Discuss about the Traditional or Alternative Medicine.
In the recent healthcare system in Australia, Europe and North America, traditional medicine (TM) is highly embraced, however, is also referring to Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). There are attractive features of the TM that includes cultural acceptance, greater accessibility in different parts of the world and require lesser technology and low cost. However, in developed countries, CAM is being used for the prevention of disease and in the maintenance of illness apart from conventional care for acute and chronic health conditions. CAM is a holistic approach that encompasses the mind, body and spirit for the treatment of the person being less invasive as compared to conventional practices (Mehta, 2012). In Australia, it is slowing incorporating into the mainstream, however, remains a controversial topic. Therefore, the following essay discusses the pros, cons of CAM and critique through a literature search that includes 12 articles from the year 2012 to 2017.
In the current healthcare system, CAM has gained popularity where it has mainstreamed the conventional and traditional treatment. The pros of this therapy make it popular and widely popular as compared to the traditional medicine approach used in the new healthcare system. In this section, the merits of CAM are being discussed as opposed to the traditional medicine approach. This treatment is emphasized on the whole body care, which is different from the conventional medicine being a holistic approach. There is whole body treatment where the growing trend is not only towards the physical body, but also towards the emotional and spiritual health of the patient (Harris et al., 2012). According to Wardle, Lui & Adams, (2012), there is a growing interest for the CAM, as it is a holistic approach and on rise. Personal attention is another benefit of the alternative medicine as it provides personal attention. The followers who follow this therapy not only focus on the physical health, but also the mental and social health aspects of the illness affecting an individual. This factor provides healthier focus on the causes of the ailments rather that result in the imbalances in the body originally (Wu et al., 2014).
CAM has one more advantage that it focuses on the prevention. The traditional medicine provides intervention after the disease onset; however, alternative medicine focus on prevention of the disease before it occurs in addition to the care delivery (Hawk, Ndetan & Evans, 2012). After the literature search, I found that there are wide applications of CAM for the treatment of diseases ranging from mental health problems like mood disorders to fatal diseases like cancer. According to Libby, Pilver & Desai, (2013) the study conducted described the use of CAM in the treatment of emotional and mental problems in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) individuals. Data was collected from the 599 individuals with PSTD and descriptive analyses showed 15 cases where CAM was used for treatment. CAM was used as an alternative to the conventional medicine in the mental health care. In another systematic content analysis, according to Shim, (2015) there are two CAM interventions herbal medicine and acupuncture that are popular in U.S. and Japan. The results showed that herbal medicine is integrated into the mainstream medical system in Japan and least in America. Acupuncture is less commonly practiced in America, Japan, and herbal medicine being most favorable in Japan and least in America. According to Thomson et al., (2012) CAM is widespread and highly prevalent in Australia among the adult population. The results of the cross-sectional study showed that CAM is highly popular in Australia, however, people does not seek advice from their physicians before and after using CAM that require further consideration.
According to Kang et al., (2012) there is increase in CAM use among breast cancer patients in Korea. Around 57.4% of patients were reported to use this therapy that included exercise therapy and consumption of vitamins and minerals that boosted their immune system, promoted health and prevented recurrence. In another study through structured interviews, it showed that they used CAM among cancer patients as it helped them for sustenance of strength and gained ability to perform activities. In a cross-sectional, study through interview-administered questionnaire conducted by Jazieh et al., (2012) the results showed that complementary therapies are highly prevalent in Saudi Arabia with interventions that indicate religious background and strong cultural beliefs when people are suffering from life-threatening diseases. CAM is also used in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among the patients who experienced adverse side effects of conventional medications. Alternative medicine is also used in residential palliative care among German patients with advanced cancer in the form of prayer and supplements as studied by Paul et al., (2013). Similar study conducted by Weizman et al., (2012) also showed that CAM is prevalent among the IBD patients and helps to reduce the adverse effects of the conventional medicines. The above primary studies conducted on CAM in different countries for life-threatening diseases depicts that CAM is a holistic approach and achievable option to cure problems and its integration in the current healthcare system.
Although, CAM is gaining popularity in the current healthcare system, there are challenges faced that acts as obstacles in the path of its integration into the country’s medical and healthcare system. This is scarcity of evidence based practice and lack of research regarding the CAM that are scientifically documented with rigid clinical trials. Although, CAM are beneficial, there is lack of clinical trials with unknown long and short term risks associated with its administration. There is also lack of evidence-based practice to confirm that CAM administration guidelines comply with the Australian standards and have the potential to integrate into the current healthcare system (Reddy, Grossman & Rogers, 2013). There is limited scientific research regarding CAM as compared to traditional medical treatment where the evidence is limited and many questions left unanswered. Several studies are under way and research is still going on.
