Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Question 1

What is the most commonly used CAM in the UK?

Answer 1

Massage

Question 2

What is the theory behind homeopathy?

Answer 2

Like cures like

i.e. if toxin causing illness, dilute toxin and use as treatment for illness

Question 3

What is the starting point for homeopathic dilutions called?

Answer 3

Mother tincture

Question 4

What is correlated to potency in homeopathy?

Answer 4

How dilute a solution is

Question 5

What are the indirect harms associated with homeopathy?

Answer 5

Delay in receiving appropriate treatment

Attitudes of practitioner e.g. anti-immunisation

Question 6

Which regulatory bodies exist in the UK for homeopathy?

Answer 6

Society of homeopaths
Faculty of homeopaths
British homeopathic association

Question 7

What is St John’s Wort been shown to treat?

Answer 7

Major depression

Question 8

Why is St John’s Wort not favoured?

Answer 8

Interaction with other drugs via CYP450 system

Question 9

What are the direct harms associated with herbal medicine?

Answer 9

Adverse drug reactions
Drug interactions
Quality control

Question 10

What is required for a herbal medication to be approved by the THR?

Answer 10

Used for 30 years for a specific condition
Been used in EU for 15 of those years
No proof of efficacy required

Question 11

What is the herbalist exemption?

Answer 11

If you go into have a consultation with a herbalist, they do not have to prove safety, quality or efficacy of preparations

Question 12

What did DD Palmer believe?

Answer 12

95% of all disease are caused by displaced vertebrae

Question 13

What are straight chiropracters?

Answer 13

Chiropractors that believe in Palmer’s philosophy that vertebral subluxations are at the root of all illness

Question 14

What are mixed chiropracters?

Answer 14

Less broad health claims
Can use musculoskeletal manipulations to improve health
More similar to osteopathy

Question 15

What are subluxations?

Answer 15

Small misalignments of the spine (basically undetectable on radiography)

Question 16

What is an E-meter?

Answer 16

Used by chiropractics to detect subluxations

Question 17

What are the features of spinal manipulations?

Answer 17

High-velocity, low-amplitude thrusts

Audible ‘crack’

Question 18

What are the direct harms associated with chiropractic?

Answer 18

50% of chiropractic patients suffer an adverse reaction
Tearing of artery wall leading to stroke
Injury to spinal cord
Exposure to radiation via chiropractic X rays

Question 19

What are the indirect harms of chiropractic?

Answer 19

Delay in receiving appropriate treatment

Attitudes of practitioner (anti-vaccination)

Question 20

What are the only two CAM modalities under statutory regulation?

Answer 20

Osteopathy

Chiropractic

Question 21

What is the theory behind acupuncture?

Answer 21

Energy (Ch’i) flows through meridians that are associated with major organs
Illness is due to disrupted flow of Ch’i

Question 22

Describe the practice of acupunture

Answer 22

Needles inserted along meridians that is said to restore flow of Ch’i
Left in place for seconds to hours

Question 23

What are the direct harms associated with acupuncture?

Answer 23

Infections

Pneumothorax

Question 24

When must acupuncture not be carried out?

Answer 24

Periods of anger, drunkness, mortification or at any time of great excitement
When moon is full or tide is high