medicine will also be discussed. Lastly, a CAM therapy will be selected, and its clinical benefit will be supported by scientific studies.
Answer:
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) refers to a group of medical and health care practices, interventions, and therapies that are not conventionally taught in medical schools or often offered by conventional Western medicine. CAM has become increasingly popular over the past few decades due to dissatisfaction with conventional medicine’s approach to treating disease and dissatisfaction with its side effects. CAM is often used as a complement to conventional medicine or as an alternative to it. CAM therapies have been divided into five categories, including Alternative Medical Systems, Mind-Body Interventions, Biologically Based Therapies, Manipulative and Body-Based Methods, and Energy Therapies.
Current conventional medicine regulations and oversight differ from those of alternative medicine in the United States. Conventional medicine is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other federal and state agencies. The goal of the regulatory bodies is to ensure that drugs and medical devices are safe for use and effective for their intended purpose. In contrast, alternative medicine is not regulated by any federal agency. However, some states have established regulatory bodies to oversee alternative medicine practices.
The terms alternative, complementary, and integrative have different meanings in relation to medicine. Alternative medicine refers to practices used in place of conventional medicine, while complementary medicine refers to practices used alongside conventional medicine. On the other hand, the term integrative medicine is used to describe the combination of conventional and alternative medicine.
Conventional medicine plays a role in alternative, complementary, and integrative medicine by providing a basis for comparison and contrast. Conventional medicine is based on scientific research and evidence-based treatments, while alternative medicine relies on more anecdotal evidence and a tradition of use.
The philosophy of CAM is based on a holistic view of health and wellness that includes mind, body, and spirit. CAM practitioners believe that health is a balance of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. CAM therapies aim to restore balance in these areas and support the body’s natural healing processes. The approach of conventional Western medicine is based on the reductionist view, where diseases are reduced to their component parts to develop specific treatments aimed at the disease or its components.
Acupuncture is a CAM therapy that involves the insertion of thin needles into specific points on the body. The therapy is based on the belief that energy flows through the body along pathways known as meridians. Stimulating these points is believed to restore the body’s balance and promote healing processes. Acupuncture has been used to treat a variety of medical conditions, including chronic pain, headaches, and musculoskeletal disorders. Scientific studies have shown that acupuncture produces clinical benefits in the treatment of chronic pain. A systematic review of 29 randomized controlled trials found that acupuncture was better than no treatment or sham acupuncture in relieving chronic pain.
