In the past 10 or 15 years, medical doctors have begun to refer patients to some natural health care providers in combination with the conventional services they provide.
MDs are more open to alternative medicine – including chiropractors, massage and yoga – than they were a generation ago. Still, when patients try to get reliable information on natural and conventional medicine, the websites and other materials from each side are hard to blend. This can make it hard for the consumer to evaluate and trust all of the information that’s available.
Evidence-based treatments
Conventional, complementary and alternative medicine practitioners prescribe treatments based on evidence. Conventional professionals want that evidence in the form of multiple published clinical studies. Natural health care providers are more willing to accept case studies (documented patient experiences) when clinical studies aren’t available.
Alternative medical research is in its infancy. As more research is done, possibly there will be better communication and coordination of conventional and alternative treatments.
Conventional medicine focuses on stopping or managing symptoms and their effects, usually through drugs and sometimes with surgery. CAM(complementary and alternative medicine) focuses on returning a body to a healthy condition by treating the conditions that are causing the symptoms and allowing your body to heal itself. Conventional medicine defines prevention as finding the disease early and monitoring the disease process to prevent the worst effects. Natural medicine seeks to prevent disease and its symptoms.
Patients are looking for professionals to work together. That is only beginning to happen. Additionally, CAM therapists don’t often work together, meaning the consumer has to figure it out independently. So, how do you begin to understand your complementary and alternative health care options?
Here are some of the areas:
Chiropractors
Chiropractors use several different methods of treatment with the goal of re-aligning misaligned bones and freeing nerves to operate properly so the body can heal itself. People often visit the chiropractor when they have back or neck pain, but chiropractic treatments have helped other conditions including chronic headaches, digestion problems and sciatica.
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