In the last two decades, the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) by the American public has grown exponentially, especially among women, meriting the question of “why?”. CAM is defined as any medical practice not regularly taught in biomedical schooling, and that is undertaken to replace or to be used in conjunction with standard biomedical practice (Su, D et al, 2011). Examples of CAM typically used include acupuncture, chiropractic care, and herbal medicine, as well as deep-breathing exercise, yoga, meditation, and prayer. The recent surge in CAM use has been so extreme that it is now estimated that 40 to 45 percent of Americans currently practice CAM use, with 68 percent of Americans having used CAM at some point in their …show more content…
One of the most commonly cited reasons for using CAM is that it is perceived as “natural” (Hill-Sakurai et al, 2008). Women argue that previous generations of women were able to make due using natural methods, so they should be able to as well. However, despite their adamance that CAM is natural, there does not appear to be a clear consensus on what exactly “natural” means. One could assume that they mean to say that CAM is free from chemicals, but this is untrue on a basic level. Many CAM practices, such as herbal remedies, rely upon the chemicals in the herbs to combat the patient’s symptoms. One could assume instead that these women mean to say that CAM is free of processed substances, but in the case of homeopathy, this is not the case. Therefore, it is helpful to look at alternate reasons for women’s reliance upon CAM. Another approach is that CAM is compatible with the values and philosophical orientations of these women. (Hill-Sakurai et al, 2008). One of the core values mentioned is a focus on globalization, feminism, and inner life (Goldstein, 2002). The impact of globalization on CAM is fairly straightforward - CAM draws upon the traditional medicines of China, India, and the Americas, as well as traditional folk remedies of Western cultures. Examples of some of these practices include yoga, dong quai, acupuncture, and traditional Native American herbal remedies such as red clover. (Im, E. et al, …show more content…
Yet again, there is no singular answer, but it may be rooted in traditional perspectives of women’s health. Until very recently, women’s bodies had been perceived as analogous to those of men, aside from reproduction, and therefore they did not merit study. It was not until 1993 that women were even included in medical trials. The uniqueness of individuals was completely overlooked, despite the impact of individual experiences have on every aspect of health (Goldstein, 2002). Meanwhile, women’s reproductive health has been viewed in western medicine as “difficult” and described as “natural abnormal.” (Wiley, 2009). It is clear that this stems from male domination in the biomedical field over the years - it is a sort of ethnocentrism of the sexes. Women’s health has been medicalized for years, from hysteria to premenstrual syndrome. Because these syndromes do not appear worldwide, it appears that they are cultural constructs developed to explain women’s bodies in a way that medical science can easily understand. Even the mundane of women’s health is treated medically: menstruation is regularly described in negative terms, focusing upon the associated problems; the experience of pregnancy has become increasingly medicalized, with extensive testing, hospitalization, and surgery; and menopause is treated as a disease of aging, with hot flashes being described as an “estrogen
The term complementary medicine is used by conventional medical practitioners to refer to nom-invasive, non-pharmaceutical techniques which are used in conjunction with allopathic medical treatments such as drugs and surgery. The term implies that sometimes conventional medicine is used as a primary tool and also a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical complementary technique is used as a supplement when needed. Complementary medicine has become an increasing feature of healthcare
In contemporary society modern medicine usually takes on a curative role, it attempts to cure. Complementary therapy however takes on a very different role; it is used to maintain wellbeing and health as well as a helping to restore wellbeing to before illness or poor health. These therapies are usually used in conjunction with modern medicine. This is usually to relieve symptoms that traditional medicine fails to help with or to boost a person’s emotional or physical health.
Complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, can be characterized as a gathering of restorative, human services, and healing systems other than those incorporated into health care in the United States. CAM incorporates the perspectives, speculations, modalities, items, and practices connected with these systems and their utilization to treat disease and advance health and prosperity (McKenzie, 2012). Even though heterogeneous, the significant CAM frameworks have numerous normal attributes, including an attention on individualizing medications, treating the entire individual, advancing self-consideration and self-recuperating, and perceiving the otherworldly way of every person. What's more, numerous CAM frameworks have attributes generally found in standard human services, for example, an emphasis on great sustenance and preventive practices. Dissimilar to standard medication, CAM frequently needs or has just restricted trial and clinical concentrate; then again, experimental examination of CAM is starting to address this learning crevice. In this manner, limits in the
Understand complementary therapies that can be used by users of health and social care services
In modern medicine, alternative therapies are poorly understood and studied. The preference for alternative therapies, and herbal medicine were indicated, and the fear of relinquishing information regarding these practices were almost paralyzing. It seemed as though they were ashamed to admit to cultural healing practices, and did not divulge information to practitioners regarding their usage. The cultural disconnect was present as alternative/complimentary medicines are valued as a culture, and “modern” practitioners cast judgment on their usage. This perceived stigma additionally limited the information shared by the cultural participants with modern medical treatments, potentially causing additional harm, as some herbals are potentially toxic.
