Complementary and Alternative Medicine

• What is wellness?
• What is wellness tourism?
• What is alternative medicine tourism?
• Reasons people use Alternative Medicine and Complementary Alternative Medicine
• Benefits of alternative medicine
• Benefits of wellness tourism
• Clarifying terms in alternative and complementary medicine
• Criticisms of Alternative Treatments
• Ethical considerations for alternative treatment
• Integrative Medicine
• Statistics for alternative medicine
• The list of the most common and popular Complementary and Alternative Medicines:
• Top wellness and CAM destination

The list of the most common and popular Complementary and Alternative Medicines:

• Aromatherapy
• Acupressure
• Acupuncture
• Ayurveda
• Bach-flower Remedies
• Chiropractic
• Colour therapy
• Osteopathy
• Herbal medicine
• Homoeopathy
• Hydrotherapy
• Hypnosis
• Magneto therapy
• Massage
• Meditation
• Music therapy
• Naturopathy
• Nutritional therapy
• Reiki
• Shiatsu
• Tai chi
• Unani
• Yoga

Statistics for alternative medicine

According to WHO reports, they estimate that approximately 3 billion people (65-80 per cent of the global population) utilize some form of alternative medicine as their primary form of healthcare.

Around the World:

1. Herbal medications are the norm in Germany with several people preferring natural remedies over synthesized drugs.
2. There are 5 hospitals in Britain run by the National Health Service dedicated to homeopathy.
3. According to reports released by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), approximately 38 per cent of US adults rely on some form of complimentary or alternative medicine. The report also states that 1 out of 9 children utilize alternative healthcare therapies.
4. In Africa and other developing nations, traditional medicine is utilized for 80 per cent of primary health care due to lack of availability of conventional forms of medicine.

Clarifying terms in alternative and complementary medicine

What is Medicine?

Medicine can simply be defined as a practice to treat health conditions using diagnostic and therapeutic treatments (such as synthetic drugs or surgeries) that have gone through evidence based testing and proved its scientific effectiveness.

So then, what is Alternative Medicine?

Any health-related treatment that is not considered ‘conventional medicine’ is labeled as ‘alternative’. It includes a variety of ancient, age-old treatments that have been practiced for centuries, and new innovative therapies created in the last few years.

Generally, alternative practices tend to use more naturalistic ingredients, are less invasive and tend to be more cost-effective than conventional medicine. 

Where does Complementary medicine fit in all this?

Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) is when alternative practices are used in combination with western medicine.

E.g. Using certain herbs while still participating in chemotherapy to alleviate cancer symptoms. 

There is also Integrative medicine?

As defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, integrative medicine "combines mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness."

Integrative medicine uses a holistic approach when diagnosing a patient taking into account not just the physical aspect of their disease, but also emotional, psychological and spiritual. 

Reasons people use Alternative Medicine and Complementary Alternative Medicine

Western medicine has only gained popularity within the last few decades. All the years prior to that saw humans using several of the therapies that fall under the umbrella of ‘Alternative Medicine’. Countries that lack a defined healthcare system have utilized traditional medicine for years now without damaging their health. With the paradigm shift of ‘going green’ that has occurred over the recent years, people are changing the way they think and starting to embrace the alternative.  

There are several reasons people are turning their back on the regular medical practices they see day in and day out, and opting for a more naturalistic and organic form of therapy. Individuals that live in countries with a strong healthcare infrastructure might find waiting times too long, or the price of healthcare too expensive. Those that are disappointed with the medical services they typically find at their doctor’s office or at hospitals, are turning to alternative forms of care. 

Alternative therapies employ a holistic approach of diagnosing and treating the patient. They take into account not just the physical manifestations of the disease, but also look into emotional and psychological aspects of the individual to treat the condition as a whole. An alternative medicine practitioner will take more time during the consultations with a patient to provide customized, tailor made plans. They also encourage the patient to be part of the medical team and take an active role in dealing with their disease. 

Alternative practices have gained popularity in a generation where individuals are trying to embrace health promotion and disease prevention. Taking certain herbs or engaging in particular alternative therapies have been proven to help in the prevention of illnesses. Those that seek to improve their quality of life tend to incorporate alternative practices into their daily life.

Integrative Medicine

The integrative approach is utilizing conventional medicine to diagnose a patient while relying on alternative therapy for treatment or to enhance health. According to Andrew T. Weil M.D., a leading advocate of integrative medicine, the defining aspects of integrative medicine is that there is appropriate use of conventional and CAM methods; patient participation is mandatory; focus on health promotion and disease prevention; and a preference for natural, minimally-invasive methods

He describes the principles of integrative medicine:

1. A partnership between patient and practitioner in the healing process
2. Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body's innate healing response
3. Consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness and disease, including mind, spirit and community as well as body
4. A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically
5. Recognition that good medicine should be based in good science, be inquiry driven, and be open to new paradigms
6. Use of natural, effective, less-invasive interventions whenever possible
7. Use of the broader concepts of promotion of health and the prevention of illness as well as the treatment of disease
8. Training of practitioners to be models of health and healing, committed to the process of self-exploration and self-development

Criticisms of Alternative Treatments

Complementary and alternative practices have received a lot of negative comments and criticism in recent years from healthcare providers and scientists. Those that reject traditional therapies state a practice can only be considered ‘medicine’ once it has gone through scientific testing to prove its effectiveness. A famed evolution biologist, Richard Dawkins, claims: "alternative medicine is a set of practices which cannot be tested, refuse to be tested, or consistently fail tests." Once these practices demonstrates its effectiveness in experiments, it stops being alternative, and simply becomes medicine.

Since western medical practices have gone through the stringent requirements to prove its success, it must disclose all the potential side-effects that occur. Since regulations haven’t been in place to test alternative practices, there might be several undesired side-effects associated with traditional medicine that patients remain unaware of. There could also be simultaneous complications when alternative therapies are used in conjunction with western medicine.

The lack of regulation in the alternative medicine industry worries a lot of healthcare professionals and patients alike. All mainstream healthcare providers are required to have licenses to practice, and medical facilities regularly go through quality and cleanliness check-ups. However, these processes have not translated to the alternative medical world. Any practitioner claiming to be an alternative medicine specialist can set up a clinic without proper licensing, and facilities housing these specialists do not go through proper accreditation procedures.

The only way to get complete approval of government officials, healthcare providers, and integrate alternative practices into mainstream medicine is by:  Licensing all therapists that claim to provide alternative care, gaining proper accreditation for educating future practitioners, regulation of the industry to assure patients the highest quality of products and services are being provided, and proper experimentation procedures to demonstrate safety and effectiveness. 

Ethical considerations for alternative treatment

Ethics play a big role when discussing the realm of alternative medicine. There is a large disconnect between doctors that try and dismiss alternative practices, and their patients that are not disclosing how often they use traditional medicine. This disconnect often leads to a huge gap in communication, hindering the doctor-patient relationship, which could negatively affect the patient’s wellbeing.

The whole issue of alternative medicine not being tested for effectiveness or safety is an ethical issue for care providers and government, as these practices could possibly allow patients to harm themselves. Furthermore, ethics can be used to counter that agreement, as consumers have the right to practice whatever medicine they choose to as a principle of autonomy. This is why regulations need to be made in place, so patients have the choice to practice what they desire, yet it is not detrimental to their health.