COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Complementary Medicine

Complementary Medicine

Introduction

Alternative medicine and complementary medicine are collecting names for different treatment methods and diagnostic concepts as an alternative or supplement to understand scientifically based treatment methods, such as in medical school and study psychology to be taught. The latter are in this sense, the distinction as a traditional medicine called. The alternative and complementary medical treatments include natural therapies, body therapies, some relaxation techniques and popular treatment methods, such as homeopathy, osteopathy and acupuncture. The effects of many alternative medical therapies are mainly due to placebo effects.

There currently exists no universally accepted definition of alternative medicine. For a definition of the World Health Organization states: The terms alternative medicine / complementary medicine (CAM) covers a wide spectrum of healing methods that are not part of the traditions of the country and not integrated into the dominant health care system are. 

The terms alternative medicine and complementary medicine are often used interchangeably, but also to distinguish between alternative approaches in which the science-based medicine is to be replaced and complementary approaches, in which the science-based medicine should be added as needed. In English-speaking is the complementary and alternative medicine summary acronym CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) is common. More recent approaches aim at Integrative Medicine collaboration between conventional medicine and complementary medicine. Depending on the intellectual background to the following terms is used: Conventional Medicines directions (UMR), alternative healing methods, Alternative Medicine and Holistic Medicine with a negative connotation of the term are used para-medicine. 

Discussion

Common feature of alternative healing methods is the (re) discovery of a method - single-handedly by an inventor - which is supposedly due to the lack of side effects and contraindications, and characterizes the alleged effectiveness of many different diseases and in various disease states. Many approaches of alternative medicine as "natural," "organic", "alternative", "the self-healing powers activating" designated or “holistically," which often meant is that there is treatment "... must pass from the body, mind and soul."

Alternative medical methods can be offered by doctors, by members of other health professionals such as medical practitioners, but also by laymen, not infrequently the directions of therapy are social movements or certain social groups supported. Such movement is particularly critical limits of the so-called traditional medicine from. Some of them aim at a fundamental change in the overall medical understanding (Nunez, 2003, pp. 20-25).

Effectiveness

Users of CAM are relying on the question of effectiveness in their own therapeutic experience, as they allegedly permitted a reasonable distinction between useful and useless procedure. Such retrospective, subjective considerations have no evidence, however, from a scientific point of view character. Given the current state of science review for each alternative medicine this is usually a pseudo-scientific or para scientifically classified.  In studies and meta-analyzes that were conducted in accordance with modern scientific lines, was the effectiveness of complementary medical procedures is not significantly higher than the placebo effect also. The risk of non-validated diagnostic methods is carried out, causing the worst case, undesirable and unnecessary side effects, among other things, that in case of false positive diagnoses useless treatments. 

Many advocates of alternative medicine claim - without a conclusive explanation to give, why this should be so - that the efficacy and safety of their concepts using methods of evidence-based medicine (random example, placebo-controlled clinical double-blind studies ) did not check, and reject those methods Therefore, from. Instead, they argue with anecdotal case reports and theoretical assumptions that are usually at odds with the modern understanding of anatomy, biochemistry ...