1. Dorinda “Kasey” Laughman Kaplan University February 03, 2017
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Relaxation Techniques Unit 5: Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Week 1
Dorinda “Kasey” Laughman
Kaplan University
February 03, 2017

2. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
What is CAM?
What is the difference between Complementary and Alternative Medicine?
How common a practice is it to use Alternative Medicine?
Integrative Medicine, what is that?
What is CAM? First let’s recognize the differences in complementary vs. alternative medicine. Complementary means in addition to medical treatments/treatment provided by a doctor or therapist. Alternative is defined by alternate treatment or care in lieu of traditional western or modern medical treatment. Most alternative treatments or practices are consistently combined with traditional medical treatments and someone solely utilizing a alternative or alternate route of treatment isn’t as common. Integrative Medicine is a combination of western medicine bringing complementary medicine together in treatment of a patient.

3. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Integrative Medicine is becoming more popular.
Where there is a desire for less invasive treatment or patients opting for alternative means for dealing with a chronic disease, integrative medicine is taking a role, (Micozzi, M, 2014).
Let’s listen and watch:
Are you aware of whether your doctor or provider is utilizing integrative medicine? If so, what integrative medicine measures has he/she recommended that you utilize? Are there any alternative medicine measures that you personally have tried on your own? Many of us practice CAM everyday not even realizing that what we are doing is medicine. For instance, when we pray or meditate.

4. Ethics in CAM
Ethics in patient care is pivotal to the over all well being, care, privacy, and confidentiality of the person, (Micozzi, M, 2014).
Ethics is defined by the ability as a patient to be treated in a non-discriminate manner with respect to race, origin, language, sexual preference, religious freedom, and ability to seek care and choose care that meets the standards with which the patient chooses to be treated in conformance to local, state, and federal laws, (Micozzi, M, 2014).
That which we must remember in regards to ethics is that we are all to be treated equal without discrimination. Moreover, that there is a Hippocratic Oath that every medical professional is sworn to practice by.

5. Ethics in CAM
There is a solemn oath which all medical professionals take.
This oath is the Hippocratic Oath authored by Hippocrates, (Miles, S, 2005).
The oath recognizes:
Nonmaleficence
Beneficence
Autonomy
Respect for Persons
Please allow yourself to envision that your either an audience member at a major university or a medical professional giving your solemn vowel to uphold the Hippocratic oath as we listen and watch this video. (*Pause for video) So you see and hear that the Hippocratic Oath is a pledge to treat all patients equally without discrimination. We have found that this may go a step further and that is the patient’s right to insist on how she/he will be treated and that is also considering the evaluation and prescription for western medicine treatments along with complementary and alternative medicine treatments. This is of course providing that the treatment being requested is legal and morally right.
Listen & Watch

6. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The focal point of this course will be on Mind – Body Interventions or as you will frequently hear it be referred to as, “Relaxation Techniques”.
Mind-Body Interventions are something that most of us have practiced at some point in our life.
Examples of Mind-Body Interventions: deep breathing before you enter into some form of competition to calm your nerves, prayers and meditation. Before we delve too deeply let’s talk about something that is very important when considering working with your practitioner or provider on CAM. Ethics? What are ethics?

7. Mind & Body Interventions
Relaxation Techniques are designed to aid the body’s natural relaxation mechanisms, (nccih.nih.gov, “n.d.”).
When the body becomes relaxed it exhibits specific indicators or bio-markers such as: deep breathing, lower blood pressure, and increased feeling of harmony or well-being,(nccih.nih.gov, “n.d.”).
There are a myriad of
“Relaxation Techniques” :
Yoga & Tai Chi
Meditation
Self – Hypnosis
Deep Breathing Exercises
Bio-Feedback
Guided Imagery
Progressive Relaxation

8. Relaxation Techniques
Mindful Meditation:
Effective in creating calm and physical relaxation.
Improving mental stability.
Provides coping tools in dealing with stress and chronic disease.
Forms a harmonic balance in the well being, (Holzel, B., Posner, M., & Tang, Y, 2015).
Together class we are going to address the various mind-body interventions or relaxation techniques. Let’s take a look at Mindful Meditation and take a journey while we begin our exploration.

9. References:
Holzel, B., Posner, M., & Tang, Y., (2015) The neuroscience of Mindful Meditation, Nature Review, pgs , retrieved from,
Micozzi, MS, (2014) Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Fifth Edition, Elsevier Health Sciences, St. Louise, MO
Miles, S., (2005) The Hippocratic Oath and the Ethics of Medicine, Oxford University Press, New York, USA
NCCIH, (“n.d.”) Mind and Body Interventions, retrieved from,
Youtube.com, (“n.d.”) Complementary and Alternative Medicine Video, retrieved from,
Youtube.com, (“n.d.”) Waterfall Meditation- Guided Imagery to Refresh Yourself, retrieved from,