Alternative Medicine

Any medical products or practices that are not considered a part of a patient’s standard care are considered to be complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM. But what exactly does this mean? This means that if you are seeking something other than the standard care that is offered by doctors or other health professionals, you are seeking complementary and alternative medicine. Some common examples of complementary and alternative medicine is chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, diet, homeopathy, aromatherapy, energy therapy, body work, ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, yoga, or herbal therapies.

The underlying philosophy of complementary and alternative medicine follows a few basic principles, including:

o Relying on the body’s ability to heal itself.
o Using natural methods before relying on prescriptions, surgery, or conventional medicine.
o Seeing the patient as a whole, including mind, body, spirit, and emotions, and not just covering up symptoms.
o Working toward optimal health.

And while the name (complementary and alternative medicine) makes it sound like it is just a small branch of treatment options that not many people turn to, a recent study found that “36 percent of US adults aged 18 years and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)” (http://altmedicine.about.com/od/alternativemedicinebasics/a/CAMuse.htm)

If you have been frustrated with the limits of modern medicine, you may want to consider a form of complementary and alternative medicine. These practices are safe and many people just like you have found that they feel better and are much healthier when taking part in a variety of these practices. Why not learn more?

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