12.1 Section Title
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Holistic Approaches to Medicine
Less than one-third of the world uses evidence-based biomedical approaches to treatment of disease and other medical issues, such as trauma and injury. The majority of the world practices alternative or holistic forms of treatment. A biomedical approach, or conventional medicine, is usually practiced by medical doctors or doctors of osteopathy who have a medical degree and a license to practice. Alternative medicine, on the other hand, includes a range of practices that may not be taught in conventional medical schools and are not likely to be reimbursed by health insurance carriers. Some of the alternative approaches may also be considered holistic. Holistic medicine focuses on physical health, but also addresses the emotional, spiritual, social, and psychological aspects of illness. Examples of holistic approaches include natural remedies, acupuncture, massage therapy, and dietary or lifestyle changes.
The American Psychological Association recently published an article in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, titled “The Integration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Into the Practice of Psychology: A Vision for the Future” (Barnett & Shale, 2012). It examined the utility of integrating various types of medical approaches in the practice of psychology.
As part of this exercise, check out the article “The Integration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Into the Practice of Psychology: A Vision for the Future” at https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/pro-43-6-576.pdf, and then prepare answers to the following questions.
Reference:
Barnett, J.E., & Shale, A.J. (2012). The integration of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into the practice of psychology: A vision for the future. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 43, 576–585.
Question
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CAM refers to complementary and alternative medicine, and it helps promote both conventional and unconventional interventions in the treatment of both physical and psychological illnesses. Nonconventional interventions can complement medical care and, if used correctly, can produce some additional benefit.
Question
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Dietary supplements are often unregulated and can contain different compositions of minerals or vitamins in them. The different compositions and dosages may interfere with the effectiveness of an individual’s currently prescribed medications.
Question
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Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and acupuncture are two common complementary techniques used in health care. PMR helps someone engage in a specific sequence of breathing to reduce anxiety or stress. Reduction in anxiety and stress can lead to health benefits: reduced blood pressure and lessening of chronic pain, for example. Acupuncture utilizes Eastern philosophy to target specific areas of discomfort and pain in a person’s body in order to stimulate and “balance” the body. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms of depression and anxiety, and has also been helpful in improving the pain and discomfort of migraines.
Question
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One concern is related to recruiting participants and assigning them to various experimental conditions within a study. Some research found that some studies simply divided individuals into treatment groups based on the geographic area in which they lived. This could result in a number of confounding variables and potential biases. Another potential limitation includes sample sizes. Lack of generalizability is also a concern, as many CAM studies utilize case studies or sample sizes of fewer than 10 participants.
Question
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There are a number of ways that the study of spirituality and religiosity can be standardized. For example, researchers could use the number of times a day that an individual takes time to reflect, pray, or visit a house of worship as an indicator of spirituality and religiosity. Researchers could also develop a survey to assess the degree of spirituality and religiosity for an individual; the survey would ask questions specific to the individual’s use of spirituality and religion in their daily decision making.