Chapter 17 Lecture

Health The BasicsTenth Edition

Understanding Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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Complementary and Alternative Medicine

• Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not considered part of conventional medicine.

• Complementary medicine is used along with conventional medicine

• alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine.

• CAM therapies incorporate a holistic approach that focuses on treating the mind and the whole body.

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The 10 Most Common CAM Therapies among U.S. Adults

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Who Uses CAM?

• More women than men • People who are seeking a more natural, gentle

approach to healing.• More people with higher educational levels• More people who have been hospitalized in the past• Former smokers (compared with current smokers or

those who have never smoked)• People with back, neck, head, or joint aches or

other painful conditions• People with gastrointestinal disorders or sleeping

problems

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Diseases and Conditions for Which CAM Is Most Frequently Used among Adults

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Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine • Integrative medicine is practice that combines

conventional medicine with complementary and alternative therapies.

• Whole medical systems are complete systems of theory and practice that have evolved over time in various cultures.

• Manipulative and body-based practices are based on manipulation or movement of one or more body structures.

• Energy medicine involves the use of energy fields.• Mind-body medicine uses a variety of techniques to

enhance the mind's ability to affect bodily function and symptoms.

• Natural products are based on substances found in nature.

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Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL SYSTEMS

• Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Ayurveda

• Homeopathy

• Naturopathy

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Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Ancient comprehensive system of healing that uses herbs, acupuncture, and massage

• Goal is to bring the body into balance and to remove blockages of vital energy flow that lead to disease.

• Emphasizes the proper balance of qi, or chi, the vital energy or life force.

• Diagnosis is based on personal history, observation of the body, palpitation, and pulse diagnosis.

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Ayurveda

• A comprehensive system of medicine, originating in ancient India

• Places equal emphasis on the body, mind, and spirit and strives to restore the body's innate harmony through diet, exercise, meditation, herbs, massage, sun exposure, and controlled breathing.

• Techniques include questioning, observation, examination, and classifying patients into one of three doshas (body types) before establishing a treatment plan.

• Goal is to eliminate body impurities and reduce symptoms.

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Homeopathy

• Unconventional Western system of medicine based on the principle that "like cures like."

• It involves the administration of minute doses of a substance that in large doses would produce symptoms of an illness, but in small doses, can provide a cure.

• Homeopathic physicians use natural substances in extremely diluted forms to kill infectious agents or ward off illnesses.

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Naturopathy

• System of medicine that originated in Europe • Views disease as a manifestation of alterations in the

body's natural healing processes.• Emphasizes health restoration as well as disease

treatment.• Healing practices include

– diet and clinical nutrition– homeopathy– acupuncture– herbal medicine – hydrotherapy– spinal and soft tissue manipulation – physical therapies– pharmacology

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Manipulative and Body-Based Practices

• Manipulative and body-based practices involve manipulation or movement of one or more body structures.

• Chiropractic Medicine– System of treatment that involves manipulation of the

spine to allow proper energy flow.– Disease is considered to result from abnormal

functioning of the nervous system.– Techniques include spinal manipulation, and research

has shown it can be an effective treatment for back pain, neck pain, and headaches.

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Manipulative and Body-Based Practices (cont.)• Massage therapy is soft-tissue manipulation by trained

therapists for healing purposes.– Swedish massage– Deep tissue massage– Sports massage– Trigger point massage (also called pressure point massage)– Shiatsu massage

• Bodywork encompasses a wide range of body-centered modalities.

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Energy Medicine

• Energy medicine therapies use energy fields, such as magnetic fields or biofields.– Includes

• Acupuncture- Traditional Chinese Medicine that involves the insertion of fine needles to affect energy flow along meridians (pathways) within the body.

• Acupressure- Technique based on traditional Chinese medicine that uses application of pressure to selected points along meridians to balance energy.

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Acupuncture

• A branch of traditional Chinese medicine that involves the insertion of fine needles to affect energy (qi) flow along meridians (pathways) within the body.– Used to treat a variety of health conditions

including musculoskeletal dysfunction and mood disorders, and to promote general wellness.

– Results have been promising in the treatment of nausea associated with chemotherapy, headaches, fibromyalgia, and low back pain.

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The Main Meridian Channels

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Acupressure

• Based on traditional Chinese medicine that uses application of pressure to selected points along meridians to balance energy.

• Instead of needles, pressure is applied to points critical to balancing yin and yang, the two complementary principles that influence overall harmony (health) of the body.

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Mind-Body Medicine

• Mind-body medicine uses techniques designed to enhance the mind's ability to affect bodily functions and symptoms.– Includes biofeedback and cognitive-

behavioral techniques that are so well established they are no longer considered alternative practices.

– Other forms are meditation and relaxation techniques; yoga, tai chi; certain uses of hypnosis; dance, music, and art therapies; and prayer.

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Psychoneuroimmunology

• The interaction of consciousness (psycho), the brain, and central nervous system (neuro), and the body's defense against external infection, and internal aberrant cell division (immunology)– Several studies have shown promising

positive effects of mind-body techniques that encourage relaxation and stress-reduction strategies for people with cancer or other health problems.

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Natural Products

• Natural products include substances found in nature, such as herbs, supplements, or functional foods.– Dietary supplements are products (other than

tobacco) intended to supplement the diet, which contain one or more of the following: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, or other substances that increase total dietary intake.

– Dietary supplements are not represented as conventional food.

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Herbal Remedies and Other Supplements

• Herbs are the sources for approximately 25% of the pharmaceutical drugs used today, including aspirin (white willow bark), digitalis (foxglove), and Taxol (Pacific yew tree plant).

• Scientists continue to make pharmacological advances by studying the herbal remedies used in cultures throughout the world.

• Herbal remedies come in several different forms including– Tinctures- fresh or dried plants– Freeze-dried extracts– Standardized extracts- pills or capsules

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The Role of Functional Foods (cont.)

• Some Common Functional Foods and Their Purported Benefits– Plant stanols/sterols can lower "bad" (LDL) cholesterol.– Oat fiber can lower LDL cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar levels,

and may have a calming effect.– Sunflower oil can lower risk of heart disease and may prevent

angina.– Soy protein may lower heart disease risk by reducing LDL

cholesterol and triglycerides.– Garlic lowers cholesterol and reduces clotting tendency of blood,

lowers blood pressure.– Ginger may prevent motion sickness, stomach pain, and

stomach upset; discourages blood clots and may relieve rheumatism.

– Cinnamon may lower blood glucose levels, cholesterol, and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes.

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Consumer Protection

• Before using CAM, consult reliable sources to evaluate the scientific basis of claimed benefits and any risks or contraindications.

• Avoid practitioners who promote treatments as “cure-alls.”

• Some therapies, such as acupuncture, have been widely studied, but there is little quality research to support claims for nutraceuticals and food supplements.

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U.S. Pharmacopeia

• The FDA has instituted new regulations to oversee the manufacture of dietary supplements, including herbal supplements.

• Regulations require manufacturers to evaluate the identity, purity, strength, and composition of the supplements to ensure they contain what the label claims.

• The U.S. Pharmacopeia is a nongovernmental public standards-setting authority for prescription and over-the-counter medicines and other health care products.

• It verifies the quality, purity, and potency of products voluntarily submitted for testing.