Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Key Concepts and Practices

1. Week one Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Basics August 7, 2014

2. Welcome to CAM Basics! Materials Other Resources • Any note-taking materials you would like to use. • National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine’s Backgrounder – Whole Medical Review: An Overview • Traditional Chinese Medicine • Acupuncture • Chinese MateriaMedica • Ayurvedic Medicine • Naturopathy • Homeopathy

3. What is CAM? • Complimentary and Alternative Medicine • Wellness • More than the prevention of disease • Focus on inner resources • Balance of internal resources and external environment • Relies on individual abilities to get well and stay healthy • Self-Healing Energy • Skin heals when cut • Self-healing is all healing • Why do we get sick? • Disruption of internal balance cause illness • Symptoms are our bodies trying to heal

4. National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Backgrounder ~ Whole medical systems: an overview

5. Whole Medical Systems: An Overview • Different cultures have different medical systems • Eastern whole medical systems • Traditional Chinese Medicine • Ayurvedic Medicine • Western whole medical systems • Homeopathy • Naturopathy • Other Medical Systems • Native American • African • Middle Eastern • Tibetan • Central & South America

6. Traditional Chinese Medicine • Dates back to 200 B.C. • Yin Yang • Health is a balanced state • Disease is an imbalanced state • Practitioners • Herbs, acupuncture, & massage • Chinese MateriaMedica or acupuncture • Used alone • Used together • In combination with other modalities

7. Acupuncture • Widely practiced • Relieves and prevents pain • Used for various other health conditions • Nausea/vomiting • Dental pain • Other pain disorders • Paralysis and numbness • Movement disorders • Depression • Insomnia • Breathlessness • Asthma • Cannot explain why it works • Electromagnetic signals

8. Chinese MateriaMedica • What is Chinese MateriaMedica? • Reference book • Herbs • Dozens of bioactive compounds • Many factors impact the concentration • Standardization can be difficult • Adjusted to individual • Studies have taken place to discover how effective herbs are and what their effects may be.

9. Ayurvedic Medicine • “The science of life” • Natural healing system • Developed in India • Equal emphasis on body, mind, and spirit • Strive for innate harmony • Treatments for various diseases • Clinical trials fall short

10. Western Whole Medical Systems Naturopathy Homeopathy • System of healing that views disease as a manifestation of alterations in the processes by which the body naturally heals itself • Health restoration • Disease treatment • “Nature disease” • AKA Naturopathic Medicine • Practiced throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and U.S. • Six Principles • Complete system of medical theory and practice • Founded by Samuel Christian Hahnemann • “Principle of similars” • Treat patients using a drug that mimics patients symptoms • All aspects of a health status need to be examined • Emotional and mental states, and tiny idiosyncratic characteristics

11. References • Micozzi, M. (2011). Fundamentals of complementary and alternative medicine. (4th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier. • NCCAM. (2007). Whole medical systems: An overview. Backgrounder. Disclaimer: The statements made are for informational purposes only. Any information used within this class is not to be used in place of a doctor. Please consult your doctor for any questions regarding the information received in these classes.