M1 Discuss complementary therapies that are available for users of health and social care services
Throughout the years there have been two traditions within the practice of medicine. One is the 'art of healing ' which involves its own specialised brand of training. The art of healing is dependent on the prescriber 's foreknowledge and the clients’ viewpoint of the prosperous results. The 'Science of healing ' is based on scientific and technological ideas. This tradition results in a lower liability for practitioners regarding the showing of an original approach to medicine, however the results of this method are more calculable (Kayne 2002). It is believed that the tradition of the ‘art of healing’ is increasing in popularity. The World Health Organisation states ' 'that the terms ' 'complementary medicine ' ' or ' 'alternative medicine’ ' are used interchangeably with traditional medicine in some countries. They refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country 's own tradition and are not integrated into the dominant health care system” (World Health Organization 2000). This type of treatment, is commonly known as ‘Complementary and alternative medicine’ (CAM). The word complementary derives from the meaning ‘together with’ established practices and the word alternative refers to ‘in place’ of established practices. Some patients choose to participate in complementary therapies along with the medication prescribed by their general practitioner whilst others prefer complementary therapies as opposed to the medications
Dr. James Marcum, a cardiologist at the Chattanooga Heart Institute in Tennessee claims, “Pharmaceutical drugs don’t heal people.” In fact, he states, “Much of the time they do more harm than good”(Milner). U.S. Citizens need to stop taking harmful pills and start using more natural, holistic healing methods. Everyone has probably used a pill before to relieve their pain, but there are healthier ways to feel just as good. According to the results of the National Health Interview Survey, “In 2012, 33.2% of U.S. adults used complementary health approaches”(What Complementary and Integrative Approaches Do Americans Use?). While some people believe conventional medicine is a better choice, it is clear that holistic healing can replace prescription drugs because they are more safe and effective than prescription drugs, and they are more practical in many ways.
An increasing number of medical schools are now offering courses in alternative medicine for their students, and some hospitals already have alternative medicine departments. The availability of healers and doctors practicing holistic medicine has also increased in recent years, and more and more people are educating themselves in these new fields. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that between 65 and 80 percent of the world’s population (about 3 billion people) rely on traditional medicine as their primary form of health care.
The mission of NCCAM is to investigate the “usefulness and safety” of alternative and complementary medicine and the roles they could possibly play in improving health of the nation and our healthcare system by advance research on mind and body interventions,
They along with many other authors (Sointu 2006) suggests that negative experiences within conventional medical practises can cause disenchantment and initiate people to seek out other methods of elevating their health care problems. They also cite from sociological studies that impersonal practises and the inability to cure chronic illness is part of the explanation for the move to use CAM and alternative therapies (Telford, Kralik, Koch,2006). The results of the study indicate that another reason for uptake is the fact that many believed in the trends of alternative methods and choose to use a ‘consumerist attitude’ (Sharma, 1992:80) to obtaining health care. Consumer demand has brought about the changes associated with CAM and alternative therapies use. The increase in several countries at grass root level as suggested by Barry (2005) has influenced the integration of several therapies into biomedical healthcare systems. Consumerism was one of the main ideas to influence factor incorporated in the changes to the NHS in the 1970’s. Consumerism led systems meant a more flexible and responsive health service which encouraged inclusion and self- help. This shift in thinking was brought about partly by consumer demand growing ever higher and medical sociologists debating changes to how society views illness and health
Women make up just slightly over half the U.S population (US Census Bureau, 2010) and should not be even considered a part of a minority group. The female population should acquire the same equal research attention as men do, especially when it comes to health issues. The unavoidable, yet quite simple realities of breastfeeding, menstruation, menopause, along with pregnancy require special scrutiny from medical experts. Those medical specialties are generally referred as gynecologists or obstetrics, who focus on the exclusive needs of a female’s reproductive health throughout their lifespan. Historically, the health needs of women have been disregarded as well as their fundamental rights. However, over the past few decades, it has grabbed the media and the government’s attention causing some major changes in support of women’s rights and health care.
Not only are women deliberately kept out of joining medical schools and medical practices in general, their bodies are also not typically studied in medical science and research, because instead, male bodies are more often used. This makes the male body seem dominantly normative and generalizes an idea that women’s bodies must be similar to men’s, and dangerously disregards women’s particular differences. This causes medical professionals to make decisions based on this research that may not be particularly appropriate for women, such as the fact that aspirin reduces the rate of heart attacks for men but not for women, much to many doctors’ surprise. Gender stereotypes also exist within the medical field that may prevent women from receiving the care and attention they need, as many doctors often assume women are emotional, and thus, exaggerating their symptoms, versus men who are believed to be more rational. This also affects the amount of care they receive, which sometimes is too much or too little because some procedures like cesarean sections and hysterectomies are performed too often when other options would be just as adequate, but unfortunately, women’s reproductive systems are more emphasized than other just as important aspects of their health. In other instances, they do not receive as much diagnosis or are not taken as seriously as men are, by their doctors. According to our earlier readings, men are more often to interrupt women, so men physicians can often
By examining some of the most popular, enduring alternative medical systems, one can begin to see some general trends of the systems, understand some recurring flaws, and understand the attraction and usefulness of alternative medicine in today's health care system. However, alternative medicine remains controversial. Whether it can be supported scientifically or not, alternative medicine may be useful to encourage both physical and mental well-being via a placebo effect. For this reason, alternative medicine must be considered by physicians as a complement to modern medicine.
This study intends to examine the role of alternative medicine in Australia in what is a society traditionally dominated by western style medicine. Nissen (2011) reports that the use of therapies "designated as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Europe, Australia and North America is well-established, and the popularity of CAM is linked with a wide range of factors, including disappointment with biomedical healthcare and the rise of chronic health complaints, dissatisfaction with the doctor-patient relationship, post-modern values, and personal world views." (p.187)