A Guide for the CAM Novice Class One Introduction To cam A Guide for the CAM Novice

What is CAM? CAM is an acronym for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, but what does this really mean? CAM can be a number of different practices that can either complement or be used in place of standard Western Medicine.

What’s the Difference? Complementary Alternative Complementary practices are those that work in conjunction with standard Western Medicine. This could be anything from massage therapy to Traditional Chinese Medicine, but it is always good practice to inform your doctor of your complementary treatment. Alternative practices are those that take the place of standard Western Medicine. When choosing to utilize alternative practices, you should always make sure you find the discipline and practitioner that is right for you. Check reviews, background and certifications prior to use.

Is This Some Kind of New Age Fad? Complementary and Alternative Medicine is just a new name for a group of various medicinal practices that have been in use for many years. Some of these practices are only a couple of hundred years old, while other date back thousands of years. Many of you have experienced its benefits and never even new it. Ever use a home remedy when sick? Ever take supplements? Ever get a massage? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you already have CAM experience.

As you can see here, a medicinal plant used by ancient Egyptians is still in use by modern medicine today. *Photo credit goes to Linda W. Engel & Stephen E. Straus via Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (March 2002). http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v1/n3/fig_tab/nrd750_I1.html

Just under half of the country utilizes some form of CAM Just under half of the country utilizes some form of CAM. That is over 126 million people just in the US alone. Doesn’t sound like a fad to me. *http://blog.shadygrovefertility.com/2012/10/31/complementary-and-alternative-medicine-during-fertility-treatment/

Twelve Disciplines of Many Partner up with the person next to you. This will be your project partner for all three classes. Each group will be given a discipline to research.. This discipline will be what your final presentation will be on. Your research notes will be due by next weeks class. Work together on this project. Traditional Chinese Medicine may be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to Herbal Medicine. *http://anamikas.hubpages.com/hub/Complementary-Alternative-Medicine-Therapies-cam-meaning-difference

Questions/Open Dialogue

Class Two The 5 Approaches

Twelve Disciplines *Yoga *Herbal Medicine/TCM *Acupuncture *Homeopathy *Diet Therapy *Hypnosis *Reiki *Aroma Therapy *Massage Therapy *Ayurveda *Chromo Therapy *Meditation These are the twelve disciplines that we covered last week. If everyone did their projects, you should each have a significantly higher amount of knowledge about your discipline than you had before this class. Today we will cover some disciplines you were not given, but first let’s look at how these disciplines are grouped together.

5 Approaches There are 5 groups that all CAM disciplines fall into. (Cover each group and which disciplines are associated with them) *http://healthy-ojas.com/pressure/alternative-cure-pressure.html

Additional Disciplines Chiropractic- Developed in the US in 1895 Based on spinal manipulation that has been practiced for thousands of years “10-15% of the American population (30 to 40 million people) have seen a Chiropractor” (Manzo, 2012) Qi Gong- Approximately 4,000+ years old Gaining popularity in the US alongside Tai Chi Mind-body practice used for various physical and psychological issues There are many other disciplines of CAM and I recommend further research on your own, but we have limited time to cover the basics here.

Project Two This week, you and your partner will interview a practitioner of the discipline that you have been assigned. Get together and prepare a list of valid questions such as: -Why did you choose your discipline? -How long have you been in practice? -On average how many patients/clients do you have per month? Your presentations should outline an explanation of what your discipline is and should cover your interview questions, answers, and a conclusion. I have posted an example interview paper on the website provided in the syllabus, as well as digital copies of the syllabus and these slides.

Questions/Open Dialogue

How can cam change your life? Class Three How can cam change your life?

But First… Interviews! Allow students the option to volunteer to go. If no volunteers, pick teams to go. Pause briefly for questions after each presentation. Expecting presentations to take most of class.

More for Less CAM does not have to be your only go to option. Obviously, if you have some kind of emergency you should go to the hospital. What CAM does offer is some preventative health practices and some natural means of taking care of your body when you aren’t feeling your best. Healthcare costs are not going down at all, so CAM can be a cost affective, alternative or complimentary method to Western Medicine. Some of these practices can be used at home without much difficulty, and could save to a trip to the doctor or the pharmacy. Just remember, there is no magic pill. The best method is living a healthy lifestyle. * READ FIRST. All of your interviews were really great. Did you all learn something from this experience?

Questions/Open Dialogue If you have any further questions pertaining to CAM, or future classes being given, please feel free to contact me. (Most of day three is open dialogue focused)

References Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name?. (2014, July). In National Institutes of Health. Retrieved December 16, 2014, from http://nccam.nih.gov/sites/nccam.nih.gov/files/CAM_Basics_What_Are_CAIHA_07-15- 2014.2.pdf Manzo, V. (2012, April 26). Chiropractic Myth #1: Not Very Many People Go To See A Chiropractor. In Patch.com. Retrieved December 16, 2014, from http://patch.com/illinois/lagrange/bp--chiropractic-myth-1-not-very-many-people-go- to-se6132d95b70 Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (2014, December 16). In University of Rochester Medical Center. Retrieved December 16, 2014, from http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/Encyclopedia/Content.aspx?ContentTypeID=85&Cont entID=P00189