Question: I would like to know more about alternative health
From: Alla R. of Cordova, MD
Answer: Conventional medicine (allopathic medicine) is medicine as practiced by MDs or Dos and their allied health professionals. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products that are not currently considered part of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine blends conventional and alternative treatments. For example, aromatherapy may be used to alleviate a patient’s discomfort following surgery. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. An example of alternative medicine is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. Some examples of current mainstream practices that began as CAM are acupuncture for headache pain, glucosamine to assist in treating arthritis, and fish oil to help treat heart disease. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the federal government’s lead agency for scientific research on CAM and has been moved within the National Institutes of Health. You can explore CAM further by going to the NCCAM’s website, www.nccam.nih.gov. In my book 7 Steps to Your Best Possible Healthcare, I describe the approaches, publications, and teachings of several physicians.
Ruthann Russo, PhD, JD, MPH, RHIT, is a healthcare expert with more than 20 years of experience working in and advising healthcare organizations.
