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Introduction | Topics | Selected Article | Selected Picture | Contemporary Use of CAM | Quotes| | Did you know?
Selected Biography | Things you can do | WikiProjects | Categories | Related Portals | Wikimedia

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The holistic approach of Alternative Medicine symbolized by the aura of man.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is an umbrella term for alternative medicine, complementary medicine, and integrative medicine.

Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments. Complementary medicine describes practices used in conjunction and cooperation with conventional medicine, while integrative medicine is viewed as the best of complementary medicine by its advocates.

The list of therapies included under CAM changes over time. If and when an approach regarded as "unproven therapy" is proven to be safe and effective, it may be adopted into conventional health care and over time may cease to be considered "alternative".

Definitions and descriptions

"Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a broad domain of healing resources that encompasses all health systems, modalities, and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health system of a particular society or culture in a given historical period. CAM includes all such practices and ideas self-defined by their users as preventing or treating illness or promoting health and well-being. Boundaries within CAM and between the CAM domain and the domain of the dominant system are not always sharp or fixed." [1]

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine defines complementary and alternative medicine as "a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine". It also defines integrative medicine as "[combining] mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness".[2]

CAM has been described as comprising "a diverse group of treatments, ranging from symptomatic interventions to be used in conjunction with traditional therapies—therapeutic touch or meditation—to unique treatments meant to replace conventional chemotherapy or surgery. CAM includes complex and longstanding fields of study, such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, and homoeopathy, but can also be as straightforward as taking a specific dietary supplement to lower blood pressure or blood lipid concentrations."[3]

Ralph Snyderman and Andrew Weil state "integrative medicine is not synonymous with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It has a far larger meaning and mission in that it calls for restoration of the focus of medicine on health and healing and emphasizes the centrality of the patient-physician relationship".[4]

Topics

Looking for a specific topic in CAM?

Any branch or form of complementary and alternative medicine can be classified into one of the following commonly used classification systems.

If you are looking for a biography or are not sure what you are looking for then you might prefer to browse the following annotated lists.

Wikipedia's Categories are yet another way to find CAM related topics.

Selected Article

Lifestyle diseases (also called diseases of longevity or diseases of civilization) are diseases that appear to increase in frequency as countries become more industrialized and people live longer. They include Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, cancer, chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, nephritis or chronic renal failure, osteoporosis, acne, stroke, depression and obesity.

Factors in diet, lifestyle, and the house are thought to influence susceptibility to the diseases listed below. Smoking, alcohol and drug abuse as well as the lack of exercise may increase the risk of certain diseases in later life.

Selected Picture

This is an example of a reflexology chart, correlating areas of the feet with organs in the "zones" of the body.

Contemporary Use of CAM

The popularity of CAM therapies is extensive. A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine focused on who used complementary and alternative medicine, what was used, and why it was used in the United States during 2002.

  • According to this new survey, 36 percent of U.S. adults age 18 years and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). When prayer specifically for health reasons is included in the definition of CAM, the number of adults using some form of CAM in 2002 rose to 62 percent ([1], abstract on page 1).
  • Consistent with previous studies the present study found that the majority of individuals (i.e., 54.9%) used CAM in conjunction with conventional medicine ( page 6).
  • "The data confirm most earlier observations that most people use CAM to treat and/or prevent musculoskeletal conditions or other conditions associated with chronic or recurring pain" (page 5).
  • "The fact that only 14.8% of adults sought care from a licensed or certified CAM practitioner suggests that most individuals who use CAM self-prescribe and/or self-medicate" (page 6).
  • "Women were more likely than men to use CAM. The largest sex differential is seen in the use of mind-body therapies including prayer specifically for health reasons" (page 4).
  • "Except for the groups of therapies that included prayer specifically for health reasons, use of CAM increased as education levels increased" (page 4).

Quotes

"The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually."

     Greg Anderson     American best-selling Author and         founder of the American Wellness        Project     1964 

Selected Biography

John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor in Battle Creek, Michigan who ran a sanitarium using holistic methods, with a particular focus on nutrition, enemas and exercise. Kellogg was an advocate of vegetarianism, and is best known for the invention of the corn flakes breakfast cereal with his brother, Will Keith Kellogg. [5]

Did you know?

The 10 most commonly used CAM therapies in the United States during 2002 when use of prayer is excluded. [Full Text pdf, table 1 on page 8]

  1. Herbalism (18.9%)
  2. Deep breathing (11.6%)
  3. Meditation (7.6%)
  4. Chiropractic (7.5%)
  5. Yoga (5.1%)
  6. Body work (5.0%)
  7. Diet-based therapy (3.5%)
  8. Progressive relaxation (3.0%)
  9. Mega-vitamin therapy (2.8%)
  10. Visualization (2.1%)

Things to do


The WikiProject on Alternative Medicine and Portal

A few good places to start would be:

Categories

Categories are probably Wikipedia's most comprehensive classification system. The major sub-categories overlap each other.

Alternative Medicine

NCCAM classifications

Alternative medical systems
Category:Ayurveda · Category:Chiropractic · Category:Herbalism · Category:Homeopathy · Category:Naturopathic medicine · Category:Osteopathy · Category:Traditional Chinese medicine
Biologically based therapies
Category:Bush medicine · Category:Dietary supplements · Category:Medicinal herbs and fungi · Category:Medicinal use of cannabis · Category:Orthomolecular medicine
Energy therapies
Category:Biofield therapies · Category:Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies
Manipulative therapy
Category:Acupuncture · Category:Chiropractic · Category:Massage · Category:Osteopathy
Mind-body interventions
Category:Aromatherapy · Category:Hypnosis · Category:Meditation · Category:Yoga

Other Categories

Alternative detoxification
Concepts in alternative medicine
Life extension
Category:Life extension lists · Category:Life extensionists
Natural environment based therapies
Orthomolecular medicine
Osteopathic medicine
People in alternative medicine
Category:Acupuncturists · Category:Chiropractors · Category:Herbalists · Category:Hydropathists · Category:Midwives
Supernatural healing
Traditional medicine
Vitalism
Whole medical systems

Related Portals

Wikimedia

Health portal on Wikinews     Medicine on Wikiquote     Health science bookshelf on Wikibooks     Rational Fasting on Wikisource     Alternative Medicine category on Wikicommons     Wikiversity School of Medicine
Health Research News for those Interested in the Wellness Movement. These Historical Quotations Often Voice Alternative Medicine Themes. College Level Textbooks Text of Online Books Images Learning
n:Portal:Health
q:Medicine
b:Wikibooks:Health science bookshelf
s:Rational_fasting
Commons:Category:Alternative_medicine
v:School:Medicine

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