OVERVIEW AND TYPES OF

CAM THERAPIES

PRESENTED BY:- Puja Kumari

MSc.(N),1st yr
INTRODUCTION
In an effort to promote primary healthcare, the World Health
Organization (WHO) recommended in 1978 that traditional (alternative)
medicine be promoted, developed and integrated wherever possible with
modern, scientific medicine, stressing the necessity to ensure respect,
recognition and collaboration among the practitioners of the various
systems concerned.
DEFINITION
The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM) defines Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as
a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices and
products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional
medicine. Complementary therapies are those used in conjunction with
conventional medical practices. Alternative therapies are those that are
used instead of conventional medicine.
 MAJOR TYPES OF CAM THERAPIES
Alternative Mind- body Biological- Manipulative Energy
medical systems interventions based therapies and body – therapies
based methods
Acupuncture Meditation Herbal therapies Tai- chi Therapeutic touch

Ayurveda Relaxation Aromatherapy Yoga Reflexology

Homeopathy Hypnosis Special diet Massage Electromagnetic
therapies therapy
 
Naturopathy Art, music, and Mega doses of Light therapy
dance therapy vitamins or minerals

       
Prayer
       
Imagery
       
Biofeedback
       
Spiritual
interventions
REASONS FOR SEEKING CAM
THERAPIES
• Wanting greater control over their lives
• Having a sense of responsibility for their own healthcare
• Wanting a more holistic orientation in healthcare
• Concern over the side effects of conventional therapies
• Finding the results of conventional treatments to be inadequate
• A desire for cultural with personal beliefs about health and illness
• Dissatisfaction with conventional healthcare
• Unwillingness to 'grin and bear' the effects of diseases.
• Media contributing in consumers awareness of alternative therapies.
• Growing evidence of effectiveness of alternative therapies.
PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING
ALTERNATIVE HEALING

In 1999, Eliopoulos identified five basic principles underlying CAM:

1. The body has the ability to heal itself.
2. Health and healing are related to the harmony of mind, body and
spirit.
3. Basic good health practices build the foundation for healing.
4. Healing practices are individualized.
5. People are responsible for their own healing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF IMPORTANT
CAM THERAPIES
• ACUPUNCTURE:-
Acupuncture dates back to 3000 BC in
China. It is based on the belief that health
is determined by a balance of energy flow
or Qi, which puts one in harmony with
the universe.
Disease occurs with an imbalance of these forces and manifests as
excesses or deficiencies of basic life energy in the particular organs. If
the energy balance is not restored, then physical changes occur and
disease becomes present in the body.
Acupuncture helps correct and rebalance the energy flow and
consequently relieves pain and restores health. The needles draw energy
away from organs with excess and redirect it to organs with deficiencies.
• Ayurvedic medicine:-

Ayurveda is the traditional medical

system of India, originating more than
4,000 years ago. Ayurveda aims to
integrate and balance the body, mind and
spirit (holistic).
It is based on the theory that illness
results from the imbalance of the body's
life force, or prana. The balancing of this
life force is determined by the equilibrium
of the three bodily qualities, called
doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha.
• Ayurveda uses diet, herbs, massage, yoga, internal cleansing and
lifestyle adjustments to harmonize body, mind and spirit. Ayurveda
seeks to remove the root cause of mental illness in a holistic way.
• Ayurvedic mental hospitals use panchakarma to treat all kinds of
mental illnesses. Ayurveda is a natural antidote to disease as well as a
powerful healer for stress. It can be applied to a wide range of
emotional and mental issues like depression, bipolar disorders.
• Homeopathic medicine:-
This medical system originated in
Europe. Homeopathy seeks to stimulate
the body's ability to heal itself by giving
very small doses of highly diluted
substances that in larger doses could
produce illness or symptoms (an
approach called 'like cures like').
Homeopaths believe that their remedies mobilize the body's vital force
to orchestrate co-ordinated healing responses throughout the body
system.

The body translates the information on the vital force into local physical
changes that lead to recovery from acute and chronic diseases. A nurse
should know that remedies can be counteracted by strong chemicals,
herbs and certain drugs.
• Naturopathy:-
Naturopathy focuses on self-healing and
health-care is tailored to the individual
needs.

The physician's primary role is that of a

teacher establishing and maintaining an
optimal health and balance, treatment of the
whole person, prevention of disease through
a healthy lifestyle and therapeutic use of
nutrition.
 
