The advancement in technology has increased the ways to tackle diseases in an innovative way by combining different types of treatment methods. These types of treatment focus on the wellness of human at all levels whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual health. One of the well-known innovative treatments is known as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). This essay aims to discuss CAM, its types, the importance of integrative health, and the kind of CAM offered in Lafayette, Louisiana. CAM is a well-known term used in health and wellness therapies, practices, and healthcare systems that are not part of conventional ways of using medicines. These therapies which are complementary are used along with conventional medicines whereas alternative medicines are used in place of these medicines. CAM is a comprehensive approach that provides information on all aspect of issues related to health and well-being. There are several types or categories of CAM and two of the main ones are natural products and mind-body practices.
Natural products are a type of CAM that includes a variety of products derived from natural resources such as herbal medicines, vitamins, minerals, and biotins (“Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health,” 2011). These products are available in the market for consumption purposes and are often sold as dietary supplementary. A survey conducted by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in the year 2012 to explore the use of complementary approaches by Americans it was concluded that approximately 17.7% of Americans have used dietary supplements other than vitamins and minerals in the last year. Fish oil was the most common natural product used by adults. The other type of natural product is mind-body practices which use various techniques and procedures to enhance the ability of the mind which influence the functions and systems of the body. Yoga, meditation, massage therapy, dance, and music are some of examples of these practices. The amount of research on mind and body has concluded various results such as the research on yoga and meditation has been carried out widely highlighting its positive aspects (Wolsko, Eisenberg, Davis, & Phillips, 2004). The therapies are inexpensive as compared to other long-term treatments.
An integrative health approach is a comprehensive approach that is multidisciplinary and is a blend of alternative and complementary medicine. This is also about building mutual respect between practitioner and patient informed by evidence using in all therapeutic therapies (Boon, Verhoef, O’Hara, & Findlay, 2004). This ensures that a whole person is being treated while promoting an effective relationship between the patient and practitioners as well as enabling both sides to build their knowledge and skills with a shared plan of care. The integrative approach will help the student in quitting smoking as it will focus on prevention, relaxation, and whole body treatment and increase the chance of long-term effects the complementary or alternative approaches for the smokers (“Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health,” 2011). Another improvement that can be made through integrative healthcare is alcohol addiction treatment. The integrative health approach has been proven to be successful as it focuses on councelling, facilitation, and discussion programs. There are several programs in Lafayette, Louisiana which offer alternative medicines such as meditation, councelling, and natural products. These programs are widely available throughout the country. Also, there are several natural health centers focusing on holisitic health such as Acadiana center for natural health and Lafayette, Louisiana providing services and natural products (“Home,” 2017).
In conclusion, the concept of Complementary and Alternative Medicine is widely used across health care. There are several types of CAM such as natural products and mind-body practices. The integrative health approach is essential as it focuses on human health as a whole not just one aspect of it. Lafayette, Louisiana has several centers for programs offering mind-body practices and natural products.
References
Boon, H., Verhoef, M., O’Hara, D., & Findlay, B. (2004). From parallel practice to integrative health care: a conceptual framework. BMC Health Services Research, 4(1), 15.
Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name? (2011, November 11). Retrieved April 1, 2018, from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/integrative-health
Home. (2017). Retrieved April 1, 2018, from http://acadiananaturalhealth.com/
Wolsko, P. M., Eisenberg, D. M., Davis, R. B., & Phillips, R. S. (2004). Use of mind–body medical therapies. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 19(1), 43–50.
