Running Head: CAM VERSUS TRADITIONAL WESTERN MEDICINE.

CAM versus traditional Western medicine

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CAM VERSUS TRADITIONAL WESTERN MEDICINE 2

The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) Versus Traditional Western

Medicine

Question 1

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) possess no clinically effect that can be

proven like in the case of traditional western medicine. Nevertheless, the CAM is evidence-based

medicine since the patients are treated with the use of experience, unlike in science-oriented

medicine (George et al., 2015). CAM is also not efficacious like traditional western medicine

because its efficacy cannot be proved based on natural science (Schofield et al., 2017). On the

other hand, the effectiveness of western medicine can easily be proven because its uses are

compatible with the requirements of the natural science that supports the medical report.

Also, CAM medicines may not be effective in secondary health concern, unlike in

traditional western medicine. The secondary health concern is based on chronic diseases, which

can only be adequately handled in western medication. Diagnosis in CAM may sometimes fail to

come up with the exact pathogenesis of a given condition, but the science-oriented medicine

does. Therefore, CAM medicine may be helpful but not to the same extent to which traditional

western medicine is effective.

CAM efficacy may be affected due to different opinions from the practitioners

(Cherniack and Cherniack, 2016). On the contrary, the traditional western medicines efficacy is

never changed because the views from the healthcare professionals on the treatment have

undergone through many trial experiments and are well evaluated. Even for that, traditional

western medicine and CAM are still used to date.

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Question 2

Quality patient outcome and traditional western medicine

Quality patient outcome is related to conventional western medicine in that both of them

call for proper patient care. In this case, both of them ensure that the patients get adequate patient

care during treatment, and as a result, they get satisfaction. For example, a patient who has

cancer needs to be placed under a particular health care unit and receive a specialized therapy but

not in the general wards. So, this enables them to get appropriate healthcare so that they may get

relieved of the pain they might be undergoing through. Therefore, both cases need quality patient

treatment to achieve a satisfactory result. Even for that, both quality patient outcomes and

traditional western medicine may be problematic where the patient is misdiagnosed and given

the wrong prescriptions or therapies. For instance, a patient suffering from malaria is

administered with typhoid medications. Also, traditional western medicine may prove to be

expensive.

Patient safety and traditional western medicine

Both patient safety and conventional western medicine call for the best treatment

practices to ensure patient safety. For instance, in both, a patient should only take the medical or

other treatments prescribed for them; this ensures that the patient's immunity is not interfered

with hence promoting good health and safety. Additionally, Patients safety is used in cases where

there is a disease breakout in a given population whereby the infected individuals are quarantined

and treated. However, the remaining population may be vaccinated following medical rules and

regulations. On the same, not a patient suffering from the coronavirus infection is quarantined so

that they do not infect other people in the society or the wards: this leads to patient's safety.
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Traditional western medicine encourages the patients to follow the therapy just as prescribed by

the specialist; this ensures patient safety. Even for that, Patient safety may fail to protect in

cases where the disease cannot be controlled hence resulting in the spread of the infection to

other healthier people in the community. Also, traditional western medication may fail in cases

where the therapies fail to mend the intended purpose or treat a disease.

The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) versus traditional Western medicine

Both CAM and conventional western medication are used to treat chronic conditions. For

example, in CAM, patients have higher healing expectations because patient-physician

communication is better (Edime et al., 2017). For instance, a patient suffering from diabetes or

pressures, among other diseases, will have to communicate frequently to the physician to help

the specialist know the progress and treat the patient accordingly. Consequently, the patient may

be endangered under CAM when the system fails to give appropriate medication due to

misdiagnosis. On the other hand, under traditional medicines, a patient may be advised to follow

yoga for body fitness and weight loss. However, in some cases, the therapy may fail if the patient

does not support the recommended information to help them achieve the intended results

Question 3

Most individuals in the community and organizations believe in CAM for preventing

diseases and promoting health and wellness than the traditional Western medicine; this is

because they believe CAM contains well-defined procedures and medications for treating

different forms of conditions. On the other hand, healthcare organizations believe that traditional

western medicine may be effective than the CAM since they involve therapies that put the

patient under proper health. The conventional Western medicine is also considered to promote
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health and wellness since it includes treatments such as yoga that enables the patient to keep fit

hence preventing different diseases, including obesity. Therefore, it is evident that both CAM

and traditional western medicines affect the communities and organizations positively.

Question 4

There are many inequities regarding the access to CAM; for example, many individuals

consider the knowledge of CAM as the lowest. Even for that, most health care in the

communities refer the patients to CAM since some families believe in CAM for treatment and

safety. Some communities believe in CAM therapies for treatment, unlike traditional western

medicine. However, some of the CAM facilities are very expensive and have bared a given

population from getting access to them. Most people believe that traditional western medications

practitioners have more knowledge and experiences in treatment but are expensive; hence they

cannot access it.

Some CAM facilities are deep-seated in villages hence preventing the average number of

people from reaching them. On the other hand, many traditional western medical facilities are

located near to the reach of the maximum number of people in the community. Also, some

families believe in the fact that some traditional western medications are the best in treating

chronic diseases than CAM. However, this results from personal experience. For instance, a

person is handled through the named western medication, and they got better, and their health

stabilizes. Therefore, in the next treatment, they will still undergo the same treatment due to

experience.

Consequently, traditional western medication sometimes tends to be very expensive

hence baring the low -income people in the society from accessing them. On the other hand,
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some services that are affordable in CAM may be costly in traditional western medicine.

Therefore, people tend to have different opinions when it comes to treatment. For instance,

wealthy families may afford any of the two noted types of medication without any problem. On

the other hand, the poor may not be eligible for the services offered by both.

Additionally, CAM therapies are not consistent in practicing or dispensing of the

techniques and medicines (Cherniack & Cherniack, 2016); this makes it difficult for people to

trust them. For instance, most individuals fear for their safety in case they are put in inconsistent

therapies. Also, most practitioners in CAM are not well trained in most of the methods they use

in treating this is dangerous to the life of society. On the other hand, traditional western medicine

is trusted because most of its professionals are trained in different areas. However, some

individuals fear the therapy-induced by them since they may misdiagnose and give the wrong

treatment, which in turn may be fatal.

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References

Cherniack, P., & Cherniack, N. (2003). Alternative medicine for the elderly. Springer.

Edirne, T., Arica, S. G., Gucuk, S., Yildizhan, R., Kolusari, A., Adali, E., & Can, M. (2017). Use

of complementary and alternative medicines by a sample of Turkish women for infertility

enhancement: a descriptive study. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 10(1),

11.

George, J., Kong, D. C., Stewart, K., Ioannides‐Demos, L. L., & Santamaria, N. M. (2015). Use

of complementary and alternative medicines by patients with chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease. Medical Journal of Australia, 181(5), 248-251.

Schofield, P., Diggens, J., Charleson, C., Marigliani, R., & Jefford, M. (2016). Energetically

discussing complementary and alternative medicine in a conventional oncology setting:

communication recommendations for clinicians. Patient education and counseling, 79(2),

143-151.