Common complementary therapies
- Acupressure
- Chiropractic
- Naturopathy
- Acupuncture
- Cranial osteopathy
- Nutritional therapy
- Alexander technique
- Environmental medicine
- Osteopathy
- Applied kinesiology
- Healing
- Reflexology
- Anthroposophic medicine
- Herbal medicine
- Reiki
- Aromatherapy
- Homoeopathy
- Relaxation and visualisation
- Autogenic training
- Hypnosis
- Shiatsu
- Ayurveda
- Massage
- Therapeutic touch
- Meditation
- Yoga
Definition
Complementary medicine refers to a group of therapeutic and diagnostic disciplines that exist largely outside the institutions where conventional health care is taught and provided. Complementary medicine is an increasing feature of healthcare practice, but considerable confusion remains about what exactly it is and what position the disciplines included under this term should hold in relation to conventional medicine
In the 1970s and 1980s these disciplines were mainly provided as an alternative to conventional health care and hence became known collectively as "alternative medicine." The name "complementary medicine" developed as the two systems began to be used alongside (to "complement") each other. Over the years, "complementary" has changed from describing this relation between unconventional healthcare disciplines and conventional care to defining the group of disciplines itself. Some authorities use the term "unconventional medicine" synonymously. This changing and overlapping terminology may explain some of the confusion that surrounds the subject.
Treatment
The approaches used by different complementary practitioners have some common features. Although they are not shared by all complementary disciplines, and some apply to conventional disciplines as well, understanding them may help to make sense of patients' experiences of complementary medicine.
The holistic approach
Many, but not all, complementary practitioners have a multifactorial and multilevel view of human illness. Disease is thought to result from disturbances at a combination of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual levels. The body's capacity for self repair, given appropriate conditions, is emphasised.
According to most complementary practitioners, the purpose of therapeutic intervention is to restore balance and facilitate the body's own healing responses rather than to target individual disease processes or stop troublesome symptoms. They may therefore prescribe a package of care, which could include modification of lifestyle, dietary change, and exercise as well as a specific treatment. Thus, a medical herbalist may give counselling, an exercise regimen, guidance on breathing and relaxation, dietary advice, and a herbal prescription.
In reflexology areas of the foot are believed to correspond to the organs or structures of the body
It should be stressed that this holistic approach is not unique to complementary practice. Good conventional general practice, for example, follows similar principles.
Different categorisation of illness
Complementary and conventional practitioners often have very different methods of assessing and diagnosing patients. Thus, a patient's condition may be described as "deficient liver Qi" by a traditional acupuncturist, a "pulsatilla constitution" by a homoeopath, and "a peptic ulcer" by a conventional doctor. In each case the way the problem is diagnosed determines the treatment given.
Confusingly, there is little correlation between the different diagnostic systems: some patients with deficient liver Qi do not have ulcers, and some ulcer patients do not have deficient liver Qi but another traditional Chinese diagnosis. This causes problems when comparing complementary and conventional treatments in defined patient groups.
Use of unfamiliar terms and ideas
Complementary practitioners often use terms and ideas that are not easily translated into Western scientific language. For example, neither the reflex zones manipulated in reflexology nor the "Qi energy" fundamental to traditional Chinese medicine have any known anatomical or physiological correlates.
Sometimes familiar terms are used but with a different meaning: acupuncturists may talk of "taking the pulse," but they will be assessing characteristics such as "wiriness" or "slipperiness," which have no Western equivalent. It is important not to interpret terms used in complementary medicine too literally and to understand that they are sometimes used metaphorically or as a shorthand for signs, symptoms, and syndromes that are not recognised in conventional medicine.
Unhelpful assumptions about complementary medicine - Non-statutory, Natural, Unproved
- Complementary medicine is increasingly available
- Good conventional medicine also involves rehabilitation with, say, rest, exercise, or diet
- There is a growing body of evidence that certain complementary therapies are effective in certain clinical conditions
- 39% of general practices provide access to complementary medicine
- Complementary medicine may involve unnatural practices such as injecting mistletoe or inserting needles into the skin
- Many conventional healthcare practices are not supported by the results of controlled clinical trials
- "Unregulated therapists not regulated by state legislation"
- "Holistic treats the whole person"
- "Irrational no scientific basis"
- Osteopaths and chiropractors are now state registered and regulated, and other disciplines will probably soon follow Many conventional healthcare professionals work in a holistic manner Scientific research is starting to uncover the mechanisms of some complementary therapies, such as acupuncture and hypnosis
- Substantial amount of complementary medicine is delivered by conventional health professionals Complementary therapists can be narrow and reductionist in their approach
- "Harmless"
- "Unconventional not taught in medical schools"
- Holism relates more to outlook of practitioner than to the type of medicine practised There are reports of serious adverse effects associated with using complementary medicine
Disciplines such as physiotherapy and chiropody are also not taught in medical schools - "Alternative"
- Some medical schools have a complementary medicine component as part of the curriculum
- Implies use instead of conventional treatment
- Most users of complementary medicine seem not to have abandoned conventional medicine
Which disciplines are complementary?
Our list is not exhaustive, and new branches of established disciplines are continually being developed. Also, what is thought to be conventional varies between countries and changes over time. The boundary between complementary and conventional medicine is therefore blurred and constantly shifting. For example, although osteopathy and chiropractic are still generally considered complementary therapies in Britain, they are included as part of standard care in guidelines from conventional bodies such as the Royal College of General Practitioners.
