OPPapers.com

Alternative And Complimentary Medicine

ALTERNATIVE and COMPLIMETARY MEDICINE

In the United States there are about 125 million people who suffer from a chronic illness of some kind. A chronic illness is a long-term condition for which there seems to be no cure such as arthritis, allergies, high blood pressure, digestive problems and back pain. People live with chronic illnesses for years and if conventional treatment is not effective, they will often try various non-orthodox treatments and therapies.   Patients with terminal illnesses such as cancer and HIV-AIDS, once conventional medical treatment has failed them, also often turn to non-conventional therapies in a last desperate bid for a cure. These treatments are grouped under the name of Alternative Medicine when used instead of conventional medical treatment, for example when a special diet is used as a treatment for cancer instead of radiation or chemotherapy.   They are called Complementary Medicine when used together with conventional medical treatment, for example when physical therapy is used to rehabilitate a patient after a stroke. Alternative medicine is also used in preventive health care, health maintenance or to enhance well being. Other terms for alternative medicine are unconventional medicine, non-conventional medicine, and unproven and irregular medicine.
Conventional medicine, also known as allopathic medicine, mainstream medicine, orthodox medicine, regular medicine and biomedicine is taught to medical students in medical schools throughout the world. It is based on science and clinical research and most treatments have scientific evidence of their effectiveness. The goal of clinical research is to prove that certain treatments and drugs are effective in curing the conditions they were developed to cure.   Casual observation that something seems to work is not accepted as proof. There has to be research results that back it up.   Through clinical trials many treatments that were thought to be effective have been proved to be...