Complementary and alternative medicine includes practices such as massage, acupuncture, tai chi, and drinking green tea.
Source: Cancer.gov
Photo Source: Unsplash, Jordan Wozniak
Since Constantine Science / Modern Western Medicine has been attempting to blend it self with popular concepts of Religion such as Christianity and Catholicism. While there are other practices that consider themselves religions such as Wicca, these practices involve pagan and satanic practices. They are not the definition of what one calls or considered to be popular or mainstream religion.
While alternative medicines are worthy of consideration. The medical industry's attempt to blend itself with alternative medicines is CAM - Complementary and alternative medicines. Rather than lose their patients to alternative medicines these medial professionals seek to incorporate alternative medicines (which consider mind, body and spirit) in healing and science has always believed that health involved the physical only and not the spiritual, which the industry has highly criticized in the past: spiritual aspect f healing.
In fact, many studies and calculations are conducted to evaluate how much of the health care market has been lost to alternative medicines in the midst of high criticisms of the health care industry by congress people and popular figures such as Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffet, who along with others site the rising health care costs (which many would admit that health insurance has been high), poor health care outcomes including death.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard medical care. People with cancer may use CAM to:
Help cope with the side effects of cancer treatments, such as nausea, pain, and fatigue
Comfort themselves and ease the worries of cancer treatment and related stress
Feel that they are doing something to help with their own care
Try to treat or cure their cancer
Integrative medicine is an approach to medical care that combines standard medicine with CAM practices that have shown through science to be safe and effective. This approach often stresses the patient's preferences, and it attempts to address the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of health.
Standard medical care is practiced by health professionals who hold an M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degree. It is also practiced by other health professionals, such as physical therapists, physician assistants, psychologists, and registered nurses. Standard medicine may also be called biomedicine or allopathic, Western, mainstream, orthodox, or regular medicine. Some standard medical care practitioners are also practitioners of CAM.
Complementary medicine is used along with standard medical treatment but is not considered by itself to be standard treatment. One example is using acupuncture to help lessen some side effects of cancer treatment.
Alternative medicine is used instead of standard medical treatment. One example is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of cancer drugs that are prescribed by an oncologist. NCI provides evidence-based Physician Data Query (PDQ) information for many CAM therapies in versions for both the patient and health professional.
Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Scientists learn about CAM therapies every day, but there is still more to learn. Some of the therapies listed below still need more research to prove that they can be helpful. If you have cancer, you should discuss your thoughts about using CAM with your health care provider before using the therapies listed below.
People may use the term "natural," "holistic," "home remedy," or "Eastern Medicine" to refer to CAM. However, experts often use five categories to describe it. These are listed below with examples for each.
Mind–Body Therapies These combine mental focus, breathing, and body movements to help relax the body and mind. Some examples are:
Meditation: Focused breathing or repetition of words or phrases to quiet the mind.
Biofeedback: Using simple machines, the patient learns how to affect certain body functions that are normally out of one's awareness (such as heart rate).
Hypnosis: A state of relaxed and focused attention in which a person concentrates on a certain feeling, idea, or suggestion to aid in healing.
Yoga: Systems of stretches and poses, with special attention given to breathing.
Tai Chi: Involves slow, gentle movements with a focus on the breath and concentration.
Imagery: Imagining scenes, pictures, or experiences to help the body heal.
Creative outlets: Interests such as art, music, or dance.
Biologically Based Practices This type of CAM uses things found in nature. Some examples are:
Vitamins and dietary supplements.
Botanicals, which are plants or parts of plants. One type is cannabis.
Herbs and spices such as turmeric or cinnamon. (See Herbs at a Glance.)
Special foods or diets.
Manipulative and Body-Based Practices These are based on working with one or more parts of the body. Some examples are:
Massage: The soft tissues of the body are kneaded, rubbed, tapped, and stroked.
Chiropractic therapy: A type of manipulation of the spine, joints, and skeletal system.
Reflexology: Using pressure points in the hands or feet to affect other parts of the body.
Biofield Therapy Biofield therapy, sometimes called energy medicine, involves the belief that the body has energy fields that can be used for healing and wellness. Therapists use pressure or move the body by placing their hands in or through these fields. Some examples are:
Reiki: Balancing energy either from a distance or by placing hands on or near the patient
Therapeutic touch: Moving hands over energy fields of the body
Whole Medical Systems Trial Tests Acupuncture for Pain in Cancer Survivors Modest pain improvements were seen, although a placebo effect could not be ruled out. These are healing systems and beliefs that have evolved over time in different cultures and parts of the world. Some examples are:
Ayurvedic medicine: A system from India in which the goal is to cleanse the body and restore balance to the body, mind, and spirit.
Traditional Chinese medicine: Based on the belief that health is a balance in the body of two forces called yin and yang.
Acupuncture is a common practice in Chinese medicine that involves stimulating certain points on the body to promote health, or to lessen disease symptoms and treatment side effects.
Homeopathy: Uses very small doses of substances to trigger the body to heal itself.
Naturopathic medicine: Uses various methods that help the body naturally heal itself. An example would be herbal treatments.
The Safety of CAM Some CAM therapies have undergone careful evaluation and have been found to be generally safe and effective. These include acupuncture, yoga, and meditation to name a few. However, there are others that do not work, may be harmful, or could interact negatively with your medicines.
It's always important for you to have a healthy diet, but especially now. Do the best you can to have a well-rounded approach, eating a variety of foods that are good for you.
How is God, who promises to heal, apart of your health plan? What medicines do you take? Have they healed or cured you?
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