HEALTH

Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional (mainstream) medical treatments.

Complementary medicine describes alternative medicine used in conjunction with conventional medicine.
The term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an umbrella term for both branches.
Integrative Medicine involves bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way, addressing the whole person-mind, body and spirit-in order to achieve optimal health and wellness.


 

Click here to ckeck the pronunciation of some alternative therapies.
Click here to get a definition of those words.

And this is the video you watched in class today about INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE, which goes with the activity above.


You can check you answers here.

 Look at some useful language to use when talking about CAM:

Why people turn to alternative medicine:

·        It doesn’t have nasty side effects.

·        It works for them./ It has a placebo effect.

·        Interaction between alternative practitioners and patients is more positive.

·        The media promotes alternative medicines.

·        Their friends recommend it.

·        They don’t realise that is has no scientific basis.

·        People are prone to magical thinking.

·        Alternative medicines may be cheaper.

In favour ...

·          My mum swears by homeopathic remedies.

·      There are things that science can’t explain like love or spirituality, psychics, auras, the afterlife, and the power of prayer.

·        There’s something to be said for Reiki.

·        I’m a great believer in alternative medicine.

·        I highly recommend it. / I can’t recommend it enough.

Against ...

·          By definition, alternative medicine, has either not been proved to work, or been proved, not to work.

·          If you ask me it’s absolute nonsense/ vacuous rubbish/ bunkum/ quackery/ poppycock/ dumb.

·          They’re snake oil salesmen.

·          A fool and his money are easily parted.

·          I find the very idea of it absolutely ridiculous.

·          It’s based on theories which are highly questionable.

·          There’s no such thing as chakra.

No clear opinion ...

·           I try to keep an open mind.

·           I’m on the fence.

·           I haven’t decided one way or the other.

·           It’s hard to know.

·           No-one knows for sure.

·           I’m in two minds about it.

Differences between alternative and conventional medicine:

ALTERNATIVEMEDICINE	CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE
Based on anecdotal evidence, belief or magical thinking. Administered by practitioners. Not recognised by the medical profession . Not scientifically proven. Many date back longer than conventional medicine.	Based on scientific knowledge and evidence. Administered by doctors and nurses. Recognised by the medical profession and taught in medical school. Scientifically proven to work.

In this link you can get more information about Integrative Medicine.