Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments. Complementary medicine describes alternative medicine used in conjunction with conventional medicine. The term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an umbrella term for both branches. Alternative medicine includes practices that incorporate spiritual, metaphysical, or religious underpinnings; non-European medical traditions or newly developed approaches to healing.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine defines complementary and alternative medicine as "a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine". It also defines integrative medicine as "mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness" . Ralph Snyderman and Andrew Weil state "integrative medicine is not synonymous with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It has a far larger meaning and mission in that it calls for restoration of the focus of medicine on health and healing and emphasizes the centrality of the patient-physician relationship" [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11863470 PMID 11863470.

Proponents of evidence-based medicine regard the distinction between conventional and alternative medicines as false, preferring "good medicine" with provable efficacy and "bad medicine" without. "Bad medicine" is any treatment where the efficacy and safety of which has not been verified through peer-reviewed, double blind placebo controlled studies, regarded as the "gold standard" for determining the efficacy of a compound. It is thus possible for a method to change categories in either direction, based on increased knowledge of its effectiveness or lack thereof. Richard Dawkins, Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, argues that alternative medicine should be defined as that set of practices that cannot be tested, refuse to be tested or consistently fail tests. He also states that "There is no alternative medicine. There is only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't work."

More on [ Alternative medicine ]

NCCAM Featured Content

Women's Health Week is May 11–17, 2008
Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:00 -0500
NCCAM provides resources and information on some health issues that affect women, such as menopause, osteoarthritis, and urinary tract infections. We also highlight some of the clinical trials related to women's health issues. Decisions about medical care and treatment should be made in consultation with a health care provider and based on the condition and needs of each person. Discuss information on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with your health care provider before making any decisions about treatment or care. Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
Director's Testimony: Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Request
Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:00:00 -0500
I am pleased to present the President's Fiscal Year (FY) budget request for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health. The FY 2009 budget includes $121,695,000, which is $118,000 more than the comparable FY 2008 appropriation of $121,577,000. The public's concept of health is broader than preventing and treating disease. Increasingly, Americans are using strategies that they can employ themselves to improve their health, maintain wellness, and improve quality of life. As part of this participatory approach to health, millions of people are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Many of the leading U.S. medical institutions now offer integrative medicine services. These programs include personalized CAM interventions such as yoga, meditation, massage, and acupuncture. However, we know relatively little about the true potential of CAM to improve health and well being or to preempt disease, or about how best to use most CAM modalities. We also need to understand how CAM practices interact with other therapies and whether they are safe. Given this consumer-driven call for better approaches to improved health and wellness, the medical research community has begun to explore promising CAM approaches and develop the scientific evidence base for CAM modalities that can be integrated as part of comprehensive health care. Using proven scientific methods and rigorous standards, NCCAM is building the research enterprise and the evidence base to better understand CAM. Through scientific investigation, research training programs, and outreach activities, NCCAM's efforts will support the rational integration of proven CAM approaches with conventional medicine.
The Use of Magnets for Pain
Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:00:00 -0500
Magnets have been used for health purposes for centuries. Static, or permanent, magnets are widely marketed for pain control and are considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. This fact sheet provides an overview of static magnets and summarizes current scientific knowledge about their effects on pain.

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine - current issue

Ayurveda is Embraced by eCAM
Cooper, E. L. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0000

The Medicinal Mushroom Agaricus blazei Murrill: Review of Literature and Pharmaco-Toxicological Problems
Firenzuoli, F., Gori, L., Lombardo, G. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Agaricus blazei Murrill (ABM) popularly known as ‘Cogumelo do Sol’ in Brazil, or ‘Himematsutake’ in Japan, is a mushroom native to Brazil, and widely cultivated in Japan for its medicinal uses, so it is now considered as one of the most important edible and culinary-medicinal biotechnological species. It was traditionally used to treat many common diseases like atherosclerosis, hepatitis, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, dermatitis and cancer. In vitro and in vivo ABM has shown immunomodulatory and antimutagenic properties, although the biological pathways and chemical substances involved in its pharmacological activities are still not clear. The polysaccharides phytocomplex is thought to be responsible for its immunostimulant and antitumor properties, probably through an opsonizing biochemical pathway. Clinical studies are positive confirmations, but we are still at the beginning, and there are perplexing concerns especially relative to the content of agaritine. Argantine is a well-known carcinogenic and toxic substance in animals, that must be completely and fully evaluated.
The Life Threatened Child and the Life Enhancing Clown: Towards a Model of Therapeutic Clowning
Koller, D., Gryski, C. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0000
In the last decade, there has been a rapid growth in the presence of clowns in hospitals, particularly in pediatric settings. The proliferation of clowns in health care settings has resulted in varying levels of professionalism and accountability. For this reason, there is a need to examine various forms of clowning, in particular therapeutic clowning in pediatric settings. The purpose of this article is to address what therapeutic clowning is and to describe the extent to which it can provide a complementary form of health care. In an attempt to apply theory to practice, the article will draw upon the experiences of a therapeutic clown within a pediatric setting while providing a historical and theoretical account of how clowns came to be in hospitals. Toward this end, a proposed model of therapeutic clowning will be offered which can be adapted for a variety of settings where children require specialized forms of play in order to enhance their coping, development and adjustment to life changes. Finally, current research on clowning in children's hospitals will be reviewed including a summary of findings from surveys administered at the Hospital for Sick Children.

