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Roy M. Poses MD
Brown University Center for Primary Care and Prevention
Memorial Hospital of RI
111 Brewster St.
Pawtucket, RI 02860
USA
401 729-2383
fax: 401 729-2494
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The NIH Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine describes CAM
as:
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) covers a broad range of
healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies. Generally , it is
defined as those treatments and healthcare practices not taught widely
in medical schools, not generally used in hospitals, and not usually
reimbursed by medical insurance companies.
Many therapies are termed "holistic," which generally means that the
healthcare practitioner considers the whole person, including physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. Many therapies are also known
as "preventive," which means that the practitioner educates and treats
the person to prevent health problems from arising, rather than treating
symptoms after problems have occurred.
People use these treatments and therapies in a variety of ways.
Therapies are used alone (often referred to as alternative), in
combination with other alternative therapies, or in addition to
conventional therapies (sometimes referred to as complementary).
Some approaches are consistent with physiological principles of Western
medicine, while others constitute healing systems with a different
origin. While some therapies are far outside the realm of accepted
Western medical theory and practice, others are becoming established in
mainstream medicine.
http://nccam.nih.gov/nccam/fcp/faq/#what-is
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Did anyone else find this "official" definition extremely vague? I don't know
how one would operationalize it into a study.
First of all, it is easy to think of "conventional" treatments that fit most
of this definition. For example, influenza vaccine receives little attention
in most medical schools, is not used often in hospitals, and at least up to
the last few years, was not always reimbursed by insurance in the US.
Furthermore, it is preventative, and can be used alone or in conjunction with
other interventions.
The definition of "holistic" seems to be a non-sequitur in a definition of
"alternative or complementary" treatments, because it seems to refer to the
thought processes of the practioner rather than the therapy he/she employs.
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