CAM Therapy

Introduction

Complementary and alternative medicine can be defined as a medical care branch involving an array of therapies which are an extension of more than what is known as the western medical treatments.  This treatment method has been practiced for a long period in different nations globally such as chine and the United States of America. The first term which is complimentary is treatments that are jointly used with standard care while the alternative is related to the minimal conventional method.

Currently, there has been widespread use of the integrative health concept. This concept is the description of the complementary and alternative medicine on evidence basis into conventional treatments with the main aim of enhancing the overall health. The complementary and alternative medical therapy is very appropriate for people who need treatment for various mental health-related concerns. Practitioners who offer the complementary and alternative medical treatment therapy are licensed. In the USA, the licensing laws vary from one state to the other although the organizations which provide such professional services also undergo certification tests.

Reasons for the Interests in Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapy

The reason behind my interest in this method of treatment is the fact that it was it was the initial approach used in the ancient times in provision of medical services. During those ancient times, doctors were not enough, and so most people turned to use of these old techniques (Jonas, et al, 2013).  Although not all of these traditional practices can be termed as either complementary or alternative, it is interesting to understand how the approach is used nowadays. Additionally, it is also interesting to know how the CMA approach is complimenting or has been integrated with the current treatment as well as the dominant model of mental health care. The present methods seem not successful in addressing the mental illness challenges which are relatively complex. However, seeking the conventional and alternative medical treatment is an independent nursing intervention. The federal government has the NCCAM body concerned with research on CMA to train the service providers, provide and disseminate new information but not to make referrals.

The Description of How Conventional and Alternative Medical Treatment Is Carried Out

The first step is the physical examination of the patient and then checking the health history records if any. Through the physical examination, the service provider can decide the best therapy to recommend for the patient while history provides consistency in treatment.

Information That a Patient Needs to Know Before the Therapy Session

By offering treatment services, it is important that the patient gets to know some information to make him/her more comfortable during the session. The first information is on time and also costs associated with the treatment. The second is how to effectively combine both the conventional medicine as well as CAM therapy for optimum benefits. The third is Information is on the health conditions that the patient is having. In the provision of health care services, confidentiality and privacy are very important. Towards ensuring confidentiality and privacy in the provision of the conventional and alternative medical therapy, the patients’ information should be well protected maybe in a folder. This information records about health and treatment history, as well as therapy, should be stored well with access restricted to the healthcare service providers and the patient who owns the file and be disclosed with his/her consent.

Past Research About CAM to Show the Success

Although the CAM therapies are mostly regarded as natural treatments which are not easy to copyright, there exists some research done about the success of the approach. Research is a good indicator of success since it is evidence-based. The 2007 survey conducted nationally in USA showed that around 38% and 12% of adults and children respectively use CAM (Harris, et al, 2012). Despite these percentages showing percentages that represent the general use of the CAM therapy for all illnesses, patients with medical health problems mostly utilize CAM at a higher rate compared to others (Barnes, et al, 2008). Additionally, the initiative to train conventional and alternative treatment service providers for licensing shows how successful the practice is to the USA.