Course Syllabus
HW411: Contemporary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
COURSE INFORMATION
Dates:
Nov. 4th 2015 — Nov.6th, 2015 (3 class course)
Day/Time:
Wed, Thurs, Fri, at 7:30pm
Course Number/Section:
HW411
Course Title:
Contemporary and alternative medicine
Credit Hours:
5
Cost:
Free
Prerequisites:
N/A
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor Name and Credentials:
Nikita Wells
E-mail Address:
ncvcmt@gmail.com
Website:
http://victorioushealth.weebly.com/
About CAM HW411
Contemporary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and health care systems,
practices, and products like supplements and herbs that are not generally considered to be part of
conventional medicine. This includes modalities from other cultures and countries that are considered
common practices to them. Contemporary and alternative Medicine combines techniques with a holistic
approach.
Day 1: November 4,
The basics
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What is CAM?
Who uses CAM?
Types of CAM?
Day 2: November 5,
A holistic approach
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Type of Modalities in CAM
Meditation/ deep breathing
Benefits, techniques, practice, outcome
Day 3: November 6,
Diversity
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Knowing it’s different for everyone
Put into practice what you learned
Teaching what you have learned
Lecture Notes
Day 1: November 4,
CAM can change the healthcare system as a whole. CAM is about more training on integrative
health care and switching from disease treatment to disease prevention. People need to be active
contributors in their own health. This will help make patient’s get more involved in how they live and feel.
Including CAM in the treatment process will alleviate possible side effects that would have come from
unnecessary pharmaceutical drugs. CAM helps to get to the root of the issue rather than just treat the
symptoms. People need to be educated about Integrative healthcare and why this approach is important.
People need to have a base understanding of this to even introduce a wider scope in this arena.
Understanding that, integrative healthcare gets the patient to have more control on what type of care they
receive.
Many people from all around the world use CAM but CAM use among adults is greater among
women and those with higher levels of education and higher incomes. (NCCIH, 2008)
Ayurvedic medicine is a whole medical system that deals with health in a traditional way. Ayurvedic deals
with a person on a holistic level, mind, body and spirit. It was developed from the religion Hinduism in India.
This is where the idea is based from. (NCCAM, 2005)
Within Ayurvedic medicine they developed a more efficient way of treatment by a specific system
that is in harmony with your body type and unique characteristics. They divide each person in their own
Dosha.
The three doshas are: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. (NCCAM, 2005) Each one is very specific to the individual.
The Ayurvedic practitioner will observe the person for and ask questions to determine which dosha the
person is and with treat according to that dosha.
The scientific research that I read talked about mostly how Ayurvedic medicine has the potential to
be toxic because they work with many herbs and minerals. Mixing too many at the same time can have
contraindications.
The practice focus on mind, body and spirit, they also focus on diet as being important. These
things contribute to imbalances and mood.
There are many types of CAM, way too many to mention them all but some of the more common ones are:
Acupuncture
Ayurveda
Chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation
Deep breathing exercises
Diet-based therapies like, vegan, vegetarian, low fat
Energy healing therapy/Reiki
Guided imagery
Homeopathic treatment
Hypnosis
Massage Therapy
Meditation
Prayer (NCCIH, 2008)
Day 2: November 5,
Yoga is considered an alternative medicine modality. This is because of what I had gathered so far
from this practice and the readings and from my understanding of yoga, it gives more flexibility, range of
motion over time, calmness, connection to spirituality, breathing techniques and a deeper relationship with
yourself that combines body, mind and soul together. (Micozzi, 2011)
All of the above are keys in having a balanced life. Health comes from within. A person can seem
fine on the outside to others but the battlefield of the mind can kill without a moment’s notice. “Breakdowns”
are the usual term these days.
There were ten studies all together that seen positive effects of yoga on cancer patients. When you
have a life threating disease then you are going to have added anxiety, moodiness, sleepless nights, loss
of appetite and other related symptoms. Smith, K., Pukall, C. (2009) Practicing yoga will help in these
areas. Just adding breathing techniques will help with lack of sleep and anxiety. When you are in control of
something as simple as your breath then that can give hope for being in control of larger situations.
My understanding of meditation is sitting grounded on the floor with your back straight and legs in
front of you in some type of way. The first type of meditation that was ever introduced to me was counting
breaths in a simple way. If you breathe in for 3 seconds then you take twice as long to breathe out. Taking
a deep breathe in for 3 seconds and exhaling out for 6 second. I learned this way in 2004 and been doing it
since. This is the simplest way to introduce meditation to someone. You can do this in the car, house,
restaurant, when you’re angry, frustrated, sad, hurt, and happy or any other emotion where you need a
minute to ground yourself.
