Assignment 3-1 Complementary and alternative medicine

CAM
One topic I have found very interesting in popular culture today is complementary and alternative medicine. Normally when we get sick or hurt we visit the doctor and receive a conventional treatment but now there are other options emerging. Complementary and alternative medicines are becoming more and more prevalent.
Alternative medicine is considered to be practices that aren’t used in conventional medicine. It is constantly evolving changing as it is determined treatments may or may not work or new things come along. Complementary medicine is considered to be practices that are used in conjunction with conventional treatments. When these two are combined they are normally referred to as integrative medicine.
Practitioners of alternative and complementary medicine operate under a few basic principles. These principles can be used along with conventional treatment or they can be used alone. Some of the general ideas behind complementary and alternative medicine are: prevention, the body can heal on its own, learning and healing wok together, and holistic care.
Complementary and alternative medicine does involve several different therapies. These therapies are categorized by the National Institutes of Health. Some of these categories of therapies would include: healing systems, mind-body connections, dietary supplements and herbal remedies, manipulation and touch, and energy therapy.
Many doctors are starting to consider these as viable options for medical treatment. Many doctors that don’t consider alternative and complementary medicine usually don’t due to the fact they were not made of aware of it when they started practicing medicine. I think a lot of doctors will have to become informed in this area of medicine due to the demand from patients.