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Complementary and alternative medicine †
Published in Gary Chan Kok Yew, Health Law and Medical Ethics in Singapore, 2020
In the SMC Handbook on Medical Ethics, the term “complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to a broad domain of purported healing resources that encompasses all health systems, modalities and practices with their accompanying theories and beliefs which fall outside conventional health systems and medical practice”.1 Complementary medicine may be used along with conventional medicine, such as to alleviate stress, reduce pain and anxiety, and manage symptoms.2 Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine and is typically built upon systems of theory and practice, such as homeopathic and naturopathic medicine.3
Spirituality
Published in Inge B. Corless, Zelda Foster, The Hospice Heritage: Celebrating Our Future, 2020
A growing number of people are advocating the use of alternative modalities in bringing people to a more holistic way of being (Acterberg, Dossey, & Kolkmeier, 1994; Brown-Saltzman, 1997; Dossey, 1993). The complementary modalities which have been grouped under “alternative medicine” include acupuncture, therapeutic touch, biofeedback, relaxation, guided imagery, aromatherapy, chiropractic, herbal medicine, massage, and prayer. Dossey specifically elaborated his views with examples of what he calls non-local prayer, citing as his research base a number of studies using scientific protocols. Other researchers continue that effort (Levin, 1996; Levin, Lyons & Larson, 1994). Kathleen Fischer (1995), writing out of a more self-conscious spiritual perspective, is drinking from the same well. Her notions of healing interventions with women in the second half of life are borne out of her conviction that women’s experience, imagination, em-beddedness, connectedness, stories and images are their most viable source of spiritual sustenance. She offers rituals, insights, and observations about actualizing the redemptive power of spirituality for women who are undergoing change and transition, including loss.
General Web Sites
Published in Lillian R. Brazin, The Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine on the Internet, 2020
HON is a nonprofit medical information gateway. Produced by Health on the Net Foundation in Switzerland, it is a highly respected site. HON began in 1995 when a meeting of sixty international telemedicine experts convened to discuss the use of the Internet in health care. The group, including officials from the National Library of Medicine and Dr. Michael DeBakey, voted to “create a permanent body that would . . . promote the effective and reliable use of the new technologies for tele-medicine in healthcare around the world.” Today HON works closely with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the University Hospitals of Geneva. HON (see Figure 2.1) includes the search engines MedHunt and HONselect. This is a fine resource to lead you to the most reliable Web sites. HON does the quality filtering for you. Look for their seal of approval. See “Web Sources for Alternative Medicine.” Visitors can search by language or topic. Mamma<http://www.mamma.com>
‘Family stigma’ among family members of people with mental illness in Indonesia: A grounded theory approach
Published in International Journal of Mental Health, 2023
Muhammad Arsyad Subu, Del Fatma Wati, Nabeel Al-Yateem, Netrida Netrida, Vetty Priscilla, Jacqueline Maria Dias, Shameran Slewa-Younan, Adnil Edwin Nurdin
Perceived benefit has been identified as an important factor influencing decisions to use alternative medicine for various health problems (Astin, 1998). For example, about 60% of Ugandans seeking traditional healing practices had at least one diagnosable current mental illness, and the majority had moderate to severe symptoms (Abbo et al., 2009). In addition, traditional healers were the first place Ethiopians sought treatment for mental illness (Girma & Tesfaye, 2011). In South Africa, traditional healers were important for patients and families gaining understanding of psychological experiences and accessing social support structures (Myers, 2010). Popular alternative treatment providers are dukun or shamans (Harvey & Wallis, 2007), with such treatment commonly sought by participants in our study. This shamanic treatment often involves ‘jampi-jampi’ (spells) and massage (Ariyanto, 2007). Another alternative treatment for people with mental illness is performed by Islamic-religious leaders or smart people. This treatment is commonly called ruqiyah (an incantation by reciting Qur’an), and is used to treat someone who is believed to be possessed by demons, Satan or spirits (Ariyanto, 2007; Subu, 2015b).
Impact of interventions targeting anxiety and depression in adults with asthma
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2022
Caitlin Cooley, Yaejin Park, Olusola Ajilore, Alex Leow, Sharmilee M. Nyenhuis
Medication and psychological interventions are first-line treatments for mental health disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety). Psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy guides the patient to challenge the validity of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors and is widely used for depression and anxiety disorders (19,20). Lifestyle medicine and completementary and alternative medicine may offer potentially safe and low-cost treatment options. Lifestyle medicine can encompass many different areas including the adoption of evidence-based physical activity or exercise, dietary modification, relaxation, breathing exercises, mindfulness-based meditation techniques, spiritual healing and the reduction or cessation of recreational substances (e.g., nicotine, drugs, and alcohol) (21). Complementary and Alternative Medicine can include treatments such as acupuncture and craniosacral therapy which may be attractive to patients wanting a holistic treatment approach. The overall goal of this scoping review is to understand the current evidence in managing depression and/or anxiety symptoms in adults with asthma and identify research gaps in this understudied area.
Ethical and Legal Considerations of Alternative Neurotherapies
Published in AJOB Neuroscience, 2021
Ashwini Nagappan, Louiza Kalokairinou, Anna Wexler
Notably, therapies that meet the criteria above are often referred to as complementary or alternative medicine (CAM; Ernst, Cohen, and Stone 2004; Ernst and Smith 2018). Though the exact definition of CAM varies considerably (Hufford 2003; IOM 2005; Mertz 2007), it broadly refers to therapies that either complement, or provide alternatives to, traditional ones (NCCIH 2018; Wilkinson 2013). According to the taxonomy set forth by Kaptchuk and Eisenberg (2001), CAM includes medical systems (e.g., acupuncture, homeopathy, and naturopathy), alternative dietary practices (e.g., nutritional supplements and macrobiotics), New Age healing (e.g., energies, Reiki, and crystals), mind-body therapies (e.g., hypnosis and meditation) and “non-normative scientific enterprises” wherein practitioners advocate “theories and practices unacceptable to the general scientific community” (Kaptchuk and Eisenberg 2001). As Kaptchuk and Eisenberg (2001) note, techniques in this latter category often utilize “unvalidated diagnostic methods” and “unconventional technological devices,” and may blur the boundaries between accepted and unaccepted off-label uses.