Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Kelley V. Lawrence, IBCLC, MD, Alexandra Kamieniecki, MD and Lauren A Griffin, D.O. Reviewed 05/2023

BASICS

DESCRIPTION

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not currently considered as part of conventional medicine and are u...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

Impact of medical condition(s) on patient’s life
Patient’s beliefs and goals
Patient’s attitudes about and experiences with conventional medical treatments, as well as with CAM
All drugs...

TREATMENT

Variable evidence supports the safety and efficacy of:

Back pain: chiropractic therapy (2), OMT (3), massage therapy (4)
Nausea, including that associated with chemotherapy: ginger (2)
Migra...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Maintain contact between primary care provider and CAM providers; make sure records are shared between both providers.

Patient Monitoring

Dietary supplements are t...

REFERENCES

Urits I, Schwartz RH, Orhurhu V, et al. A comprehensive review of alternative therapies for the management of chronic pain patients: acupuncture, tai chi, osteopathic manipulative medicin...

ADDITIONAL READING

CODES

ICD10

Z76.89 Persons encountering health services in other specified circumstances

SNOMED

225423004 Complementary therapy
182548004 Chiropraxy (regime/therapy)
440644000 Holistic massage therapy (re...

CLINICAL PEARLS

CAM allows clinicians to take a holistic approach to health, by focusing on treating the patient, and not just the disease.
Outcomes of CAM are best measured in terms of the patient’s s...

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