Chapter 1 - Introduction Flashcards
Why don’t all alternative medicines have equal merit?
Some lack evidence of efficacy, while others just don’t make sense scientifically.
Examples of CAM
Ayurvedic medicine, naturopathy, magnet therapy, yoga, chiropractic, reflexology, homeopathy, osteopathy, TCM, reiki, massage.
Holistic approach to medicine.
Treat the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of disease.
Is CAM easy or difficult to define, and why?
It is difficult to define because the definition is political and prone to cultural biases.
Paradigms of CAM
Claim to support/stimulate the body’s natural healing mechanisms. Profess a holistic approach. Clinical experience is often more important than scientific theory.
Genuine (alternative) treatments.
Some evidence for efficacy and safety.
What is CAM?
Complementary and alternative medicine. What can be classified as CAM depends on who is defining it.
Example of a manipulative and body-based practice.
Chiropractic, massage, reflexology.
Definition of “alternative medicine”
All treatments that have not been proven effective using scientific methods.
Definition “orthodox medicine”
Treatments based on evidence gathered using the scientific method.
If a treatment is effective, it works…
out in the real world.
Experimental treatments.
An unproven treatment that has a plausible rationale for effectiveness.
If a treatment has efficacy, it works…
in a laboratory setting
Definition of folk medicine
Healers in local communities trained by family/community, using items found in nature. Methods passed on by individuals, often orally.
When did branches of CAM start to form?
In the late 1700s.