• Herbal therapies:-
Herbal medicine, the oldest known form of healthcare, uses plants to treat
disease and promote health.
Herbal medicines are available as extracts (solutions obtained by steeping or
soaking a substance, usually in water), tinctures (usually alcohol-based
preparations, with alcohol acting as a natural preservative), infusions (the
most common method of internal herbal preparation, usually referred to as a
tea), decoctions (similar to an infusion), pills, and powders; even a
moistened cloth applied to the skin can act as a herbal remedy.
• Aromatherapy:-
Aromatherapy is concerned with the
psychological, physiological and
pharmacological effects of essential
oils introduced by means of
inhalation, olfaction and dermal
application.
The essential oils that are used in aromatherapy are distilled from
flowers, roots, bark, leaves, wood resins and lemon or orange rinds.
When essential oils are inhaled, aromas are detected by the olfactory
receptor cells in the nares. The stimuli travel along the olfactory nerve
to the brain where they are thought to play a role in emotions, memory
and a variety of body functions and immune responses.
• Tai chi and Qigong:-
Tai chi (tie chee), sometimes defined as 'moving meditation is a Chinese
blend of exercise and energy work consisting of a series of
choreographed, continuous slow movements performed with mental
concentration and coordinated breathing.
The purpose is to improve circulation, balance, flow of chi, reduce
stress and anxiety and restore energy and health. Qigong is a therapeutic
Chinese practice that includes gentle exercises for the breath, body,
mind, and voice.
• Biofield therapies:-
Therapeutic touch (TT) is a process by which
practitioners believe that they can transmit
energy to a person who is ill or injured to
potentiate the healing process.
It is derived from religious philosophies
principle 'laying on of hands', which may also
involve the healer passing hands over the body
without actually touching it, to detect energy
imbalances and redirect them through the
energy of the therapist.
• Reflexology:-
• People in India and China in 5000 BC and
Egypt in 2330 BC recorded the use of
reflexology. Reflexology involves massaging
and specific areas of the hands or feet to
relieve stress or pain in the corresponding
related area of the body. It is based on the
premise that pressure to specific parts of the
feet, hands and ears can create physiologic
changes and promote overall well-being
• Bioelectromagnetic- based therapies:-
Bioelectromagnetic therapy involves the use of magnetic fields in the
prevention and treatment of disease. Magnetic field therapy uses two
methods-static and pulsed. The static method involves placing magnets
in belts, shoe inserts and mattresses for 2 to 24 hours. The pulses
method involves using a machine to direct alternating electromagnetic
fields.
CAM THERAPY IN MAJOR PSYCHIATRIC
DISORDERS
• Alcohol abuse:-
Acupuncture, Herbal therapy (kudzu), meditation, yoga
• Alzheimer’s disease:-
Herbal therapy ( gingko), massage, meditation
• Anxiety:-
Acupressure, biofeedback, breathing and relaxation techniques, guided
imagery, therapeutic touch, self- hypnosis, massage, meditation.
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder:-
Biofeedback
• Depression:-
Acupuncture, therapeutic touch, herbal therapy, meditation, transcranial
magnetic stimulation
• Insomnia:-
Breathing and relaxation techniques, herbal therapy (valerian),
meditation
• Obsessive- compulsive disorder:-
Acupuncture, meditation
• Stress:-
Breathing and relaxation techniques, therapeutic touch, massage,
meditation
ROLES OF NURSE
• Helper
• Facilitator
• Practitioner
• Educator
• Coordinator
• Advocate
• Leader
CAM THERAPIES IN INDIAN SCENARIO
• The 9th five-year plan envisages that the department of ISM&H should improve the
quality of services. There are at present 22,735 ISM&H dispensaries which provide
primary health care services. States like Himachal Pradesh and Kerala have ISM&H
practitioners in primary healthcare in addition to physicians of modern medicine .
Several states have ISM&H clinics in district hospitals.
• The Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS) had set up
Advanced Centre for Ayurveda in Mental Health and Neuro Sciences at the National
Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in 1971. Presently, this
center has undertaken research studies in areas like epilepsy, mental retardation,
schizophrenia, etc.
• The advanced center for yoga therapy and research at NIMHANS has started
intervening in psychiatric disorders through yogic approach; a few nurses are involved
in teaching basic yogic exercises to the mentally ill patients.
RESEARCH APPLICATION
• Title of the study:-
Experiences of aromatherapy massage among adult female cancer patients: A
qualitative study
• Abstract:-
• Aims and objectives: To explore the experiences towards aromatherapy massage
use, and to examine the perceived benefits and adverse effects of aromatherapy
massage among adult female cancer patients.
• Method: A qualitative research design was used. Fifteen women with cancer were
recruited for semi-structured interviews. Sample recruitment was undertaken
through cancer self-help groups and referrals of a private aromatherapy clinic by
convenience Sampling. The interview data were analyzed by thematic analysis.
• Results: All participants had a positive experience towards
aromatherapy massage. The perceived benefits of aromatherapy
massage included physical and psychological dimensions: overall
comfort, relaxation, reduced pain, muscular tension, lymphoedema
and numbness, improved sleep, energy level, appetite and mood.
Interestingly, a few participants reported that aromatherapy massage
helped to enhance self-acceptance and coping with their altered torso.
No adverse effects were reported. The findings focused on four main
themes that emerged: (i) an immediate effect that brings all-round
comfort and reconnection to daily life; (ii) a pleasurable moment to
forget the disease with aroma as a booster; (iii) a pampering
experience of being cared for with a sense of dignity preserved; and
(iv) communicating with the failing body.
• Title of the study:-
The Effectiveness of Diaphragmatic Breathing Relaxation Training for
Reducing Anxiety
• Abstract:-
• Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness on reducing anxiety of a
diaphragmatic breathing relaxation (DBR) training program.
• Design and methods: This experimental, pre test-post-test
randomized controlled trial with repeated measures collected data
using the Beck Anxiety Inventory and biofeedback tests for skin
conductivity, peripheral blood flow, heart rate, and breathing rate.
• Findings: The experimental group achieved significant reductions in
Beck Anxiety Inventory scores (p<.05), peripheral temperature (p
= .026), heart rate (p = .005), and breathing rate (p =.004) over the 8-
week training period. The experimental group further achieved a
significant reduction in breathing rate (p < .001).
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Thankyou