Week One: Complementary and Alternative Medical Systems

Details

Due

Points

Objectives

1.1 Define complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine.

1.2 Describe the five domains of therapies.

1.3 Differentiate between the major alternative medical systems.

1.4 Compare major alternative medical systems to allopathic medical care.

1.5 Describe the role of scientific study in CAM.

Readings

Read Ch. 1 (through “Health Promotion”) and Ch. 2–5 of Complementary & Alternative Therapies. Omit sections entitled “Integrated Nursing Practice.”

Read the following sections from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) website located at http://nccam.nih.gov/

· “What is CAM?”

· “Clinical Trials and CAM” located under the Research tab

Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Participation

Participate in class discussion.

5

Discussion Questions

Respond to weekly discussion questions.

5

Learning Team Instructions

Resource: Learning Team Toolkit

Complete the Learning Team Charter.

Individual

CAM Therapeutic Modalities Paper

Resource: NCCAM website located at http://nccam.nih.gov/

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper that describes an overview of CAM and its categories of treatments. The following areas should be addressed:

· Define the terms alternative medicine, complementary medicine, and integrative medicine and clarify how these terms differ.

· Describe how conventional medicine plays a role in these three terms.

· Review the philosophy of CAM and how it relates to or is different from conventional Western medicine.

· Describe the five domains of therapies according the NCCAM website.

· Research and describe one CAM treatment modality within one of the five NCCAM domains and give an example of how such a therapy could be used as an alternative therapy, a complementary therapy, and an integrative therapy for a specific medical condition. Explain how each example meets the definition of alternative, complementary, or integrative therapy and support the rationale for each of your selections.

Note. There should be a total of 3 examples in the completed assignment.

· Include the results of scientific studies, if available, that show a clinical benefit from the examples selected.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

20

Individual

Alternative Medical Systems Chart

Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Alternative Medical Systems Chart

Complete the Alternative Medical Systems Chart.

Describe or define each system, delineate the key principles underlying the system, list several treatment types included in the system, and briefly describe how this system differs from conventional Western medicine.

5

Week Two: Consumer and Regulatory Issues in CAM Treatment Modalities

Details

Due

Points

Objectives

2

2.1 Describe the philosophy and treatment principles of complementary healing therapies.

2.2 Describe how an individual’s opinions regarding CAM can affect choice in health care.

2.3 Determine criteria for identifying credible resources regarding CAM issues.

2.4 Identify negative effects associated with the use of CAM.

2.5 Analyze the government’s role in the regulation of CAM.

Readings

Read Ch. 1 (“Research” section only), and Ch. 6–13, 15–17, 20, & 24 of the text. Omit sections entitled “Integrated Nursing Practice.”

Read the section “Be an Informed Consumer” from the NCCAM website located at http://nccam.nih.gov/

Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Participation

Participate in class discussion.

5

Discussion Questions

Respond to weekly discussion questions.

5

Nongraded Activities and Preparation

Research the FDA website located at www.fda.gov for warning letters about misleading advertising for the use of dietary supplements in CAM.

Individual

Complementary Healing Therapies Chart

Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Complementary Healing Therapies Chart

Complete the Complementary Healing Therapies Chart.

Describe, in the first column, the philosophy and principles of therapy for each treatment modality.

Identify, in the second column, some of the potential benefits of therapy for each treatment modality.

5

Individual

Dietary Supplement and Herb Chart

Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Dietary Supplement and Herb Chart

Complete the Dietary Supplement and Herb Chart.

Discuss, in the first column, the various therapeutic uses for the herbal agent.

Write, in the second column, a summary of some available scientific studies that provide evidence for efficacy in any of the therapeutic uses listed in the first column. If there are no good scientific studies, note the absence of good studies.

List, in the last column, any potential side effects or possible adverse reactions that could occur with the use of the herbal agent.

5

Individual

Assessing Reliability and Credibility of CAM Resources Presentation

Create a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation on a methodology you create for assessing credibility and reliability of sources of CAM information. Include detailed speaker notes and reference citations.

