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Research tells us that over 40 percent of Americans participate in complimentary or alternative medical practice. Determining the result of complimentary treatment is complicated because there are so very many types of complimentary treatment, and each must be researched both individually and in tandem with traditional bioscience to determine it's true treatment value. Everyone wants to believe that there is hope for the treatment of their illness or pain, but is complimentary medicine the solution to today's health problems?

WHAT IS COMPLIMENTARY MEDICINE: What does it really mean?

Complimentary medicine is typically meant to refer to anything that is not within the realm of conventional medical practice that can be used in conjunction with conventional treatment. Naturopathy, homeopathic medicine, yoga, traditional Chinese medicine, hypnosis, chiropractics and massage are typically considered as examples of complimentary modalities. Prayer is actually considered the most popular and common version of complimentary medicine, with more than 45 percent of surveyed Americans admitting to using prayer for healing. Each of these treatment methods can be used alone in alternative medicine or with conventional biomedical treatment to facilitate health and healing in patients.

IS COMPLIMENTARY MEDICINE SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN TO WORK: Has it been lab tested?

When determining whether complimentary medicine is effective, meaning that treatment results in a positive resultant outcome, it must be tested for both efficacy (internal validity) and effectiveness (external validity). Efficacy is demonstrated under optimal lab conditions. Results drawn from controlled and rigorous studies are typically considered to be the most certain and conclusive. However, the strict control and exacting measure needed to produce irrefutable results makes determining it's effectiveness in the real world even more difficult.

DOES COMPLIMENTARY MEDICINE WORK FOR REAL PEOPLE: Can it positively affect our daily lives?

External validity, or effectiveness, is the real world measure of how well a treatment works. The effectiveness of complimentary medical treatments can be affected by both the placebo effect, in which a patient achieves results because they believe they will achieve those results, or simply by the treatment style of the clinician or the location and timing of the treatment. A truly effective complimentary medicine must work both efficiously, in strict trial, and out be available and affective in day-to-day living. A drug or treatment that required dozens of daily applications or causes painful or embarrassing side effects may be clinically effective but fail in the real world because the patient will avoid or misuse the therapy.

Complimentary medicine is a growing field of practice and research will continue into the validity of treatment claims, with ever better methods of study and result interpretation coming through time and continued trial and error. What we know now is that many people throughout the world believe in the power of alternative medicine in conjunction with their conventional medical treatment, and those people are achieving relief and positive outcome that gives hope for the future treatment of disease and disorder through complimentary medicine.

Learn more about this author, Rhonda Allen.
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