CHAPTER 19 - COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Western medicine - approach to health that focuses on the use of science in the diagnosis and treatment of health
problems

Eastern medicine - places greater emphasis on prevention and natural healing

Complementary medicine - use of CAMtogether with conventional medicine

Alternative medicine - use of CAM in place of conventional medicine

Integrative medicine - combines treatments from conventional medicine and CAM for which there is some
high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness (also called integrated medicine)

Holism - combined mental, emotional, spiritual, relationship, and environmental components

Humanism - includes propositions such as the following: mind and body are indivisible, people have the power to
solve their own problems, people are responsible for the patterns of their lives, and well-being is a combination of
personal satisfaction and contributions to the larger community

Balance - finding a desirable point between two opposite forces rather than being purely in one state or another

Spirituality - includes drive to become all that one can be, and is bound to intuition, creativity, and motivation;
involves relationship with oneself, with others and with a higher power

Energy - force that integrates the body, mind, and spirit; it is which that connects everything

Grounding - relates to one’s connection with the ground and to one’s whole contact with reality; suggests stability,
security, independence, having a solid foundation and living in the present rather than escaping into dreams

Centering - process of bringing oneself to the center or middle

Ayurveda - indian system of medicine

- illness is viewed as a state of imbalance among the body’s systems

- sanskrit word that means science of life or sciences of life span

- emphasizes interdependence of the health of the individual and the quality of societal life
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) - based on the premise that body’s vital energy or qi circulates through the
pathways or meridians and can be accessed and manipulated through the specific anatomic points along the
surface of the body

Curanderismo - cultural healing tradition found in latin america and among many latinos in the US

- healers are called curanderos and curanderas

Herbal medicine - treating illness with herbs

Meditation - general term for a wide range of practices that involve relaxing the body and easing the mind

Hypnotherapy - application of hypnosis in a wide variety of medical and psychological disorders

Hypnosis - trance state or an altered state of consciousness in which an individual’s concentration is focused and
distraction is minimized

Imagery - two-way communication between the conscious and unconscious mind and involves the whole body and
all of its senses

Guided imagery - state of focused attention that encourages changes in attitudes, behavior, and physiological
reactions

Biofeedback - person can learn to control physiological responses of the body

Qi gong - chinese discipline consisting of breathing and mental exercises combined with body movements

T’ai chi - combines physical fitness, meditation, and self-defense

Pilates - method of physical movement and exercise designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body, in
particular the core or center including the abdominal region

Faith - beliefs and expectations about life, ourselves and others; belief in a supreme being

Prayer - form of communication and fellowship with the Deity or Creator

Music therapy - quiet, soothing music without words often used to induce relaxation

Humor - ability to discover, express, or appreciate the comical or bizarre, to be amused by one’s own imperfections
or whimsical aspects of life

Bioelectromagnetics - emerging science that studies how living organisms interact with electromagnetic fields

Detoxification - belief that impurities and toxins must be cleared from the body to achieve better health

Hydrotherapy - use of water as healing treatment

Colonics or colon therapy - idea that high-fat, western diets lead to accumulation of a substance in the colon, which
in turn produces toxins that lead to disease

- procedure for washing inner wall of colon by filling it with water or herbal solutions and then draining it

Chelation therapy - introduction of chemicals into the bloodstream that bind with heavy metals in the body

- ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) - synthetic amino acid that readily binds to lead

Animal-assisted therapy - use of specifically selected animals as a treatment modality in health and human service
settings

Horticultural therapy - gardening or a healing garden; adjunct therapy to occupational and physical therapy

- stimulates five senses, provides leisure activities, improves motor function, provides sense of achievement,
improves self-esteem