What Is
Complementary and Alternative Medicine?
Complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) covers a broad range of healing philosophies,
approaches, and therapies. Generally , it is defined
as those treatments and healthcare practices not taught
widely in medical schools, not generally used in hospitals,
and not usually reimbursed by medical insurance companies.
Many therapies are termed
"holistic," which generally means that the healthcare
practitioner considers the whole person, including
physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects.
Many therapies are also known as "preventive," which
means that the practitioner educates and treats the
person to prevent health problems from arising, rather
than treating symptoms after problems have occurred.
People use these treatments
and therapies in a variety of ways. Therapies are
used alone (often referred to as alternative), in
combination with other alternative therapies, or in
addition to conventional therapies (sometimes referred
to as complementary).
Some approaches are consistent
with physiological principles of Western medicine,
while others constitute healing systems with a different
origin. While some therapies are far outside the realm
of accepted Western medical theory and practice, others
are becoming established in mainstream medicine.
How
Can I Find More Information about Complementary and
Alternative Medical Practices?
Ask your healthcare provider
about complementary and alternative medical treatments
and practices in general, and about those particular
practices used for your specific health problems.
Increasingly, healthcare
providers are becoming familiar with alternative treatments
or are able to refer you to someone who is. For scientific
information about the safety and effectiveness of
a particular treatment, ask your healthcare provider
to obtain valid information for you.
If your healthcare provider
cannot provide information, medical libraries, public
libraries, and popular bookstores are good places
to find information about particular complementary
and alternative medical practices.
Other resources for information
are the 25 Institutes and Centers (ICs) at the
NIH. For information on a wide range of specific diseases
or medical conditions, call (301) 496-4000 and ask
the operator to direct you to the appropriate NIH
office.
Also, you may want to ask
practitioners of complementary and alternative healthcare
about their practices. Many practitioners belong to
a growing number of professional associations, educational
organizations, and research institutions that provide
information about complementary and alternative medical
practices. Many organizations are developing Internet
Web sites. Most internet browser programs will have
a mechanism for searching the World Wide Web by keyword
or concept.
Remember that these organizations
may advocate a specific therapy or treatment and may
be unable to provide complete and objective health
information.
If you have access to a
computer with an Internet connection, you may be able
to search medical libraries and databases for specific
conditions and alternative medical treatments. The
NCCAM's online database, the Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (CAM) Citation Index (CCI), is comprised
of approximately 180,000 bibliographic records describing
much of the CAM research that has been published over
the last 35 years. The CCI's user-friendly,
menu-driven interface allows for searches by various
diseases or conditions, alternative medicine techniques
or systems, and types of literature.
You may also try accessing
and searching MEDLINE, one of the many computer databases
available at the National Library of Medicine. Also, you
may want to contact the NCCAM Clearinghouse to obtain
the fact sheet, "Alternative
Medicine Research Using MEDLINE."
How
Can I Find a Practitioner in My Area?
To find a qualified complementary
and alternative medical healthcare practitioner, you
may want to contact medical regulatory and licensing
agencies in your state.
These agencies may be able
to provide information about a specific practitioner
s credentials and background. Many states license
practitioners who provide alternative therapies such
as acupuncture, chiropractic services, naturopathy,
herbal medicine, homeopathy, and massage therapy.
You may also locate practitioners
by asking your healthcare provider, or by contacting
a professional association or organization. These
organizations can provide names of local practitioners,
and provide information about how to determine the
quality of a specific practitioner s services. Contact
the NCCAM Clearinghouse to obtain the fact sheet,
"Considering Complementary and Alternative Therapies,"
which provides helpful hints and questions to consider
when choosing an alternative healthcare practitioner.
Also, you may find complementary
and alternative healthcare practitioners by asking
people you trust, like friends and family members,
who may have experience with practitioners of complementary
and alternative medicine.
Can
I Receive an Alternative Treatment at the National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM)?
The NCCAM is not a treatment
facility and cannot answer specific medical questions.
The NCCAM cannot make referrals to individual practitioners
or recommend particular therapies for patients.
Will
My Experience Help in the Evaluation of Complementary
and Alternative Medical Therapies?
Many people write to the
NCCAM with their own testimony about a successful
treatment or a particular healer or healthcare practitioner.
To have this information reviewed, people may ask
their practitioners whether he/she is collecting information
on the success of their treatments. A practitioner
can collect and organize the information and present
it to the NCCAM once there is sufficient data to make
a case for the effectiveness of a particular treatment.
Will
the NCCAM Evaluate My Own Invention or Treatment?
Many people contact the
NCCAM with ideas for alternative medical cures. To
have a method or cure tested, one must formulate a
research protocol. This entails collaborating with
individuals who have expertise in research and evaluation,
if one does not possess this expertise.
The NCCAM supports rigorous
research into a range of alternative medical treatments
either by awarding grants or by setting up studies.
For further information, please contact the NCCAM Clearinghouse
to obtain the "Research Information Package."
Can
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Be Investigated
Using the Same Methods Used in Conventional Medicine?
People sometimes ask whether
the NCCAM uses the same standard of science as conventional
medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine needs
to be investigated using the same scientific methods
used in conventional medicine. The NCCAM encourages
valid information about complementary and alternative
medicine, applying at least as rigorous, and, in some
cases, even more rigorous research methods than the
current standard in conventional medicine. This is
because the research often involves novel concepts
and claims, and uses complex systems of practice that
need systematic, explicit, and comprehensive knowledge
and skills to investigate.
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