Evaluation of Complimentary Medicine.

by inju

Article by Gale Benz

Complementary or alternative medicine brings up a collection of therapeutic and diagnostic fields that are present mainly outside the institutions where conventional health care is instructed and provided. Alternative medicine is an an increasing field of healthcare practice. However, considerable confusion lingers about what exactly it is and what position the fields should hold in relation to conventional medicine.

In the 1970s and 1980s, these fields were mainly provided as an alternative to regular medicine and hence was known as "alternative medicine." The term "complementary medicine" evolved as the two schemes began to be used to "complement" each other. Over the years, "complementary" has changed from explaining the relation between unconventional healthcare disciplines and conventional medicine to defining the group of disciplines itself. Some agencies use the term "unconventional medicine" synonymously. This changing and overlapping terminology may clarify some of the confusion that surrounds the subject.

The list of complementary/alternative medicine is quite lengthy, including acupressure, herbal medicine , chiropractic, homoeopathy, reflexology, Yoga, just to name a few. New branches of established fields are continually being developed. However, what is believed to be unconventional varies between countries and evolves over time. The boundary between complementary and conventional medicine is often vague and continually shifting. The wide range of disciplines categorized as alternative care makes it difficult to find concrete criteria that are common to all. Many of the assumptions made about complementary medicine are rough generalisations.

Complementary/alternative medicine is a broad domain of medical resources that encompasses all health systems, practices, and their accompanying theories, other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health system of a particular culture in a given historical period. Complimentary and alternative medicine includes all ! these pr actices and ideas self­defined by their users as preventing diseases or promoting health and well­being. Boundaries within complimentary/alternative medicine and between the domain of complimentary/alternative medicine and that of the conventional system are not always sharp or fixed.

In Western countries, although alternative therapists, other than osteopaths and chiropractors, can legitimately practise with limited or no further education at all, most have accomplished some form of post-secondary education in their chosen discipline. There is great variation in the a variety of training courses. For the primary practices, for instance, osteopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and homoeopathy, the training instructions are usually highly developed, some with college affiliation, degree level exams, and external evaluation. Others, in particular those teaching less invasive therapies e.g., massage, reflexology, aromatherapy, Reiki, Yoga, Shiatsu and hypnosis tend to determine their curricula internally, and have idiosyncratic evaluation procedures. In some training courses, direct clinical practice is limited. Some are not recognised by the main registering bodies in the relevant field. Most alternative practitioners finance their training without state support, and many have part-time training over a number of years.

About the Author

Gale Benz is an alternative health commentator and blogger. She has interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture.

The website of Britannia Acupuncture Clinic give you more insights on this topic.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.