Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Conventional Medicine - Thesis Example

The Difference between Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Conventional Medicine Total Number of Words: 2.514 Introduction The study of medicine aims to save lives by curing individuals who are experiencing physical and psychological imbalance. For many years, people in the United States are known for their dependency over the use of conventional medicine. On the contrary, the recent 2007 National Health Interview Survey on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in the United States revealed that as much as 38% of the American adults (> 18 years old) and roughly 12% of the children are using some type of CAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009). It is very interesting to know that the number of individuals who visit alternative therapies is already higher than those individuals who visit the Western-based physicians. (Eisenberg et al., 1998) Even though some people make use of CAM as a substitute for a conventional medicine (Druss & Rosenheck, 1999), several studies believe that the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) could complement the use of a conventional medicine (Egede et al., 2002; Druss & Rosenheck, 1999). In line with the use of CAM, there are also several studies suggesting that the patients’ use of CAM is a major factor that makes some people avoids the use of conventional medicine (Robinson et al., 2002; Astin, 1998). Despite the significant increase in the use of CAM, there are still many people who remain unclear with regards to the differences between alternative and conventional medicine. To enable the readers have a better understanding with regards to the differences between the two types of medicine, the definition of alternative and conventional medicine will first be provided followed by discussing some general information about the use of CAM and conventional medicine. This study will gather some past and present academic literature that discusses and differentiate alternative medicine from a conventional medicine. After discussing the major factors behind the shift from conventional medicine to the use of CAM, the effectiveness between CAM and conventional medicine will be compared and contrast. As part of the conclusion, whether or not alternative medicine is better than a conventional medicine will be justified. The Difference between Alternative and Conventional Medicine Alternative medicine is “a form of healing arts that is not taught in a traditional Western medical schools that could promote options to the use of conventional medicine” (MedicineNet.com, 2007). It is basically “a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not currently considered to be a part of a conventional medicine” (Garrow & Egede, 2006). Therefore, the practice of CAM is referred to as “unconventional medicine or medical interventions that are not widely taught in US medical schools nor practiced in US hospitals” (Barrett et al., 2004). On the other hand, conventional medicine is basically the type of medicine that is being practiced by “medical doctors or doctor of osteopathy and other related allied health professionals including the physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses” (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009; MedicineNet.com, 2004). A good example of conventional medicine includes the administration of prescribed pharmacological medicine and the use of chemotherapy in treating cancer patients among others. In general, Western medicine or conventional medicine relies heavily on the use of scientific-based study as a way of proving whether or not a type of medicine or treatment is effective in curing a particular disease. Based on the study of Vandenbrouche & de Craen (2001), it was noted that most of the physicians reject the use of alternative medicine purely because of lack of solid evidences which contradicts the theory behind the use of Western medicine. Eventhough the application of CAM therapies is less legitimate as compared to conventional medicine, CAM therapies are known to be more intuitive whereas the conventional medicine is known to be more deductive (Barrett, et al., 2004b). People who experience chronic pain often seek help from CAM therapies because of their positive attitude towards illnesses like back pain, joint pain, depression, diabetes and cancer among others. The problem with conventional medical practitioners is that medical doctors often neglect the importance of building strong professional relationship with their patients because of their desire to accommodate the health concerns of more patient. Unlike conventional medical practiioners, “CAM practitioners describe themselves as holistic and argue that health and healing are related to holism” (Barrett, et al., 2004a, p. 256). Not only does CAM practitioners take time to get to know their clients, they also work towards empowering their patients by making them become more responsible for their own health aside from being psychologically readily accessible to the public (Barrett, et al., 2004b). Other significant differences between a conventional medical practitioners and CAM practitioners is their individual perception with regards to the importance of touch therapy. As a common knowledge, CAM practitioners believe that the application of touch therapy like body massage is very powerful in treating the patients (Barrett, et al., 2004a). Aside from enabling the patients feel they are being loved, body massage also promotes better blood circulation within the human body. Therefore, patients