Convention & CAM Medicine

Question 1

If you are ill and want to start by managing your own medical problems, what would you start to do?

Answer 1

Observe your own body and assess your symptoms

Question 2

When would you see a physician?

Answer 2

When symptoms are severe, unusual, persistent, or recurrent

Question 3

If symptoms start to appear, what does that mean? Also, what are some non-drug options?

Answer 3

Your body is trying to heal itself

Non-drug options: massage, rest, ice packs, etc.

Question 4

What are CAM therapies defined as and what are these therapies used for?

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

What type of medicine is practiced in the United States? What does it deal with?

Answer 5

Standard Western Medicine (aka Conventional Medicine)

Deals with a system of diagnosis, treatment, and the prevention or absence of disease

Question 5

What does CAM primarily focus on?

Answer 5

Integration of mind, body, and spirit to seek ways of restoring the whole person to harmony (holistic health care)

Question 5

What does pathology identify?

Answer 5

Identifies the cause of a disease or an unhealthy lifestyle

Question 5

Examples of mind-body interventions

Answer 5

Hypnosis, biofeedback, and meditation

Question 5

Examples of energy practices

Answer 5

Energy therapies, qigong (Tai Chi), therapeutic
touch, Reiki, and bioelectromagnetics

Question 5

What does Western medicine rely heavily on?

Answer 5

Pharmaceuticals, both prescription and over the counter

Question 6

Point-of-service (POS)

Answer 6

If specialist outside of plan, you pay, unless referred, then 50%

Question 6

What is the most common manipulative and body-based method?

Answer 6

Chiropractic

Question 6

Traditional fee-for-service (indemnity)

Answer 6

Choose your own doctor, more out of pocket - pay deductible, then 20%

Question 6

Preferred provider organization (PPO):

Answer 6

accepts lower fees

Question 6

Health maintenance organization (HMO)

Answer 6

Has set monthly fees

Question 7

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Answer 7

Only for medical/dental expenses, penalty if used for non-medical reasons

Question 8

Government Programs

Answer 8

Medicare – if you’re over 65 years of age

Medicaid – program for low-income families

Question 9

When should you go to the emergency room?

Answer 9

Major trauma, injury, severe burns, uncontrollable bleeding, poisoning or drug overdose, etc.

Question 10

Length of time to keep opened medication bottles, and ingredients

Answer 10

Expiration date (once opened, usually one year from that date)

Select medication with one ingredient

Question 11

What does western medicine use to define diseases?

Answer 11

Pathology

Question 12

What are some medication errors?

Answer 12

Overprescribed because of pressure from patients (mostly older adults), wrong drugs, doctor’s poor handwriting, or dangerous combinations

Question 13

Manipulative and body-based methods are known as?

Answer 13

Manual healing through manipulation or movement

Question 14

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Answer 14

Balances flow of qi - life force in all living things; yin and yang

Question 15

Managed health care plans

Answer 15

HMOs, PPOs, POS

Question 16

Homeopathy

Answer 16

Diluted solutions

Question 17

Indemnity vs managed care

Answer 17

Choose your own doctor vs being limited to doctors in the network