Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults And Children

Integration of complementary and alternative medicine therapies (CAM) with conventional medicine is occurring in hospitals and physicians offices, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are covering CAM therapies, insurance coverage for CAM is increasing, and integrative medicine centers and clinics are being established, many with close ties to medical schools and teaching hospitals. In determining what care to provide, the goal should be comprehensive care that uses the best scientific evidence available regarding benefits and harm, encourages a focus on healing, recognizes the importance of compassion and caring, emphasizes the centrality of relationship-based care, encourages patients to share in decision making about therapeutic options, and promotes choices in care that can include complementary therapies where appropriate. Numerous approaches to delivering integrative medicine have evolved. Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States identifies an urgent need for health systems research that focuses on identifying the elements of these models, the outcomes of care delivered in these models, and whether these models are cost-effective when compared to conventional practice settings. It outlines areas of research in convention and CAM therapies, ways of integrating these therapies, development of curriculum that provides further education to health professionals, and an amendment of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to improve quality, accurate labeling, research into use of supplements, incentives for privately funded research into their efficacy, and consumer protection against all potential hazards.

Based on careful analysis of burden of disease and the costs ofinterventions, this second edition of 'Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition' highlights achievable priorities; measures progresstoward providing efficient, equitable care; promotes cost-effectiveinterventions to targeted populations; and encourages integrated effortsto optimize health. Nearly 500 experts - scientists, epidemiologists, health economists,academicians, and public health practitioners - from around the worldcontributed to the data sources and methodologies, and identifiedchallenges and priorities, resulting in this integrated, comprehensivereference volume on the state of health in developing countries.

This is the first comprehensive, multidisciplinary book to focus on the ethical challenges of complementary and alternative medicine. It examines the ethical challenges that CAM raises for patients and their physicians, and for patient-physician relationships. The book is written by a multidisciplinary team of CAM ethics and policy analysts, researchers and thought-leaders who present a forward-looking exploration of their subject.

In 2007, adults in the U.S. spent $33.9 billion on visits to CAM practitioners and purchases of CAM products, classes, and materials. Nearly 2/3 of the total costs that adults spent on CAM were for self-care purchases of CAM products, classes, and materials during the past 12 months, compared with about 1/3 spent on practitioner visits. 38 million adults made an estimated 354 million visits to practitioners of CAM. About 3/4 of both visits to CAM practitioners and total costs spent on CAM practitioners were associated with manipulative and body-based therapies. A total of 44% of all out-of-pocket costs for CAM, or about $14.8 billion, was spent on the purchase of non-vitamin, non-mineral, natural products. Charts and tables.

The major objective of this book is to review in detail health problems occurring with significant frequency in aging adults which are proposed to be treated or ameliorated using nutriceuticals as foods and dietary supplements as well as other complementary and alternative therapies. Chapters primarily focusing on nutrients have been excluded to maintain a focus on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The book is divided into three general sections: 1. Nutriceuticals and Botanicals in Health Promotion - including Specific Nutriceuticals Used in Treating Aged; and General Nutraceutical Approaches to Therapy with emphasis on cancer. 2. Non-nutritional CAM Therapies – including Mind-mediated Therapies; and Physically Applied CAM Therapies3. Non-dietary Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use and Benefits to the Elderly in Health Identifies the important nutritional requirements of the aging population, and how nutraceuticals and other CAM options affect those Addresses the many disease entities and cancers are found with higher frequency in the aged, including cancer, trauma, or infectious disease that can alter intakes of nutraceutical containing foods and/or requirements for various nutrients. Explores the nutritional materials botanical extracts and components that can have important health promotion benefits and risks, to ensure safe consumption Reviews the frequently used non-traditional and often unproven CAM therapies, beyond nutritional and nutraceutical supplements, including a variety of physical and psychosocial treatments.

For most clinicians, the science and evidence for many integrative therapies is largely unknown or considered suspect. Most physicians don't have time to learn integrative approaches and aren't sure what to recommend or which approaches have merit or improved outcomes. Here, clinicians have easy access to the best practices in integrative medicine and expectations for outcomes