Types of Complementary and
Alternative Medicine
What are the different types of CAM?
Many different fields make up the
practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In addition, many
components of one field may overlap with the components of another field (an
example is acupuncture, which is also used in conventional medicine). Examples
of CAM include:
• Traditional alternative
medicine. This field includes the more mainstream and accepted forms of
therapy, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and Oriental practices. Traditional
alternative medicine has been practiced for centuries worldwide. Traditional
alternative medicine may include:
•
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a
collection of procedures, which involves the stimulation of points on the body
using a variety of techniques, such as penetrating the skin with needles that
are then manipulated manually or by electrical stimulation.
•
Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a system of traditional medicine native to the Indian subcontinent and a form of
alternative medicine. Ayurvedic practitioners approach diagnosis by using all five
senses. Hearing is used to observe the condition of breathing and speech.The
study of the lethal points or marman marma is of special importance.
Ayurvedic doctors regard physical and mental existence together with
personality as a unit, each element having the capacity to influence the
others. One of the fundamental aspects of ayurvedic medicine is to take this
into account during diagnosis and therapy.
•
Homeopathy
Homeopathy
is a system of medicine which involves treating the individual with highly
diluted substances, given mainly in tablet form, with the aim of triggering the
body’s natural system of healing. Based on their specific symptoms, a homeopath
will match the most appropriate medicine to each patient.
•
Naturopathy
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine,
is a form of alternative medicine based on a belief in vitalism, which posits that a
special energy called vital energy or vital force guides bodily processes such
as metabolism, reproduction, growth, and adaptation. Naturopathy favors a holistic approach with
non-invasive treatment and, similar to conventional medicine, encourages
minimal use of surgery and drugs.
•
Chinese or Oriental medicine
TCM is a broad range of medicine practices sharing
common theoretical concepts, which have been developed in China based on a
tradition with a history of more than 2,000 years. It includes various forms of
herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, exercise, and dietary therapy. TCM
includes both crude Chinese medicinal materials (such as plants, animal parts
and minerals) and Chinese proprietary medicine (CPM) in their final dosage
forms.
• Body. Touch has been used in medicine
since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is based on the idea
that illness or injury located in one area of the body can affect all parts of
the body. If, with manual manipulation, the other parts can be brought back to
optimum health, the body can concentrate on healing at the site of injury or
illness without distraction. Examples of body therapies include:
•
Chiropractic and osteopathy
Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on
disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and
the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic care is
used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not
limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs,
and headaches.
Osteopathy is a form of drug-free non-invasive manual medicine that
focuses on total body health by treating and strengthening the musculoskeletal
framework, which includes the joints, muscles and spine. Its aim is to
positively affect the body's nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems.
•
Massage
Massage is the manipulation of
superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue using various
techniques, to enhance function, aid in the healing process, decrease muscle
reflex activity, inhibit motor-neuron excitability, promote relaxation and well-being,
and as a recreational activity.
•
Body movement therapies
Movement
therapy, also referred to as dance therapy, is essentially a combination of
creative arts and therapy. The belief is that movement and dance can encourage
the healing of the body and mind. Movement therapy explores the nature of all
movement with the idea that body and mind are interconnected. The therapy is
based on the notion that everything in the universe is in constant motion and
the basic unit of motion is through our own bodies.
•
Tai chi
A Chinese system of slow meditative
physical exercise designed for relaxation and balance and health.
•
Yoga
A Hindu spiritual and ascetic
discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and
the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and
relaxation
• Diet and herbs . Over the centuries,
man has gone from a simple diet consisting of meats, fruits, vegetables, and
grains, to a diet that often consists of foods rich in fats, oils, and complex
carbohydrates. Nutritional excess and nutritional deficiency have become
problems in today's society, both leading to certain chronic diseases. Many
dietary and herbal approaches attempt to balance the body's nutritional
well-being. Dietary and herbal approaches may include:
•
Dietary supplements
Dietary supplement, also known as food
supplement or nutritional
supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide
nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing
or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet.
•
Herbal medicine
A medicine made from plants and
used to prevent or treat disease or promote health.
• External energy. Some people believe external
forces (energies) from objects or other sources directly affect a person's
health. An example of external energy therapy is:
•
Electromagnetic therapy
Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical
treatment In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of
treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease. The term has also been applied
specifically to the use of electric current to speed wound healing.
•
Kinesiology
The study of mechanics of body
movement.
•
Reiki
Reiki is a spiritual practice developed in
1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui, which has since
been adapted by various teachers of varying traditions. It uses a technique
commonly called palm healing or hands on healing as a form of alternative medicine and is sometimes classified as oriental medicine by some professional
medical bodies. Through the use of this technique, practitioners believe that
they are transferring universal energy (i.e., reiki) in the form of qi through the palms, which they
believe allows for self-healing and a state of equilibrium.
•
Qigong
A Chinese system of physical exercises and breathing control
related to tai chi.
• Mind. Even standard or conventional
medicine recognizes the power of the connection between mind and body. Studies
have found that people heal better if they have good emotional and mental
health. Therapies using the mind may include:
•
Meditation
Meditation is a practice
in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or as an end in itself.
•
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is the process of gaining greater
awareness of many physiological functions primarily using instruments that provide information on
the activity of those same systems, with a goal of being able to manipulate
them at will. Some of the processes that can be controlled include brainwaves, muscle tone, skin conductance, heart rate and pain perception.
Biofeedback may be used to improve health, performance, and the
physiological changes which often occur in conjunction with changes to
thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Eventually, these changes may be maintained
without the use of extra equipment, even though no equipment is necessarily
required to practice biofeedback.
•
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is a natural state of selective, focused attention. Hypnosis has been used in the treatment of pain, depression, anxiety,
stress, habit disorders, and many other psychological and medical problems.
• Senses. Some people believe the
senses (touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste) can affect overall health:
•
Art, dance, and music
•
Visualization and guided imagery
Guided imagery and visualization are techniques used to help you imagine
yourself being in a particular state. These techniques can help you reduce
anxiety, improve self-confidence, or cope more effectively with difficult
situations
References
Wikipedia
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ReplyDeleteIs this research enough?
ReplyDeleteNicolette it's DEFINITELY enough! but maybe next time you could put it in point form :) haha never knew that there are so many forms of alt. med.. good that we choose to focus on TCM only :)
ReplyDelete