There is a big confusion between the words “safe” and “natural” as many herbal medicines and dietary supplements fall under CAM that are misinterpreted as natural. This raises a red flag and the manufacturers make unprecedented claims that the alternative medicine products contain secret ingredients and have miracle cures (Ekor, 2014).
Another big challenge is whether the CAM treatment is effective, safe contains standardized ingredients and regulated. Almost half of the healthcare professional are not aware of the complementary practices and highly expose the disadvantages of this approach compared to traditional medicine (Koithan et al., 2012). Another big disadvantage of alternative therapies is the potential dangerous interactions and side effects. This approach is dependent upon the medical conditions and the diseases the person might be suffering from and can sometimes project adverse side effects (Epstein & Krasner, 2013). These alternative medicines are not scientifically tested and there is no regulation by the government agencies. The Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health do not provide regulation guidelines for alternative medicine and still require scientific proving with strict quality check and testing protocols. There is no such standardization of the medicines used in alternative medicine therapies, as there is varying degrees of responses and results in treating the treatment. According to Tautz et al., (2012) in a cross-sectional study, CAM was used in breast cancer, however, there was less compliance to CAM and reluctant to initiate this practice in the standard oncology care. This is the reason CAM is still a holistic approach and lack of training and knowledge about the CAM options for the patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. This is the main con of CAM that restrains them from seeking this medicine therapy.
The differences in extraction process leads to chemical variances that can lead to varying degrees of pharmacological activities and mechanisms that can cause interferences with the prescribed medications. As there is lack of evidence-based research and scientific proof, it may take a longer time for an individual to seek expert opinion on the effect of the alternative medications. This can result in the progression of the disease like cancer that remains undiagnosed until the benefits are completely known. This lack of research and variance in the treatment options makes it difficult for the complementary therapies to integrate in the current evidence based healthcare system (Frawley et al., 2013).
From the above discussion, it is evident that the traditional or alternative medicine therapies have the potential to integrate into the current healthcare system, although has certain cons and limitations. The main argument in this discussion was whether the traditional and alternative medicine has the ability to provide the individual and patient-centred care treatment and their choices on how the integration should take place. There are various benefits of CAM like pain management, cancer and IBD treatment and mental health. Alternative medicines have the potential to relieve pain as compared to traditional treatment options. Similarly, alternative therapies in conjugation with chemotherapy help in increasing the survival rates and reduce potential side effects. It also helps to lessen the adverse side effects of the cancer that are experienced by the patients due to prescribed medicines. Alternative medicine therapies are less expensive as compared to the conventional or traditional medical treatments. Another great advantage is the use of alternative medicine in the mental health for curing disorders like PTSD and mood disorders. It helps to provide overall well-being to the mental health patients as it focuses overall body care that encompasses healing of body, spirit and mind. The relaxation treatment options like meditation, massage therapy helps a mental health patient in relaxing and in stress reduction.
However, the other side of the argument was the cons and potential issues associated with traditional or alternative medicine. There are no proper guidelines and updated research regarding the safe and reliable use of the alternative medicinal approach. There is lack of evidence-based research that proves the compliance of these treatment systems into the current healthcare system. There is no such controlled trial or testing of the alternative medicines to know the safety and quality of ingredients used in the alternative medications. Although, both the systems have place in the society, there is still lack of research to suggest its integration into the current healthcare system. In this discussion, both the perspectives are valid as the role of a nurse is to provide high quality of care and ensure patient safety regardless of the origin of the medicinal treatment in the current healthcare system.
The research articles used for the essay research are mainly peer-reviewed primary source journal articles. The government websites, cross-sectional studies, interviews, questionnaires and descriptive studies that are primary sources have been included in the information. Some articles were of good quality as the studies conducted showed positive results and no alternations from the main research. The articles comprised of the primary studies that are qualitative as well quantitative in nature. The studies in the articles are structured interviews, scientific experimentation that studied the efficacy of traditional and CAM treatment conducted in different countries. The articles chosen studied the use of CAM in the treatment of various life-threatening diseases like cancer, IBD and mental health disorders like mood disorders and PTSD.
