Conventional therapy is the most prevalent form of treatment in diseases. This involves the use of drugs which have been proven by research as being effective and safe to treat diseases. However, there exists alternative therapy referred to as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM aims at enhancing the quality of life and relieving the symptoms of a disease. There are various types of CAM such as mind-body therapies, therapies based on biology, treatments that are based on the body, massage therapies and energy medicine (Rabito & Kaye, 2013). The use of CAM in patients having cardiovascular diseases has been shown to be beneficial.
A patient with cardiovascular disease was treated using CAM. Concerning therapies that were based on the biology of the patient, the patient was put under diet based therapies and also herbal medicine. The patient was given fish which is rich in omega three fatty acids which are involved in the process of lowering triglycerides, preventing arrhythmias, decreasing the aggregation of platelets and also reducing the blood pressure. The patient was also put on ginseng and Gingko Biloba since the two have cardioprotective properties. The patient was even started on mind-body therapies. The patient was placed through programs of meditation, relaxation, and yoga (Grant, Bin, Kiat & Chang, 2012). These aid in the reduction of stress by the decrease in the release of the stress hormones such as cortisol. The patient was also initiated into transcendental meditation which aided in the decline of the blood pressure for the patient.
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Manipulative therapies and body-based therapies were also used in the management of the cardiovascular disease. The patient underwent processes such as acupressure and reflexology. These practices led to the reduction of systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, mean arterial pressure and the reduction in the heart rate of the patient. The patient also underwent manipulation of the spinal cord in a therapy referred to as chiropractic therapy which aided in the reduction of the blood pressure of the patient. The patient was also initiated on energy medicine which included treatments such as light therapy, magnetic therapy, and sound energy therapy. These therapies reduced the anxiety and the pain that the patient went through as a result of the cardiovascular diseases (Grant et al., 2012).
Another therapy that the patient underwent was that which involved all the medical systems. The patient was initiated on naturopathy, acupuncture, and Ayurveda. The acupuncture, which included the puncturing of the body of the patient at various regions using thin needles, decreased the systolic blood pressure by a significant margin. Based on naturopathy, a mode of therapy that uses is based around the ability of the body to heal itself, the patient was advised on the diet, and the patient switched to foods that had less salt and that were less junky. The patient was also instructed about lifestyle habits and began walking instead of boarding vehicles frequently and even started working out to reduce the chances of aggravation of the cardiovascular disease (Bahall, 2015). Ayurveda, which assumes that diseases are caused due to imbalances such as stress, was used to reduce the stress of the patient thus leading to relieving of the symptoms of the patient.
The practice of using only conventional medicines to treat diseases is being replaced. Non-conventional medication is being used in conjunction with the conventional medicine in the management of various diseases. Though many people are yet to embrace these non-conventional therapies, research shows that these treatments work and they have led to an improvement in the quality of life of patients and also helped in the relieving of the symptoms of the patients. However, the CAM is facing challenges, especially about research (Rabito & Kaye, 2013). Care should be taken when giving herbs to a patient receiving the conventional medicines since there might be an interaction between the herbs and the drugs. Thus CAM also has some risks.
References
Bahall, M. (2015). Complementary and alternative medicine use among cardiac patients: a descriptive study. BMC complementary and alternative medicine , 15 (1), 100.
Grant, S. J., Bin, Y. S., Kiat, H., & Chang, D. H. T. (2012). The use of complementary and alternative medicine by people with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review. BMC public health , 12 (1), 299.
Rabito, M. J., & Kaye, A. D. (2013). Complementary and alternative medicine and cardiovascular disease: an evidence-based review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine , 2013 .