Devise 3 to 5 objective criteria to judge the credibility and reliability of a source of information on CAM, such as a book, newspaper article, or speaker. Research websites on a CAM therapeutic modality.

Review one of the websites and determine how reliable the site is for CAM information, using your 3 to 5 criteria.

· Describe how a consumer’s attitudes and beliefs about CAM could hinder objective assessments of reliability and credibility in CAM.

· Demonstrate, in detail, how you reached your conclusion about the website. Consider using a grading scale or grid for this exercise.

· Discuss what steps the website could take to increase its credibility.

Present the Assessing Reliability and Credibility of CAM ResourcesPresentation.

· For Local Campus students, these may be (at the discretion of the faculty) oral presentations accompanied by PowerPoint® presentations.

· For Online and Directed Study students, these are PowerPoint® presentations with notes.

25

Learning Team

Regulatory Issues in CAM Paper

Write, as a team, a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper examining the current and future role of regulation and oversight in the field of CAM therapies and how it affects the consumer.

Note. Your instructor will assign each Learning Team a therapeutic modality from each of the five NCCAM domains.

Address the following for each of the treatment modalities:

· The current regulations and oversights that exist in the United States today

· The organization that provides the oversight

· Potential deficits of the current regulatory oversight

· Potential adverse outcomes that could occur with the current system

· Proposal and rationale for a new or alternative regulatory process

· Analysis of how the new plan would improve consumer protection

· Potential obstacles to implementing the new plan

20

Optional Discussion Questions

Week One Discussion Questions

· What is the historical evolution of CAM?

· What is the difference between complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine? How does each type of medicine relate to conventional health care in the United States?

· What are the major categories of CAM and the underlying concepts of each? How do they differ?

· What are the current trends in the use of CAM in the United States? Is CAM increasing or decreasing in popularity? Why?

· How do the principles of CAM differ from conventional or Western medicine?

· Why are consumers increasingly interested in nonallopathic medicine and various CAM modalities?

· Why are there few scientific studies on the various types of CAM treatments?

· What is the purpose and role of NCCAM? What information is available to the public from NCCAM?

· What are the concepts, views of health/illness, and diagnostic and therapeutic methods of the major alternative medical systems?

· Conventional prescription drugs must demonstrate in clinical trials that they produce the desired response more frequently than placebos. Because 30% of subjects receiving placebos demonstrate the desired response, such as decreased blood pressure, decreased pain, and faster healing time, what does this say about the power of the placebo? Is a placebo response a bad thing? What does a placebo response indicate about the power of the mind and the mind–body interaction?

· How does the placebo effect relate to alternative medicine? Does it support or refute CAM as an effective therapy?

· What role do scientific studies and clinical trials play in determining efficacy and safety of CAM treatments?

Week Two Discussion Questions

· How do an individual’s attitudes and beliefs about CAM influence health care treatment choices?

· What is the philosophy behind complementary healing therapies? Describe treatment principles within each of the five domains defined by NCCAM.

· How would you determine if a resource regarding CAM issues is credible?

· What are some criteria to consider when determining whether information sources may or may not be reliable? How should one judge the credentials of an author of an article or book on a CAM therapy?

· Sometimes a practitioner or company provides customer testimonials on the effectiveness of a product or treatment. Why is this evidence not reliable from a scientific perspective?

· Herbs, oils, and supplements are widely available. What are some guidelines consumers should consider for safe and effective use of these agents?

· What is the government’s current role in the regulation of CAM? What is an appropriate role for the government in the future?

· How are herbs, oils, supplements, and homeopathic remedies regulated? What does the regulation cover? What agency provides the regulation?

· What are some examples of potential adverse effects related to CAM treatments? Do you think consumers are made aware of these possibilities effectively?

· Why are some health care providers hesitant to support CAM or even to discuss it with patients?

Who or what regulates the practice of CAM or oversees the care delivered by various CAM practitioners? What is the difference between a health care license and being certified in a specialty? Who can provide a license? Who can provide certification? What important implications does this have for consumers?