The Pursuit Of Health and Well-Being

By Stephanie L. Israel, LMT

Body Integration Wellness Center

More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles

The Pursuit Of Health and Well-Being

Many Americans use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in pursuit of health and well-being. According to a recent survey by National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 38% of Americans use CAM. Defining CAM can be difficult, because the field is very broad and constantly changing. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines CAM as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of Western Conventional Medicine.

Complementary medicine is that which is used along with western conventional medicine. (i.e. the use of acupuncture in addition to usual care to help lessen pain.) Alternative Medicine refers to the use of CAM in place of conventional medicine. An example of this type of treatment would be a patient diagnosed with cancer and rather than treat it conventionally, they resort to another form of curative treatment or during post-surgery alternative medicine replaces conventional in that it implements a special diet instead of radiation or chemotherapy.

Integrative medicine combines treatments from both conventional medicine and CAM for which there is evidence of safety and effectiveness with its use. Integrated medicine allows for complementary and western conventional medicine to work hand-and-hand in the health field. The integration of both systems have in common the idea of nourishing and encouraging a whole quality of life and a sense of well-being.

There are whole medical systems that are complete, incorporating both theory and practice, such systems include homeopathic and naturopathic medicines, as well as non-western cultures, Asia and India who practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda.

Two systems I want to touch on here are mind-body and manipulative body-based medicines.

The mind-body medicine uses a variety of techniques that are designed to retrain the minds' capacity to think differently than what the body is enduring or feeling, so that one can alter the physical effects of the bodily functions and symptoms; this is done through meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, yoga and acupuncture.

Manipulative body-based medicine is a practice that focuses on movement of one or more parts of the natural structure of the body including bone, joints, circulatory and lymphatic systems to aid in restoring balance by way of spinal manipulation and massage therapy.

Finally, natural products are also a form of CAM incorporating natural substances extracted from the earth (i.e. herbs, foods, and vitamin supplements) to aid in health and well-being.