A couple of years ago I learned about guided meditation. I was given audio recordings to listen to
that lasted 15-20 minutes. The recording tells you what to think about and this was a bit harder to keep
focused on. The reason is because when you think about a time in your life that was in the guided
meditation as suggested, it tends to make you think of something else totally not related. Then you have to
keep refocusing yourself, if you’re paying that much attention yet to your thoughts.
There was a 4 year follow up of 225 patients that suffered from chronic-pain. What they found out
is that even 4 years later the 225 patients were still reaping the benefits. They were all in an 8 week training
on meditation were they were taught 3 different types of meditation. Four years later even 93% of the 225
people were still using at least one type of the three that they learn in the eight week training. Like I
mentioned earlier, I use my breathing techniques still today that I learned years ago. Meditation is so simple
and beneficial to the participant that you can’t help but continue doing it.
Day 3: November 6,
This journey through life as we know it is only a mere picture of what you want others to see.
Nobody has the same bring up as you and no one can experience exactly what you do every day. The fun
part is that we can relate and share experiences that are similar with people. This makes life interesting and
diverse.
The traditions in Africa are different than the ones in China. Does that make one better than the
other? Not at all, it just shows that there are many ways to look through the lenses of life and that make
CAM a whole lot more interesting. This experience will be different and maybe similar for people with
similar backgrounds. Let’s all find a comfort in what is working for our good.
What we have learned will benefit us and can benefit our loved ones and friends if we have a good
understanding of CAM. This is the time to ask the important questions and to get the answers to them and
get pointed in the right direction to study on our own. There are situations where we might feel that it is best
to go another route. These is our bodies’, we can make decisions on what we want to happen to them. We
should still speak to our doctors about it and know the risks and see if we still want to continue with the
treatment. Not all doctors will agree but they can be honest with you and tell you that there are no risks or
very little. That alone reassures you that it’s ok to go the nontraditional route and it will be ok.
By our own experiences we are able to teach what we learned. This can be one of the most
powerful tools anyone has. Would you listen to a person who has never struggled with weight, tell you how
to lose a lot of weight?
References:
Backgrounder: National Center for Contemporary and Alternative Medicine, (2005, October) What Is
Ayurvedic Medicine?, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Retrieved from: www.nccam.nih.gov
Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L., Burney, R., & Sellers, W. (1987), Four-year follow-up of a meditation program
for the self-regulation of chronic pain: treatment outcomes and compliance. Clinical Journal of Pain,
2, 159–173.
Mary Jo Kreitzer, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, Benjamin Kligler, M.D., M.P.H., William C. Meeker, D.C., M.P.H.
February, (2009). Health Professions education and integrative health care retrieved from
http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Quality/IntegrativeMed/Health%20Professions%
20Education%20and%20Integrative%20HealthCare.pdf
Micozzi, M. Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 4th Edition., 2011. Bookshelf. Web.
07 November 2013 <http://online.vitalsource.com/books/978-1-4377-05775/id/B9781437705775000406_c0031>.
Smith, K., Pukall, C. (2009) An evidence-based review of yoga as a complementary intervention for
patients with cancer. Psychooncology. 18(5):465-75.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, (2008), The Use of Complementary and
Alternative Medicine in the United States, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services National
Institutes of Health USA.gov—Government Made Easy, Retrieved From:
https://nccih.nih.gov/research/statistics/2007/camsurvey_fs1.htm
Handouts
(This was a previous assignment that I thought was very important to find out for myself. The questions
made me think twice about labels and about my own supplemental routine. I want to ask you to answer
these questions for yourself and do the same.)
Do you think the FDA still functions appropriately in governing drugs and dietary supplements available to
the US public, given its current practices and resources?
“Under the law, manufacturers of dietary supplements are responsible for making sure their products are
safe before they go to market” (FDA, 2013). They (need to make sure that all the claims that they include
on the label are true to their knowledge. Dietary supplement products are not reviewed by the government
before they are marketed. There has to be a substantial number of claims against the safety of this product
before the FDA will consider reviewing the safety of the supplement. FDA is responsible for any unsafe
dietary supplement product that reaches the market.
Have you ever taken vitamins and/or supplements? Why?