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Latest articles

Effect of exercise therapy on lipid profile and oxidative stress indicators in patients with type 2 diabetes
Lorenzo A Gordon, Errol Y Morrison, Donovan A McGrowder, Ronald Young, Yeiny P Fraser, Eslaen M Zamoraz, Ruby L Alexander-Lindo and Rachael R Irving Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Background: Yoga has been shown to be a simple and economical therapeutic modality that may be considered as a beneficial adjuvant for type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study investigated the impact of Hatha yoga and conventional physical training (PT) exercise regimens on biochemical, oxidative stress indicators and oxidant status in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: This prospective randomized study consisted of 77 type 2 diabetic patients in the Hatha yoga exercise group that were matched with a similar number of type 2 diabetic patients in the conventional PT exercise and control groups. Biochemical parameters such as fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were determined at baseline and at two consecutive three monthly intervals. The oxidative stress indicators (malondialdehyde - MDA, protein oxidation - POX, phospholipase A2 - PLA2 activity) and oxidative status [superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities] were measured. Results: The concentrations of FBG in the Hatha yoga and conventional PT exercise groups after six months decreased by 29.48% and 27.43% respectively (P < 0.0001) and there was a significant reduction in serum TC in both groups (P < 0.0001). The concentrations of VLDL in the managed groups after six months differed significantly from baseline values (P = 0.036). Lipid peroxidation as indicated by MDA significantly decreased by 19.9% and 18.1% in the Hatha yoga and conventional PT exercise groups respectively (P < 0.0001); whilst the activity of SOD significantly increased by 24.08% and 20.18% respectively (P = 0.031). There was no significant difference in the baseline and 6 months activities of PLA2 and catalase after six months although the latter increased by 13.68% and 13.19% in the Hatha yoga and conventional PT exercise groups respectively (P = 0.144). Conclusion: The study demonstrate the efficacy of Hatha yoga exercise on fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, oxidative stress markers and antioxidant status in patients with type 2 diabetes and suggest that Hatha yoga exercise and conventional PT exercise may have therapeutic preventative and protective effects on diabetes mellitus by decreasing oxidative stress and improving antioxidant status. Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12608000217303
Electroacupuncture activates corticotrophin-releasing hormone-containing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalammus to alleviate edema in a rat model of inflammation
Aihui Li, Lixing Lao, Yi Wang, Jiajia Xin, Ke Ren, Brian M. Berman, Ming Tan and Ruixin Zhang Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Background: Studies show that electroacupuncture (EA) has beneficial effects in patients with inflammatory diseases. This study investigated the mechanisms of EA anti-inflammation, using a rat model of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced hind paw inflammation and hyperalgesia. DesignFour experiments were conducted on male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=6-7/per group). Inflammation was induced by injecting CFA into the plantar surface of one hind paw. Experiment 1 examined whether EA increases plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels. Experiments 2 and 3 studied the effects of the ACTH and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptor antagonists, ACTH (11-24) and astressin, on the EA anti-edema. Experiment 4 determined whether EA activates CRH neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalammus. EA treatment, 10 Hz at 3 mA and 0.1 ms pulse width, was given twice for 20 min each, once immediately post and again 2 hr post-CFA. Plasma ACTH levels, paw thickness, and paw withdrawal latency to a noxious thermal stimulus were measured 2 h and 5 h after the CFA. Results: EA significantly increased ACTH levels 5 h (2 folds) after CFA compared to sham EA control, but EA alone in naive rats and CFA alone did not induce significant increases in ACTH. ACTH (11-24) and astressin blocked EA anti-edema but not EA anti-hyperalgesia. EA induced phosphorylation of NR1, an essential subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor, in CRH-containing neurons of the paraventricular nucleus. Conclusion: The data demonstrate that EA activates CRH neurons to significantly increase plasma ACTH levels and suppress edema through CRH and ACTH receptors in a rat model of inflammation.
Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations
Tyler C Smith, Besa Smith and Margaret AK Ryan Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Background: The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been estimated to be as high as 65% in some populations. However, there has been little objective research into the possible risks or benefits of unmanaged CAM therapies. Methods: In this prospective study of active duty US Navy and Marine Corps personnel, the association between self-reported practitioner-assisted or self-administered CAM use and future hospitalization was investigated. Cox regression models were used to examine risk of hospitalization due to any cause over the follow-up period from date of questionnaire submission, until hospitalization, separation from the military, or end of observation period (June 30, 2004), whichever occurred first. Results: After adjusting for baseline health, baseline trust and satisfaction with conventional medicine, and demographic characteristics, those who reported self-administering two or more CAM therapies were significantly less likely to be hospitalized for any cause when compared with those who did not self-administer CAM (HR=0.38; 95% CI=0.17, 0.86). Use of multiple practitioner-assisted CAM was not associated with a significant decrease or increase of risk for future hospitalization (hazards ratio=1.86; 95 percent confidence interval= 0.96-3.63). Conclusions: While there were limitations to these analyses, this investigation utilized an objective measure of health to investigate the potential health effects of CAM therapies and found a modest reduction in the overall risk of hospitalization associated with self-administration of two or more CAM therapies. In contrast, use of practitioner-assisted CAM was not associated with a protective effect.

Subscribe to Alternative RSS feed