Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine, Essay Example

The literature review provided herein reviews a graduate project submitted as one of the prerequisites for a degree in Master of Public Administration, Health Administration.  The thesis report investigates the prevailing trends and status of Medicaid coverage for complementary plus alternative medicine- CAM: the dissertation similarly seeks to identify plus establish the areas that deserve keener consideration and possible improvements in the future (Chen, Lee, Xu & Zhang, 2015). Although CAM using diverse therapies that are not recognised by scientific medical procedures, many patients suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes have gravitated towards CAM therapies resulting in the need for identification and documentation of any side effects and health behaviour. The main striving for health in these contemporary times should be to establish a new healthcare system that strikes the balance between cost and the emerging issues like insurance for therapies referred to as the (CAM)  Complementary plus Alternative Medicine (David Adams, 2018).

The bone of contention is the exponential growth of healthcare spending in the United States of America, which remains a concern to this very day regardless of the fact that in recent years the spending had shown signs of slowing down (“US Healthcare Spending as of 2019 | Visualized Health”, 2021). Over the decades of legislation and developments by policymakers and numerous stakeholders, the healthcare system has gradually depreciated and is in dire need of mass improvements. The challenges and deficiencies in healthcare stemmed from the private sector and the government for implementing policies based on short-term thinking that yielded devastating repercussions in the long run. It is imperative for the government to solve the issues surrounding healthcare, beginning with the transformation of the disease management system to a reliable network by offering insurance for CAM (Weeks, 2016).

By the fiscal year of 2019, the federal government had spent an estimated 1.2 trillion dollars on healthcare across the United States of America (“US Healthcare Spending as of 2019 | Visualized Health”, 2021). It was also recorded that the income tax expenditure that was spent on healthcare hit an all-time high figure of 234 billion dollars (“US Healthcare Spending as of 2019 | Visualized Health”, 2021). The rising figures reflect failure in the United States healthcare system. This is indicated by the sheer fact that the spending on healthcare surpassed the entire federal budget on defence spending.

Research has proven that a third of the adult American population use Complementary and Alternative Medicine therapy. 30.7% of the American adult population suffers from chronic pain, and statistical data points out that the number is likely to escalate in the coming years (Boersma et al., 2020). The increasing number of chronic pain victims can be attributed to the lifestyle that the majority of the working-class American population subscribe to, which is characterised by strict daily schedules, limited movements and depression. The existing conventional medications had to adapt to meet the rising need, hence the incorporation of Complementary plus Alternative Medicine, which has proven to be a better option as evidenced by the swelling numbers of patients attracted to their therapy sessions. CAM therapy comprises diverse health and natural practices that incorporate herbal and traditional products.

CAM therapy will undoubtedly become a cardinal and integral part of healthcare in the years to come. Therefore, further research should be done on it. The statistics point to its popularity as well as its health benefits. An estimated 9 billion dollars is spent on CAM services and therapy per year; this accounts for 3% of the annual gross healthcare expenditure (Boersma et al., 2020). The final deliberation would be to advocate for funding from the Health Care Financing Administration and the federal Medicare program for beneficiaries who meet the required clinical worthiness standards (Jiratchariyakul & Mahady, 2013).

The National Center for CAM has divided it into four main categories; Mind-body medicine, manipulative plus Body-based therapies, biological-based practices, plus Energy medicine. Mind-body medicine is the kind of CAM therapy that is done for the mind (Kaufman). The statistical data obtained from the 2002 survey that was conducted shows that a significant number of patients who use CAM in the United States use mind-body medicine. Majority of the Neurological patients prefer the use of CAM therapies. Mind-body therapies exist in many forms, including visual imagery, biofeedback, hypnosis, and mediation. These therapies focus mainly on the relationship between the mind, brain, body, behaviour, and their effects on the body’s health. These therapies are very crucial when it comes to suppressing the specific mental ailments that cause psychological stress. Patients prefer these forms of therapies because they are more actively involved; the therapies have low emotional and physical risks.

Manipulative and body-based practice is the part(s) of the body to target treatment. These therapies include massage, chiropractic, reflexology, Rolfing and osteopathy. Biological-based practices are another form of CAM that NCCAM has demonstrated as natural products like herbs and food products to treat certain diseases. On the other hand, energy medicine is the act of using body parts that are believed to possess a lot of energy that can be used to treat some other parts. CAM has been integrated into many hospitals, and even clinical centers for this medication have been developed. These centers work in liaison with Hospitals and Medical schools to achieve CAM effectiveness. (Shorofi, and Arbon)

The use of CAM therapies in standard cancer treatment has been effective and made patients stabilise after surgery. An assessment was conducted in Northeast Cancer Center NECC in Ontario to determine patients’ reactions to CAM therapies. The statistics obtained were, more than 50 per cent of patients use biological-based therapists after being diagnosed with cancer, and around 15 per cent of them used these therapies before diagnosis. However, cancer remains almost the most cause of death in the world patients have tried the use of CAM therapies like massage, dietary or even prayer. The use of these therapies by cancer patients is to reduce the effects of chemotherapies and radiation. Patients have always considered CAM therapies as natural, spiritual, and cultural, and they try to connect the use of CAM and their beliefs. (“Reducing The Side-Effects Of Cisplatin To Improve The Social Acceptance Of Chemotherapy As CAM Adjunct In Cancer Treatment”)

Breast cancer patients have been noticed to have been affected by the use of CAM. When their use CAM therapies, these patients delay for presentation and treatment of this type of cancer, thus making the cancer cells grow. Thorough research was conducted in Malaysia, and a sample of six public hospitals was taken to trace follow-up breast, cancer patients. (Ng et al.). A sample of over 300 patients was considered for the research, and it was discovered that when these patients find the first symptoms of their illness, they when for CAM therapies. Statistics indicated that over 45 per cent of 300 patients delayed the diagnosis, having relied on CAM therapies at their first symptoms. The time between early signs to the time of presentations allows cancer cells’ growth to the point of making treatment impossible. (Mohd Mujar et al.)

References

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Mohd Mujar, Noor Mastura et al. “Complementary And Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use And   Delays In Presentation And Diagnosis Of Breast Cancer Patients In Public Hospitals In Malaysia”. PLOS ONE, vol 12, no. 4, 2017, p. e0176394. Public Library Of Science (Plos), doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0176394. Accessed 23 Mar 2021.

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“Reducing The Side-Effects Of Cisplatin To Improve The Social Acceptance Of Chemotherapy As CAM Adjunct In Cancer Treatment”. 2020. International Institute For Science, Technology And Education, doi:10.7176/jhmn/81-11.

Kaufman, Jason A. “Nature, Mind, And Medicine: A Model For Mind–Body Healing”. EXPLORE, vol 14, no. 4, 2018, pp. 268-276. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.explore.2018.01.001.

Shorofi, Seyed Afshin, and Paul Arbon. “Complementary And Alternative Medicine (CAM) Among Australian Hospital-Based Nurses: Knowledge, Attitude, Personal And Professional Use, Reasons For Use, CAM Referrals, And Socio-Demographic Predictors Of CAM Users”. Complementary Therapies In Clinical Practice, vol 27, 2017, pp. 37-45. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2017.03.001.