Health Benefits of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Today

Many people across the world use complementary and alternative medicine or "CAM" in addition to traditional or conventional treatments and therapies. In the United States alone, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the most recently available survey data indicates that about 38% of all American adults use one form of CAM or another. In a recent joint study by researchers from UCLA and the University of California, San Diego, 75% of the medical students surveyed reported that "conventional Western medicine would benefit by integrating more CAM therapies and ideas" into traditional medicine.

What is CAM?

According to NCCAM and other experts in the field, CAM is defined as a broad range of "medical and health care systems, practices, and products...not generally considered part of conventional medicine." Medical Doctors (MDs) and Doctors of Osteopathy (DOs) are among the health professionals you'll find in traditional medicine. Physical therapists, psychologists, registered nurses, among others, are also important providers of traditional and conventional medicine. But, many of these same providers today have enhanced their health care practices, offering a CAM portfolio of viable treatments and therapies.

Expanding the Boundaries of Conventional Medicine

Today, the boundaries between CAM and conventional medicine are not absolute, and specific CAM practices have become increasingly accepted by the larger medical community. Health care professionals also use both conventional and CAM treatments, blurring the boundaries between traditional and CAM. This is especially the case as patients themselves have become increasingly sophisticated health care consumers, so much so that they ask important questions about their treatment options.

What Makes CAM Attractive Today?

Why is CAM growing increasingly popular? As health care costs soar and conventional treatments fail to produce intended results, more patients and their caregivers today seek kinder and gentler treatments and therapies to manage their diseases and health conditions, including pain. Patients and caregivers are increasingly tired of throwing pills at their medical problems, opting for alternatives that may produce the same health outcomes at a fraction of the cost and without the side effects of costly drugs and treatments.

CAM's Greatest Potential in Health Care Today

CAM shows its greatest potential, it seems, when combined with conventional medicine. For example, CAM allows patients to manage pain without resorting to prescription drugs that may be addictive or whose side effects pose problems for patients. Or, patients can manage the side effects of much-needed cancer drugs with CAM treatments and therapies. Mindfulness meditation, yoga, and acupuncture, among others, demonstrate the power of complementary and alternative therapies and treatments that capitalize on the mind-body connection. In the years ahead, it will be exciting to see the results of renewed interest in CAM and efforts to combine traditional and CAM therapies and treatments.

For more information on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, see the resources below:

What Is Complementary and Alternative Medicine?
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
US Institutes of Health

Med students say conventional medicine would benefit by integrating alternative therapies
Rachel Champeau for UCLA Newsroom ( January 19, 2010).

Complementary and Alternative Prostate Cancer Therapy
M.G. Hardiman for Associated Content by Yahoo!

Tai Chi Practice for Better Health and Wellbeing
M.G. Hardiman for Associated Content by Yahoo!

Health Benefits of Meditation Practice
M.G. Hardiman for Associated Content by Yahoo!