What is CAM? Today, many people use complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, for a wide variety of diseases or conditions, and use of CAM has increased in recent years.
But what exactly is CAM, and how is it different from standard medical care?
Complementary medicine is used together with standard medical care. An example is using acupuncture to help with side effects of cancer treatment.
Alternative medicine is used in place of standard medical care. An example is treating heart disease with chelation (pronounced "kee-lay-shen") therapy (which seeks to remove excess metals from the blood) instead of using a standard approach.
A related concept, "integrative medicine," is a total approach to care that involves the patient's mind, body, and spirit. It combines standard medical treatments with CAM practices that have shown the most promise.
An example is taking an omega-3 fatty acid supplement in addition to a prescription statin medication to reduce cholesterol.
Experts group CAM practices into four major categories. These are
- biologically based practices
- energy medicine
- manipulative and body-based practices
- mind-body medicine.
These four categories sometimes overlap.
Another term, "whole medical systems", refers to complete systems of care that have evolved over time in different cultures and parts of the world. Whole medical systems may include practices from the four major CAM categories.
The Certificate of Practice shown above is an example of CAM - a member of Malaysian Society for Complementary Theraphist certified by Ministry of Health of Malaysia. It does not represent the text.
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