Convention & CAM Medicine Flashcards
If you are ill and want to start by managing your own medical problems, what would you start to do?
Observe your own body and assess your symptoms
When would you see a physician?
When symptoms are severe, unusual, persistent, or recurrent
If symptoms start to appear, what does that mean? Also, what are some non-drug options?
Your body is trying to heal itself
Non-drug options: massage, rest, ice packs, etc.
What are CAM therapies defined as and what are these therapies used for?
Therapies/practices that do not form part of conventional or ‘mainstream’ health care and medical practices taught in the U.S.
They’re used to stop smoking, weight loss, and for joint pain, not medical emergencies.
What type of medicine is practiced in the United States? What does it deal with?
Standard Western Medicine (aka Conventional Medicine)
Deals with a system of diagnosis, treatment, and the prevention or absence of disease
What does CAM primarily focus on?
Integration of mind, body, and spirit to seek ways of restoring the whole person to harmony (holistic health care)
What does pathology identify?
Identifies the cause of a disease or an unhealthy lifestyle
Examples of mind-body interventions
Hypnosis, biofeedback, and meditation
Examples of energy practices
Energy therapies, qigong (Tai Chi), therapeutic
touch, Reiki, and bioelectromagnetics
What does Western medicine rely heavily on?
Pharmaceuticals, both prescription and over the counter
Point-of-service (POS)
If specialist outside of plan, you pay, unless referred, then 50%
What is the most common manipulative and body-based method?
Chiropractic
Traditional fee-for-service (indemnity)
Choose your own doctor, more out of pocket - pay deductible, then 20%
Preferred provider organization (PPO):
accepts lower fees
Health maintenance organization (HMO)
Has set monthly fees
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Only for medical/dental expenses, penalty if used for non-medical reasons
Government Programs
Medicare – if you’re over 65 years of age
Medicaid – program for low-income families
When should you go to the emergency room?
Major trauma, injury, severe burns, uncontrollable bleeding, poisoning or drug overdose, etc.
Length of time to keep opened medication bottles, and ingredients
Expiration date (once opened, usually one year from that date)
Select medication with one ingredient
What does western medicine use to define diseases?
Pathology
What are some medication errors?
Overprescribed because of pressure from patients (mostly older adults), wrong drugs, doctor’s poor handwriting, or dangerous combinations
Manipulative and body-based methods are known as?
Manual healing through manipulation or movement
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Balances flow of qi - life force in all living things; yin and yang
Managed health care plans
HMOs, PPOs, POS
Homeopathy
Diluted solutions
Indemnity vs managed care
Choose your own doctor vs being limited to doctors in the network
