Why Americans Should Embrace Alternative Medicine

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.

Both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine have long roots in American history as alternatives to the Biomedical practice, albeit with Herbal medicine gaining greater early popularity due to it's similarities to alternative medicines in American cultural traditions. The fulfillment of needs not adequately addressed by biomedicine, whether it be the basic lack of healthcare of any sort in early Western America in which the first Chinese American arrived, or the lack of preventative care in the modern day United States, is a defining thread in the practice of TCM in the US, of which Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture served as vanguards. Another defining thread in these practices history and future in the US is the influences of cultural adaption,

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) also, "integrative medicine" like acupuncture and meditation are approaches to medicine and healthcare that are practiced in many places in the world, including in the United States. In fact an article in the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (part of the Institutes of Health [NIH]) reports that about 40 percent of Americans use healthcare strategies that were not developed within the U.S.; those healthcare approaches and their histories are presented in this paper.

The demand for the integration of complementary and traditional medicine into healthcare practice is on the rise. In the United States, an estimated 1 in 9 children from birth to 18 years old use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) (Burns et al., 2017). Use is increasing among some of the most vulnerable populations of children such as those with chronic, recurrent, or incurable disorders (McClafferty et al., 2017). Chronic health conditions are often more effectively addressed with the integration of complementary therapies (Burns et al., 2017). Children and families are turning to CAM for hope in managing illnesses and improving quality of life. CAM includes a variety of products and therapies, new and old, many requiring more

Acquiring the knowledge and understanding of how to get complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment covered by health insurance companies can be extremely convoluted and unclear—in fact, one would be hard-pressed to make a specific statement regarding CAM treatment because coverage varies so significantly depending on state laws, regulations, and differences among specific health insurance plans. Considering the use of CAM therapy requires extensive investigation of your health insurance providers’ plans to determine if any portion of this treatment will be covered; and utilization of other agencies such as the National Center for Complementary

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in complementary medicine, and indeed alternative medicine (Lee-Treweek 2002, Andrews 2004, Barry 2006). Moreover the number of professionally trained therapist and practitioners has increased giving the patient/client a better choice and at more competitive rates (Smallwood, 2005).

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are medicines that are not considered conventional medicine. Conventional Medicine is also known as Western Medicine and is often practice by medical professional like medical doctors, nurses and therapist. The boundaries between CAM and conventional medicine are not fixed, and because CAM has recently become more accepted, the treatment combination of CAM and conventional medicine increased and the boundaries between the two faded even further.

The popularity of complementary and alternative medicine, CAM continues to grow as more people embrace alternatives to conventional medicine to improve their lives and cure various diseases and conditions. In the United States, the CAM practice is more common in people with anxiety, severe depression, and insomnia. In the midst of the acceptance of CAM, other people still rely on conventional medicine and integrative care models to treat severe depression.

In the past few decades, the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has moved from a fringe movement to highly popular and widely used therapies in Western society that are being integrated into conventional treatment (Cherry & Jacob, 2011). Although various forms of CAM have been reported for centuries, its use is increasing in the United States. CAM is defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), National Institutes of Health, as health care with use or origins outside of mainstream medicine (Kramlich, 2014). CAM comprises a large and diverse set of therapies and healing systems that have certain common characteristics: A focus on treating the individual and consideration of the health

Alternative medicine has been considered the “hidden mainstream” of patient care in America. As biomedicine increased in popularity, alternative methods of healing arose as a response to the treatments used by physicians. Historically, alternative (or “complementary”) medicine conveyed itself by highlighting its “natural” attributes. These characteristics attracted those who were wary of the chemicals used in allopathic medicines. Much of the skepticism that has accompanied complementary alternative medicine (CAM) stems from the lack of scientifically-based evidence that shows its efficacy; there is no “alternative” medicine there is simply “unproven” medicine (Fontanarosa and Lundberg 1618). This argument suggests that medicine and

By all accounts, the use of complementary medicine is increasing in use (Bent, 2008, p. 854; Mainardi, Kapoor and Bielory, 2009, p. 261). Consumers may perceive complementary medicines as a safe complementary or alternative treatment to conventional medical care, resulting in an increase in their use.

Although "Alternative" or "Complementary" medicine has been kept on the fringes of the medical sciences in the past, it is becoming increasingly more popular, and more reputable. Alternative medicines are those medical systems which are not taught to or practiced by most conventional medical doctors. Alternative medicines seemingly have always existed, changing and conforming to the current climate of society. There seems to be an almost endless number of alternative medicines, each with their own method of gaining perfect health. Often people who are dissatisfied with conventional medicine turn to alternative medicine for their medical needs. Many similarities link the diverse extremities of alternative medicine.

Additionally, In New York Times article, titled “When Trust in Doctors Erodes, Other Treatments Fill the Void”, author Benedict Carey states, “Americans spend more than $27 billion annually on complementary and alternative medicine, most of which are out-of-pocket expenses” (Add source). Moreover, Americans made 600 million visits a year to CAM providers, which is more than to primary care providers. Despite the growth of these practices, there are still low levels of understanding and its effectiveness and accuracy is relentlessly being questioned. This paper will explore and discuss the foundations of complementary and alternative medicine, the different types most used today, and the efficacy and safety of the various practices.

Conventional practices can’t cure everything and this also pushes people towards alternative methods. Things that pull people towards CAM are claims of cure, natural treatment, (appealing because natural is good, and the news being in the media which they have easy access to. CAM consider more than just treating the illness and are also involved in having support groups which help people cope with their illness. Because they are often not reimbursed they have more time to spend with the clients. And they practice the three T’s, talk, touch, time. The speaker also explained that the people who practice Complementary medicine are the medical doctors, CAM practitioners, traditional healers, and patients. A reason why CAM might be risky for the public is that often times information that is found on the Internet isn’t correct, misleading, or the source is unknown.

Alternative healthcare options or alternative medicine is “any of various systems of healing or treating disease (such as acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) that is not included under traditional medical practice in the United States and Britain” (Webster dictionary). Alternative medicine is the term used for medical products and practices that are not part of the standard of care. Standard of care is what medical doctors, doctors of traditional medicine, and allied health professionals, such as nurses and physical therapists, practice. Alternative medicine is used in place of standard medical care. Examples of alternative practices that do not include traditional medicine are aroma therapy, diet therapy, herbalism, homeopathy, massage therapy, reflexology, chiropractic therapy, cannabis, faith or spiritual healing and acupuncture amongst others (Medicine.net). Alternative medical systems are built upon complete systems of theory and practice sometimes these systems develop into something substantial; some if these systems have even developed in western cultures. Examples of alternative medical systems that have developed in Western cultures are homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine. Examples of systems that have developed in non-Western cultures include traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda (Medicine.net). There are more than a hundred different types of alternative medicine but there are five key types of alternative