who receives touch therapy feel more relaxed and less stressed. Unlike other studies that focuses on the health benefits of using CAM therapies, Busato et al. (2006) found out that research participants who receive conventional medical care does not experience long lasting and more severe main health problems as compare to those patients who are receiving purely CAM therapies like homeopathy, anthroposophic medicine, neural therapy, herbal medicine, and/or traditional Chinese medicine. Despite the critics behind the lack of sufficient scientific-based study with regards to the use and effectiveness of alternative medicine, there are still some people who prefers the use of CAM as compared with conventional medicine. For instance: Between people with diabetes and those who do not have diabetes, the research study that was conducted by Egede et al. (2002) revealed that people with diabetes is 1.6 times more likely to rely on the use of CAM as compare to those individuals who do not have diabetes. Individuals with mental disorders who seek medical professional assistance from a conventional mental health service often use alternative medicine. (Unützer et al., 2000) In line with this matter, Unützer et al. found out that people with mental disorder like panic disorder and major depression are more likely to rely on the use of CAM as compared to those who do not have mental disorders. Today, there are quite a lot of authentic therapies and other related health care practices that are classified outside the context of conventional medicine. In order to come up with a useful ‘organizational framework’ to enable each individual to have a better understanding about the different CAM therapies, the House of Lords classified alternative medicine into three (3) major categories known as: (1) professionally organized alternative therapies like homeopathy; (2) complementary therapies like aromatherapy; and (3) the alternative disciplines like the traditional Chinese medicine (House of Lords, 2008). Similar to the classification made by the House of Lords (2008), the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine classified the different therapies as: (1) alternative medical systems like homeopathy; (2) mind-body interventions like yoga, meditation or prayer for the patient’s health and wellness; (3) biologically based therapies like herbal medicine; (4) manipulative and body-based methods like chiropractic care; and (5) energy therapies like crystal and gem therapy (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009; Tippens, Marsman, & Zwickey, 2009). Up to the present time, there are still some people who do not acknowledge the capabilities of CAM therapies to cure or treat diseases. Contrary to those individuals who opposes the use of CAM therapies, the research study which was conducted by Eliott, Kealey & Olver (2008) revealed that cancer patients who are in palliative care prefers to integrate the use of CAM therapies such as the mind-body disclosure with conventional medical practices since the application of CAM practices enables the recipient to have a higher perceived benefits with regards to their physical and psychological well-being. With regards to the positive health benefits that CAM therapy can provide the patients, Shmueli & Shuval (2006) found a strong association between the use of CAM therapy and lesser pain and affective-emotional distress among those individuals who are regularly using CAM users. Other types of CAM includes the use of natural products like acupuncture, anthroposophic medicine, deep-breathing exercises, meditation, chiropractic care, body massage, and diet-based therapies. (di Sarsina & Iseppato, 2009; Bishop, Yardley, & Lewith, 2008; Pagan & Pauly, 2005) Since people who uses the different types of CAM therapy were able to experience healing effects without side effects, the World Health Organization (WHO) is promoting not only the use of conventional medicine but also the complementary and alternative medicine in terms of improving the health of the people (World Health Organization, 2002). Major Factors behind the Shift from Conventional Medicine to the Use of CAM Upon examining the main factors behind the shift from the use of a conventional medicine towards the use of CAM, Kroesen et al. (2002) found out that even though most of the US military veterans were satisfied with the use of conventional care for prescription medicines, the research respondents concluded that the use of conventional medical care system does not always provide the patients with adequate information with regards to the importance of proper diet, nutrition and exercise aside from ignoring the importance of social and spiritual dimension in health care. Similar to the research findings of Kroesen et al. (2002), the study of White & Verhoef (2006) and Astin (1998) found out that the main reason why people started relying on the use of CAM is not only because of being dissatisfied with the use of conventional medicine but also because of the fact that some people find the use of CAM to be more aligned with their own personal beliefs, values, and philosophical orientation with regards to health and life whereas the study of Barnes et al. (2005) suggest that the patients’ negative perception with regards to the effectiveness of modern medicine and the lack of trust within the modern health care system are among the common factors that causes some people to rely on the use of CAM. In some cases, the high cost of conventional medicine makes some people shift from the use of conventional medicine to CAM (Pagan & Pauly, 2005; Vincent & Furnham, 1996; Riessman, 