Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) consists of a group of healthcare practices as well as products considered to be out of the mainstream. Therefore, they are used along with the conventional medicine. They are alternative if they can be employed alone as the main treatment. CAM has many benefits, and people should consider using them. They have side effects, drawbacks, and various aspects that one should keep in mind. This paper looks at the advantages and the disadvantages of CAM as used in the society today.
Benefits
People with various lifestyle diseases deal with physical symptoms on a daily basis that include pain, anxiety, fatigue and nausea. They may also be side effects of the treatments such as chemotherapies in dealing with cancer. Some therapies have the ability to ease physical and emotional symptoms in some people. Using conventional medicine in combination with CAMs may provide a more integrated approach to healing. However, patients should only use those therapies that are recommended.
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Advantages
In most cases, alternative medicine is based on the use of natural as well as herbal remedies. Similarly, they are also based on the idea that one can restore health by bringing the body energy back into balance with harmony. One of the advantages is that they teach one to become responsible for their health as they focus on the body and mind. Holistic healing teaches one to gain a balance between his or her mind and the body as the illness and the pain that one feels arises from the imbalances that one has in his or her system ( Sridhar et al., 2017) . People can deal with the cause other than just the symptoms. Most of the therapies focus on treating the whole person and not just the symptoms that one is experiencing. The belief is that the body and the mind are connected, and cure starts with encouraging people to lead a healthy life by focusing on what caused the disease. Most of the therapies concentrate on reducing stress and emotional tension to combat illnesses.
The other advantage of the CAM is that the focus is on prevention as the prerequisite of good health. Patients are taught on ways to prevent diseases before they occur and encourage them to take care of their body and mind ( Monica & Jayanthi, 2016) . Conventional medicine only intervenes when an illness has developed while CAM uses a holistic approach that not only uses preventive measures but also recommends a healthy lifestyle. The other advantage of CAM is that they do not have harmful side effects as compared to conventional medicines. Most of them are derived from natural products that do not affect the body.
CAMs are not as expensive as current medications in some cases. They only use natural ingredients in medications and treatments, which are readily available at home. For example, yoga, which is one of the most used therapies, only requires an easily accessible mat. There is also the benefit that they can work as sole, primary as well as supportive treatments ( Sridhar et al., 2017) . Some studies have revealed a connection between some herbs and the treatment of diabetes and other illnesses. Similarly, those suffering from depression and anxiety can benefit from therapies such as yoga ( Monica & Jayanthi, 2016) . Massage is a remedy for muscle and joint pains that may not be cured with the help of conventional medicine. One of the main advantages of CAMs is that they treat patients without necessarily overloading them with chemical medications. There is, therefore, no buildup of toxins in the body of a human being.
Disadvantages
However, despite the many advantages of CAMs, they have drawbacks that limit their usefulness. One of the disadvantages is that there is limited scientific research with most of them not being scientifically proven. Many questions remain unanswered in the use of these medications ( Sridhar et al., 2017) . The other disadvantage is that most of the CAMs are not approved by any governing body and are not covered by any insurance company.
Consequently, CAMs take a longer time to heal a problem as compared to conventional medical treatments that have an immediate effect. CAMs focus on treating the cause and eliminating the problem at the source and needs more time and cannot cure the problem instantly ( Sridhar et al., 2017) . The patient has to be dedicated regarding changing the lifestyle habits, which are commitments for the long-term. No immediate results are expected from CAMs, which limits their use. Changes in lifestyle include changing the diet and the adoption of a different mindset when dealing with stressors.
The other disadvantage is that they cannot intervene in emergency cases when the life of an individual is at risk. For example, they cannot be used in circumstances that require immediate pain relief or immediate surgery. There is also the risk that they might interact with certain medication when used as a complementary to the conventional drugs ( Sridhar et al., 2017) . Therefore, the patient has to inform his or her conventional or complementary practitioner of the condition that he or she is facing, the alternative medications that he is taking and the response of the body towards the treatment.
Lack of professional advice may lead to detrimental side effects and hamper their supposed effectiveness ( Hsu et al., 2014) . Some people do not react at all to individual therapies. What works for one person may not necessarily work on another. An individual has to make sure that a type of therapy will work for them or not before deciding on using it. Consequently, one requires professional advice from a qualified health practitioner to ensure that the right decisions are made in regards to the type of medication that one should use.
Scams
Many doctors have counseled their patients against the use of CAMs. The argument they use is that there is a lot of research that shows that most of these drugs are not helpful to the body. Most of the people take CAMs because of the severity of the diseases that they have. For example, most of the people will jump at the opportunity of having their cancers cured by those who purport to have the cure. However, doctors are fast to recommend the use of conventional medicines instead of CAMs unless scientifically proven.
References
Hsu, C., et al., (2014). New perspectives on patient expectations of treatment outcomes: results from qualitative interviews with patients seeking complementary and alternative medicine treatments for chronic low back pain. BMC complementary and alternative medicine , 14 (1), 276
Monica, N., & Jayanthi, C. R. (2016). Use and satisfaction of complementary and alternative medicine among diabetic patients in a tertiary care hospital. International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology , 5 (6), 2521-2527.
Sridhar, S. B., et al., (2017). Assessment of perception, experience, and information-seeking behavior of the public of Ras Al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, toward usage and safety of complementary and alternative medicine. Journal of Pharmacy & Bioallied Sciences , 9 (1), 48
