Alternative and Complementary Medicine

The words alternative medicine defined as therapies that they are alternative or used alone to allopathic medicine while complementary medicine is defined as therapies which used together with allopathic medicine

In our world we need both allopathic medicine and CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) for the benefits of both

We need more and more researches for the benefits, effects and side effects of CAM.

Examples of CAM

• Acupuncture
• Herbal medicine
• Homeopathy
• Color Therapy
• Cupping therapy
• Yoga
• Rieki
• Crystal Healing
• Chiropractic
• Spiritual Healing
• Magnetic Therapy
• Energy medicine
• Hypnotherapy
• Ancient Chinese medicine
• Shiatsu
• Auriculotherapy
• Aromatherapy
• And much more …

WHO And CAM

WHO (World health organization) supports CAM and CAM research and published some books and reports on CAM Such as “Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials,” “Trial Chinese Medicine Could Make ‘Health For One’ True,” “Guidelines on Developing Consumer Information on Proper Use of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine” and “WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002-2005″ Which in this later puts strategy to integrate Cam And TM in the national health care systems in its members

Benefits of CAM

• Low cost
• Great acceptance
• Non Invasive techniques in a lot of therapies
• Affordable And easy accessibility
• Effective In many diseases but with experts and certified therapists

Elements Against CAM

• No scientific evidence on a lot of therapies or the reports that explain its effectiveness are not scientifically well organized
• Control of the proper use of CAM

Future Of CAM

I think that CAM will grow and grow and the scientific evidence on the most of its therapies will appear very soon one by one

We need to support CAM more and more and do more and more researches on its therapies

And I think we will find many answers in CAM therapies for diseases without a cure.