Western medicine is also known as conventional medicine and is the science of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. It often utilizes multiple medications and advanced diagnostic and screening tools. Healthcare providers rely on these tools and standardized tests to match symptoms to an accepted paradigm of diseases and disorders to establish a diagnosis. By mainly focusing on a particular aspect of the disease, instead of the body as a whole, conventional medicine usually does not require lifestyle changes to support the prescribed medication or treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is also sometimes called holistic medicine. CAM attempts to determine how individuals contribute to their health through beliefs and
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It is imperative to understand the factors involved in improving health when faced with illness; there are physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental aspects to be considered (Daniel, Morris, & Jobst, 2011). Multidisciplinary approaches should also be included when with considering healthcare treatment options to increase chances of a successful outcome. Unfortunately, there is a lack of integration between alternative and conventional medicine. This can result in a condition or disease being viewed as a singular problem, and lead the focus of treatment to one individual problem. Instead, a person’s entire lifestyle should be taken into consideration when determining treatment, ranging from the foods being consumed, amounts of physical exercise, emotional responses, healthcare beliefs and practices, and knowledge of causes and meaning of an illness (Daniel, Morris, & Jobst, 2011). Being viewed and treated as a whole, by your own determination, is what returns a sense of …show more content…
Polypharmacy is not only expensive; it can also be deadly. Regular monitoring and reviewing medication is needed to ensure inappropriate medications are discontinued. This does not mean that a person should not take more than one medication at a time. There are many illnesses and diseases that leave no other choice but to take multiple medications, such as diabetes (Kaufman, 2014). Unfortunately there has not been adequate testing with alternative or complementary medicines and their efficacy in improving polypharmacy. Many studies are being done to test possible interactions between natural medicines, such as herbs, and prescription medications; the implications of combining these two practices to improve healthcare are
It is imperative to understand the factors involved in improving health when faced with illness; there are physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental aspects to be considered (Daniel, Morris, & Jobst, 2011). Multidisciplinary approaches should also be included when with considering healthcare treatment options to increase chances of a successful outcome. Unfortunately, there is a lack of integration between alternative and conventional medicine. This can result in a condition or disease being viewed as a singular problem, and lead the focus of treatment to one individual problem. Instead, a person’s entire lifestyle should be taken into consideration when determining treatment, ranging from the foods being consumed, amounts of physical exercise, emotional responses, healthcare beliefs and practices, and knowledge of causes and meaning of an illness (Daniel, Morris, & Jobst, 2011). Being viewed and treated as a whole, by your own determination, is what returns a sense of …show more content…
Polypharmacy is not only expensive; it can also be deadly. Regular monitoring and reviewing medication is needed to ensure inappropriate medications are discontinued. This does not mean that a person should not take more than one medication at a time. There are many illnesses and diseases that leave no other choice but to take multiple medications, such as diabetes (Kaufman, 2014). Unfortunately there has not been adequate testing with alternative or complementary medicines and their efficacy in improving polypharmacy. Many studies are being done to test possible interactions between natural medicines, such as herbs, and prescription medications; the implications of combining these two practices to improve healthcare are