Complementary Versus Alternative Medicine (CAM)
For most people terms complementary medicine and alternative medicine are used interchangeably, but there is a difference we want you to fully understand to help you become more informed about this type of medicine. The descriptions of these terms below will give you short explanations to help you define and understand their different concepts better.
COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE - If a non-mainstream practice is used together with conventional medicine, it is considered complementary. Good example is acupuncture used as a complementary therapy to treat nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy or post-surgery pain. Complementary health approaches usually include natural products and mind and body practices.
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - If a non-mainstream practice is used in place of conventional medicine, it is considered alternative. For example, if people decide to use St. John's wort in place of prescription medicines to treat depression, it is considered alternative medicine.
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE - If a non-mainstream practice combines standard medical treatments and complementary treatments together in a coordinated way, it is considered integrative medicine.
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE - In additional to complementary and alternative medicine, you may also hear the term functional medicine. This term sometimes refers to a concept similar to integrative health, but it may also refer to an approach that more closely resembles naturopathy.
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Make Health a Priority
Natural health solutions should be part of everyone's healthy routine. Keep in mind: it is overall pattern of living that's important!
You can lower your risk of disease or manage your health situation better if you move more, eat healthy diet and focus on a goodness that you have in your life right now.
Keeping your immune system strong is very important to prevent or fight disease. Laughing and socializing boost immune health. Did you know that laughing out loud has more immune-boosting benefits than smiling?
"Your inner landscape determines your outer life." ~ Heidi DuPree
What You Should Know
Wellness is about how we live our lives and the joy and fulfillment and health we experience.
Every aspect of wellness can affect a person’s life. Working toward all of them in one way or another is a great goal, because wellness relates directly to the quality of a person’s life.
Our roles and relationships help define who we are, what gives us a sense of purpose, and how our lives are interdependent on other people, animals, and the environment.
Trauma is a universal human experience, and our culture and spiritual beliefs impact our perceptions and everything we do.
To enjoy spiritual health is to possess a set of guiding beliefs, principles, or values that give meaning and purpose to your life, especially during difficult times.
An active mind is essential to overall wellness, for learning about, evaluating, and storing health and well-being information.
Maintaining emotional wellness requires monitoring and exploring your thoughts and feelings, identifying obstacles to emotional well-being, and finding solutions to emotional problems (with the help of a therapist if necessary).
Satisfying relationships are basic to both physical and emotional health.
Our personal health depends on the health of the planet -- from the safety of the food and water supply to the degree of violence in a society. Having a safe and clean living environment helps us feel organized and in control.
The eight dimensions of wellness interact continuously; influencing and being influenced by one another. Keep in mind that making a change in one dimension often affects some or all of the others.