Yes, I take B-12 because I don’t consume any animal products. This vitamin is only found in animal
products so I must supplement and get my levels check regularly. I try to take a multi-vitamin but they tend
to be too much and make me sick.
Please discuss your how you made these choices – what information did you use to decide what to take,
which brand, etc.
I look at reviews from other long term Vegans and how people react to the supplement. The cost is the last
of my worry. If it is a good quality supplement then I would try it. I like that B-12 comes in different forms. I
found that the drops are the easiest to take and it doesn’t have a bad flavor. It can be easier to absorb
through drops I was told.
References:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, (2013) Protecting and Promoting Your Health, Tips for Dietary
Supplement Users, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, retrieved from:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/UsingDietarySupplements/ucm110567.htm
(I wanted you to have a clear understanding of the differences of these two professional in the world of
CAM you will not always have harmony with a doctor to doctor relationship but it can work, I want you to
know what you are dealing with) For your references
How are Chiropractic and Osteopathic medicine similar? How are they different? Discuss how they each
are perceived by, and used by the public. Chiropractors and Acupuncturists/Oriental Medicine practitioners
make up the largest group of alternative medicine practitioners in the US …what criteria would you use in
choosing the right practitioner for yourself or a patient?
Chiropractic and Osteopathic medicine are similar because both deal with the manipulation of the body.
They both focus on realigning to body to assist in the natural healing process without being as invasive as
tradition western medicine. Both of these Alternative health practices chose to look at more than just
symptoms of a patient, they look at the structure of the body and where it isn’t flowing freely from.
Osteopathic medicine is different from Chiropractic medicine in one way by focusing on receiving extra
training in the musculoskeletal system (U.O.M., 2013) This allows them to see and know how one injury
can connect to another or a host of things. They become experts in this area.
Chiropractic medicine tends to focus primarily on the spine and skeletal system. Chiropractors make
adjustments to put the body back in alignment. Chiropractic medicine views dis-ease as only an obstacle.
Whereas Osteopathic medicine from my understanding believes that it is a problem and with proper care
you can heal yourself from dis-ease.
Chiropractors are available everywhere. Most people know what they are and what they do. If you have
problems with your back, sciatic nerve and joint and neck pain then we tend to think of a Chiropractor.
Osteopathic doctor is not widely talked about. Most people myself included might have never even heard of
such. Since it isn’t well known then most will have tons of questions before they feel safe with a
Osteopathic doctor, or maybe want to ask around to see if anyone they know, know someone who has
been to one.
The criteria that I would use for choosing a practitioner would be if I believe in the mind, body and spirit. If I
felt that I had a muscle issue or an issue with my spine then I would go to a chiropractor for spine issues
and an Osteopathic doctor for the rest. If I needed surgery then I couldn’t go to either.
References:
University of Minnesota (2013) Free Online Learning Modules, Integrative Healing Practices, Center for
Spirituality & Healing, retrieved from: http://www.csh.umn.edu/free-online-learning-modules/index.htm
(This is an account and information about my own experiences in being a massage therapist, which is part
of CAM. Like I said on day 3 that our own experiences and be a great teaching tool for others.)
Without the concept of Qi, would shiatsu still be different from western massage therapy?
I believe Shiatsu wouldn’t be different then western massage. The whole point of Shiatsu is the Qi or the
natural energy. The meridians I would like to think as different areas of the body that might not be in line or
stopping the qi. Energy needs to flow freely throughout your body to give wholeness. When a meridian is
blocked energy is stopped and you feel an imbalance or “off”.
I would want to know what they want to get out of the experience of body work. Are they having more
problems in their mind? I would want to know if they have tension in their body like feet or neck and
shoulders. If their biggest issue was feet then reflexology would be a good place to start. Pain in neck and
shoulder which most people carry their tension I would suggest Swedish massage. This is the most
relaxing massage where they do a lot of effleurage. When feeling off balanced I would definitely go with
Shiatsu.
I had an experience a while back in 2006 when I went in for bodywork and I was in a stressful relationship.
(I never tell this story because nobody believes me) I told my massage therapist that I had a sore throat. I
had one because I stopped talking to my boyfriend because he wasn’t listening to me anyway. I was
clogged, my energy stopped. Well my massage therapist suggested shiatsu and when she was done with
my 50 minute session I no longer had a sore throat. We talked for a while and she told me if you have
something to say, say it. It needs to come out so that you won’t hold sickness in. This is a holistic approach
to taking sickness from the body. All three have to connect to feel health.
What are some experiences you can share that are not considered “believable”?