1994). Comparison with Regards to the Effectiveness of Each Type of Alternative and Conventional Medicine Several past and present studies have tried analyzing and differentiating the effectiveness of CAM and conventional medicine. Upon assessing the possible association between the use of complementary and alternative medicine, preventive care practices, and the use of conventional medicine among the adults who have diabetes, Garrow & Egede (2006) concluded that some people have prefers the use of CAM because of its strong association with the increased acceptance of preventive care services and more frequent emergency department and primary care visits as compared to invidivuals who receive pure conventional care. It is common for critically ill patients to experience chronic pain related to musculoskeletal problems, back pain and migraine. (Muhajarine, Neudorf, & Martin, 2000) Similar to conventional medical doctors, the use of spinal manipulation among the chiropractic therapies as an alternative medicine is beneficial in terms of relieving lower back pain and improving the patients’ physical function (NCCAM, 2009; Meade et al., 1990). Although some of the alternative therapies are not effective in terms of decreasing the intensity, frequency and duration of pain, the use of alternative medicine can effectively improve the mood and subjective symptoms among each patient (Malone, Stube, & Scogin, 1998). The study of Zebracki et al. (2007) revealed that the use of CAM modalities like prayer and massage therapy is effective in terms of decreasing symptoms related to anxiety and dysthymia among children who were diagnosed with arthralgia; but not those children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Although conventional medicine such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or physical therapy can be used in treating arthralgia, the use of conventional treatment alone is sometimes not enough to meet the holistic needs of some patients (Rosenberg, 1996). There are some medical practitioners who choose to combine CAM therapies or products with those of conventional medicine. In general, conventional medicine includes the use of pharmacological products which are known for treating curable diseases. Similar to conventional medicine, CAM therapies also offers CAM product like gingko biloba, garlic and the use of ginseng as a way of improving the health and wellness of an individual. Although there are people who combine the use of conventional medicine with CAM, the observational research study which was conducted by Elmer et al. (2007) revealed that older individuals with the median age of 75 years old who combined the use of CAM products with conventional drugs like aspirin, warfarin, ticlopidine or pentoxifylline experienced an increased risk of bleeding. Conclusion It is a fact that some people prefer to use conventional and alternative medicine over conventional medicine. Even though the use of CAM therapies are often criticized with regards to its legitimacy in terms of its healing power and lack of scientific-based study, it can be noted that the practice of CAM therapies has its own strength or positive side that health care professionals who are heavily dependent over the use of conventional medicine could learn and adopt. The use of conventional medicine is highly preferred by some people simply because of the existence of a wide-range of scientific-based study behind the said medical practice. However, this type of medical practice does not always address the individual needs of each patient. Up to the present time, it remains a challenge on the part of the health care providers who uses conventional medicine to become more aware of the patients’ spiritual beliefs and health care practices. Unlike the use of conventional medicine, the practice of CAM therapies is widely known for: (1) its ability to incorporate a more holistic care; (2) empowering the patients in terms of managing their own health and safety; and (3) its unique and accessible therapeutic approach (Barrett, et al., 2004b). Since CAM therapies and conventional medicine has its own health advantages (strengths) and disadvantages (limitations), it is not advisable to encourage the health care professionals to simply rely only with either the use of CAM or conventional medicine alone. The currently availably CAM modalities is too many. Therefore, it is necessary on the part of the health care professionals to choose the best and most effective type of CAM therapy in terms of treating a specific disease. For instance: The study of Tsao et al. (2005) suggests that most parents find the use of hypnosis, acupuncture and/or yoga to be effective treatment as compared to children. In order to maximize and improve the physical and psychological health and well-being of each patient, the medical doctors and other allied health professionals should consider the importance of conducting further research studies on how they could effectively combine the use of CAM with the conventional medical practice without the need to compensate or endanger the lives of the patients. *** End *** References Astin, J. (1998). Why patients use alternative medicine: results of a national survey. JAMA , 279(19):1548 - 1553. Barnes, P., et al. (2005). Complementary and AlternativeMedicine Use. In Pagan J.A. & Pauly M.V. (eds) "Access to Conventional Medical Care and the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine". Health Affairs , 24(1):255 - 262 . Barrett, B., Machand, L., Scheder, J., Plane, M., Maberry, R., Appelbaum, D., et al. (2004b). 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