There is great variation in the many training institutions. For the major therapies osteopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and homoeopathy these tend to be highly developed, some with university affiliation, degree level exams, and external assessment. Others, particularly those teaching less invasive therapies such as reflexology and aromatherapy, tend to be small and isolated, determine curricula internally, and have idiosyncratic assessment procedures. In some courses direct clinical contact is limited. Some are not recognised by the main registering bodies in the relevant discipline. Most complementary practitioners finance their training without state support, and many train part time over several years.
Conventional healthcare practitioners such as nurses and doctors often have their own separate training courses in complementary medicine.
Regulation Apart from osteopaths and chiropractors, complementary practitioners are not obliged to join any official register before setting up in practice. However, many practitioners are now members of appropriate registering or accrediting bodies. There are between 150 and 300 such organisations, with varying membership size and professional standards. Some complementary disciplines have as many as 50 registering organisations, all with different criteria and standards.
Recognising that this situation is unsatisfactory, many disciplines are taking steps to become unified under one regulatory body per discipline. Such bodies should, as a minimum, have published criteria for entry, established codes of conduct, complaints procedures, and disciplinary sanctions and should require members to be fully insured.
The General Osteopathic Council and General Chiropractic Council have been established by acts of parliament and have statutory self regulatory status and similar powers and functions to those of the General Medical Council. A small number of other disciplines such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, and homoeopathy have a single main regulatory body and are working towards statutory self regulation.
Efficient regulation of the "less invasive" complementary therapies such as massage or relaxation therapies is equally important. However, statutory regulation, with its requirements for parliamentary legislation and expensive bureaucratic procedures, may not be feasible. Legal and ethics experts argue that unified and efficient voluntary self regulatory bodies that fulfil the minimum standards listed above should be sufficient to safeguard patients. It will be some years before even this is achieved across the board.
What is Traditional Medications?
- 1. The term complementary medicine is interchangeable with alternative medicine.
2. Uses a lot of natural resources as medicines (eg: plants, herbs, animal and mineral based medicines)
3. Can also involve the use of spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises
4. TCM is thought to be relatively inexpensive compared to modern medicine, but the amount of money spent by patients is sometimes considerable.
5. TCM is widely acceptable, especially in rural areas (because of links to culture and faith).
6. Traditional and Complementary Medicine practice together, is other than practice of medicine or surgery, by registered medical practitioners, as defined in Medical Act 1971.
7. Under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetic Regulations, "traditional medicine" means any product used in the practice of indigenous medicine, in which the drug consist solely of one or more naturally occurring substances of a plant, animal or mineral, of parts thereof, in the unextracted or crude form, and a homeopathic medicine.
8. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a broad set of health care practices that are not part of the conventional (modern) medical practices. It includes all such practices and ideas self-defined by their users as preventing or treating illness or promoting health and well-being.
Some findings:
Gingko- warfarin, aspirin :(potential increased risk of bleeding)
Ginseng- warfarin:(use with caution- unpredictable effect of ginseng on warfarin)
Horse chestnut- warfarin:(potential increased risk of bleeding)
St. John's wort- theophylline:(may reduce theophylline effectiveness if used together)
St. John's wort- cyclosporine:(may reduce cyclosporine effectiveness)
St. John's wort- digoxin:(may reduce digoxin effectiveness)
St. John's wort - oral contraceptives:(may result breakthrough bleeding and irregular menstrual bleeding)
St. John's wort- warfarin:(may reduce warfarin effectiveness)
Some natural resources that are commonly used in traditional medicine
Tongkat Ali
Hempedu Bumi
Cotet Emas(used in women's health, especially after birth)
Misai Kucing(for joint inflammation)
Bunga Raya(roots - for fever and other ailments)(juice from roots and leaves - for skin problems)(petal - cosmetic)
Mengkudu(pain relief, poor digestion, etc)
Dukung Anak
Gamat
About Traditional and Complementary Medicine
The term compIementary medicine is interchangeable with alternative medicine.
Uses a lot of natural resources as medicines (eg: plants, herbs, animal and mineral based medicines)
Can also involve the use of spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises
TCM is thought to be relatively inexpensive compared to modern medicine, but the amount of money spent by patients is sometimes considerable.
TCM is widely acceptable, especially in rural areas (because of links to culture and faith).
The wide range of disciplines classified as complementary medicine makes it difficult to find defining criteria that are common to all. Many of the assumptions made about complementary medicine are oversimplistic generalisations.
Guide to using traditional medicines (including herbal supplements)
Traditional/herbal medicines can act in the same way as modern medicines. Therefore, they can cause medical problems if taken in large amounts or incorrectly used.
Although they may be labeled as natural, it does not mean that they are safe or have no harmful effects. For example kava has been linked to serious liver damage.
Women who are pregnant or nursing should be very cautious about using herbal supplements. This also applies to children being given herbal supplements.
If you are using herbal supplements, inform your doctor or pharmacists, as they can interact with modern medicines and can result in harmful effects.
Approaches to learning and teaching Complementary practitioners are not generally concerned with understanding the basic scientific mechanism of their particular therapy. Their knowledge base is often derived from a tradition of clinical observation and treatment decisions are usually empirical. Sometimes traditional teachings are handed down in a way that discourages questioning and evolution of practice, or encourages reliance on their own and others' individual anecdotal clinical and intuitive experience.