Some articles used had descriptive studies conducted in the form of structured interviews and questionnaires on the various observational outcomes of the CAM on life threatening diseases. In those articles, the effectiveness of CAM is not studied properly as the results deviated from the main research. Out of 20 articles, 12 articles were considered eligible for the research retrieved from Cochrane, Medline and Ovid. The articles were mainly cross-sectional studies conducted in the form of interviews and questionnaires given to the participants. This might be a drawback in the research study as the structured interviews contain closed-ended questions. The perceptions and perspective of the patients regarding the use of CAM might require open-ended questions, as they are descriptive. This is the reason the articles were carefully selected that is current and is not older than 7 years from 2012 to 2017. The articles are published in renowned journals retrieved from authentic databases that make it globally accepted and provide credible information for the research.
References
Ekor, M. (2014). The growing use of herbal medicines: issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety. Frontiers in pharmacology, 4, 177.
Epstein, R. M., & Krasner, M. S. (2013). Physician resilience: what it means, why it matters, and how to promote it. Academic Medicine, 88(3), 301-303.
Frawley, J., Adams, J., Sibbritt, D., Steel, A., Broom, A., & Gallois, C. (2013). Prevalence and determinants of complementary and alternative medicine use during pregnancy: results from a nationally representative sample of Australian pregnant women. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 53(4), 347-352.
Harris, P. E., Cooper, K. L., Relton, C., & Thomas, K. J. (2012). Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by the general population: a systematic review and update. International journal of clinical practice, 66(10), 924-939.
Hawk, C., Ndetan, H., & Evans, M. W. (2012). Potential role of complementary and alternative health care providers in chronic disease prevention and health promotion: an analysis of National Health Interview Survey data. Preventive medicine, 54(1), 18-22.
Jazieh, A. R., Al Sudairy, R., Abulkhair, O., Alaskar, A., Al Safi, F., Sheblaq, N., … & Tamim, H. (2012). Use of complementary and alternative medicine by patients with cancer in Saudi Arabia. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 18(11), 1045-1049.
Kang, E., Yang, E. J., Kim, S. M., Chung, I. Y., Han, S. A., Ku, D. H., … & Kim, S. W. (2012). Complementary and alternative medicine use and assessment of quality of life in Korean breast cancer patients: a descriptive study. Supportive Care in Cancer, 20(3), 461-473.
Koithan, M., Bell, I. R., Niemeyer, K., & Pincus, D. (2012). A complex systems science perspective for whole systems of complementary and alternative medicine research. Complementary Medicine Research, 19(Suppl. 1), 7-14.
Libby, D. J., Pilver, C. E., & Desai, R. (2013). Complementary and alternative medicine use among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 5(3), 277.
Mehta, D. (2012). Complementary and alternative medicine. In Physicians’ Pathways to Non-Traditional Careers and Leadership Opportunities (pp. 309-314). Springer New York.
Paul, M., Davey, B., Senf, B., Stoll, C., Muenstedt, K., Muecke, R., … & Hübner, J. (2013). Patients with advanced cancer and their usage of complementary and alternative medicine. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology, 139(9), 1515-1522.
Reddy, K. K., Grossman, L., & Rogers, G. S. (2013). Common complementary and alternative therapies with potential use in dermatologic surgery: risks and benefits. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 68(4), e127-e135.
Shim, J. M. (2015). The influence of social context on the treatment outcomes of complementary and alternative medicine: the case of acupuncture and herbal medicine in Japan and the US. Globalization and health, 11(1), 17.
Tautz, E., Momm, F., Hasenburg, A., & Guethlin, C. (2012). Use of complementary and alternative medicine in breast cancer patients and their experiences: a cross-sectional study. European Journal of Cancer, 48(17), 3133-3139.
Thomson, P., Jones, J., Evans, J. M., & Leslie, S. L. (2012). Factors influencing the use of complementary and alternative medicine and whether patients inform their primary care physician. Complementary therapies in medicine, 20(1), 45-53.
Wardle, J., Lui, C. W., & Adams, J. (2012). Complementary and alternative medicine in rural communities: current research and future directions. The Journal of Rural Health, 28(1), 101-112.
Weizman, A. V., Ahn, E., Thanabalan, R., Leung, W., Croitoru, K., Silverberg, M. S., … & Nguyen, G. C. (2012). Characterisation of complementary and alternative medicine use and its impact on medication adherence in inflammatory bowel disease. Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 35(3), 342-349.
Wu, C. H., Wang, C. C., Tsai, M. T., Huang, W. T., & Kennedy, J. (2014). Trend and pattern of herb and supplement use in the United States: results from the 2002, 2007, and 2012 national health interview surveys. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2014.
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