COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM)

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a term covering a whole range of natural medicines and medical practices. Complementary refers to medicines which are sold to complement pharmaceutical products, whereas, alternative medicine is presented as an alternative option to ‘conventional’ treatment. Many of these practices incorporate ideas and remedies from traditional medical systems. Because of the many ways in which it is practiced CAM does not constitute a formal ‘system’ in itself.

CAM remedies are generally sold as: tinctures (alcoholic extracts); essential oils; fluid (e.g. water) extracts; capsules; tablets; ointments; gums; incense; herbs, roots or barks. CAM techniques can encompass anything from aromatherapy, yoga, reflexology and massage to cupping and magnet therapy.

Because of the range and scope of CAM the number of people who use CAM worldwide is huge; with around 40% of adults in the UK and North America having used at least one CAM remedy in the last year. The global CAM market is expected to reach $200 billion by 2025. These figures are backed up the growing profile of CAM in broadcast, print and social media.

A controversial issue with CAM is its use by patients with terminal conditions. A recent study in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand found evidence that the use of CAM was increasing and that, almost half of cancer patients, had used some form of CAM (Trimble & Rajaraman 2017). There is concern in the medical community about how CAM can interact with cancer chemotherapy drugs and, in the U.S., cases have been reported of naturopathic practitioners prescribing non-approved CAM drugs to cancer patients.

Integrative Medicine (IM)

Arguably, integrative medicine, or integrated medicine (IM) as it is sometimes referred to, is simply complementary medicine by another name. However in IM a greater emphasis is placed on incorporating the latest scientific research.

The US Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine – one of the global leaders in IM - states that IM aims “to integrate biomedicine, the complexity of human beings, the intrinsic nature of healing and the rich diversity of therapeutic systems” in order to “transform healthcare”.

In the UK, the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM) defines IM as an approach which: “brings together conventional medicine with safe and effective complementary medicine.” and that IM “emphasizes the importance of the doctor-patient relationship and the use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve healing and optimal health”

Perhaps IM is a more palatable branding for CAM which has been labeled unscientific or pseudo-scientific by some. Maybe, with its greater emphasis on integrating conventional and traditional medicine, IM can widen the appeal of natural medicine among those who have historically been more skeptical about CAM usage.

Homeopathy
Homeopathy is often confused with herbal medicine. In fact they are very different things and homeopathy is an entire medical system with its own distinct medical philosophy.

Homeopathy was the brainchild of Samuel Hahnemman (1755-1843) a German physician who went into medical practice at a time when blood-letting was still common-place and many patients were dying needlessly from infection or botched surgical procedures.
Distressed by what he regarded as the barbarity of contemporary medical practice, Hahnemman began investigating ‘safer’ chemical medicines, conducting ‘clinical trials’ and developing his own system of homeopathy.

To differentiate homeopathy from other types of medicine Hahnemman coined the terms:

Allopathic - from the Greek allos ('other') which literally referred to medicines that were unrelated or ‘other’ to the cause of a disease or its symptoms – as Hahnemman viewed the commonplace medicine of his time.

Antipathic - from the Greek anti ('opposite' or 'against') which referred to medicines based on the theory 'opposites cure opposites' which had been a popular concept from the time of Galen.

Hahnemman’s own Homeopathic system - from the Greek homeo ('similar') - was based on the idea that 'like cures like'. In Hahnneman’s eyes, this meant that agents which were capable of causing the symptoms of a disease could also cure that disease. Today, many homeopaths advocate that the smaller the dose is, the more powerful it becomes and they call this phenomenon potentization.

Homeopaths claim potentization can be explained by water ‘memory’ which allows a compound to be 'imprinted' in a solution. Succussion or vigorous shaking unlocks the ‘vital energy’ within the medicine.

These ideas runs counter to the observations of modern science which suggest that a compound becomes undetectable below the molar limit (1 part in 1×1024) and hence cannot be bioavailable or capable of generating any therapeutic effect. Many regard homeopathy as a placebo medicine, although advocates of homeopathy suggest that its apparent efficacy on animals demonstrates that homeopathy must be capable of producing a genuine therapeutic effect.

Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine, or naturopathy, has come to describe a therapeutic approach which emphasizes the importance of self-healing. In naturopathy, the fundamentals of good health can be achieved by regulating lifestyle. Depending on the preferences of the practitioner and patient, naturopathic medicine can encompass dietetics, botanical medicine, psychotherapy, naturopathic manipulative therapy, minor surgery, prescription medications, naturopathic obstetrics (natural childbirth), homeopathy and acupuncture.

20 US states and three US territories have licensing or registration laws for Naturopathic Doctors. Naturopathic medicine is widely practised in India, where it is state-regulated, by a government Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

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COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM)