Week 4: Common Illnesses and the Use of CAM

We encounter patients after they have explored various avenues of self-help. At times, these avenues involve the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Our readings this week are very helpful.

1. Select a common (or not so common) illness or condition that affects a specific ethnic group.
2. Identify two (2) CAM therapies that patients are likely to try before seeking (or in addition to) allopathic, osteopathic, or ayurvedic medical intervention for the illness or condition.
3. Discuss the effectiveness of each therapy you identified.

Note: Do not discuss an illness or condition about which a classmate has already posted. The diversity will lead to a more robust discussion. There are many examples you may discuss, including sickle-cell disease in African Americans, constipation in the elderly people, or the use of Reiki for mental and emotional healing by Japanese people. Think of others from your practice settings or prelicensure experiences.