Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Basics

August 7, 2014

WEEK ONE

Welcome to CAM Basics!

• Any note-taking materials you would like to use.

• National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine’s Backgrounder – Whole Medical Review: An Overview• Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Acupuncture

• Chinese Materia Medica

• Ayurvedic Medicine

• Naturopathy

• Homeopathy

Materials Other Resources

What is CAM?• Complimentary and Alternative Medicine•Wellness• More than the prevention of disease• Focus on inner resources• Balance of internal resources and external environment• Relies on individual abilities to get well and stay healthy

• Self-Healing Energy• Skin heals when cut• Self-healing is all healing• Why do we get sick?• Disruption of internal balance cause illness• Symptoms are our bodies trying to heal

National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine

BACKGROUNDER ~ WHOLE MEDICAL SYSTEMS: AN OVERVIEW

Whole Medical Systems: An Overview

• Different cultures have different medical systems• Eastern whole medical systems• Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Ayurvedic Medicine

• Western whole medical systems• Homeopathy

• Naturopathy

• Other Medical Systems• Native American

• African

• Middle Eastern

• Tibetan

• Central & South America

Traditional Chinese Medicine• Dates back to 200 B.C.• Yin Yang• Health is a balanced state• Disease is an imbalanced

state• Practitioners• Herbs, acupuncture, & massage

• Chinese Materia Medica or acupuncture• Used alone

• Used together

• In combination with other modalities

Acupuncture• Widely practiced• Relieves and prevents pain• Used for various other health

conditions• Nausea/vomiting

• Dental pain

• Other pain disorders

• Paralysis and numbness

• Movement disorders

• Depression

• Insomnia

• Breathlessness

• Asthma

• Cannot explain why it works• Electromagnetic signals

Chinese Materia Medica

• What is Chinese Materia Medica?• Reference book

• Herbs• Dozens of bioactive compounds

• Many factors impact the concentration

• Standardization can be difficult

• Adjusted to individual

• Studies have taken place to discover how effective herbs are and what their effects may be.

Ayurvedic Medicine

• “The science of life”• Natural healing system• Developed in India• Equal emphasis on body,

mind, and spirit• Strive for innate harmony• Treatments for various

diseases• Clinical trials fall short

Western Whole Medical Systems

• System of healing that views disease as a manifestation of alterations in the processes by which the body naturally heals itself• Health restoration• Disease treatment• “Nature disease”• AKA Naturopathic Medicine• Practiced throughout Europe,

Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and U.S.• Six Principles

• Complete system of medical theory and practice• Founded by Samuel Christian

Hahnemann• “Principle of similars”• Treat patients using a drug

that mimics patients symptoms• All aspects of a health status

need to be examined• Emotional and mental states,

and tiny idiosyncratic characteristics

Naturopathy Homeopathy

References• Micozzi, M. (2011). Fundamentals of complementary and alternative medicine. (4th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.• NCCAM. (2007). Whole medical systems: An overview. Backgrounder.

Disclaimer: The statements made are for informational purposes only. Any information used within this class is not to be used in place of a doctor. Please consult your doctor for any questions regarding the information received in these classes.