Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies in Cancer Patients
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies in Cancer Patients
Acquiring the knowledge and understanding of how to get complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment covered by health insurance companies can be extremely convoluted and unclear—in fact, one would be hard-pressed to make a specific statement regarding CAM treatment because coverage varies so significantly depending on state laws, regulations, and differences among specific health insurance plans. Considering the use of CAM therapy requires extensive investigation of your health insurance providers’ plans to determine if any portion of this treatment will be covered; and utilization of other agencies such as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) that provides research based-evidence indicating that the use of CAM therapies are safe and effective.
Complementary and alternative medical therapies have been shown to be effective in treating the side effects of the number one cause of death and one of the hardest diseases to treat today ― cancer. Despite the billions of dollars that are spent on medical research, one out of every ten Americans developed cancer; and in spite of the trillions of dollars that have been spent on cancer research in this country (Goldberg, Reed, 2009-2014), the number of cancer cases have grown immensely. Currently, the numbers of cancer cases are one out of two for men and one out of three for women with traditional methods of treatment being surgical intervention, chemotherapy and radiation.
There are several methods of alternative treatment that have proven to be beneficial in treating the side effects of chemotherapy. For example, the use of acupuncture in relieving pain, stress, and anxiety can also be helpful in aiding breathing in lung cancer patients. Another alternative method of pain relief for headaches and stress as a result of cancer treatment is chiropractic care; diet and exercise, supplements
Acquiring the knowledge and understanding of how to get complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment covered by health insurance companies can be extremely convoluted and unclear—in fact, one would be hard-pressed to make a specific statement regarding CAM treatment because coverage varies so significantly depending on state laws, regulations, and differences among specific health insurance plans. Considering the use of CAM therapy requires extensive investigation of your health insurance providers’ plans to determine if any portion of this treatment will be covered; and utilization of other agencies such as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) that provides research based-evidence indicating that the use of CAM therapies are safe and effective.
Complementary and alternative medical therapies have been shown to be effective in treating the side effects of the number one cause of death and one of the hardest diseases to treat today ― cancer. Despite the billions of dollars that are spent on medical research, one out of every ten Americans developed cancer; and in spite of the trillions of dollars that have been spent on cancer research in this country (Goldberg, Reed, 2009-2014), the number of cancer cases have grown immensely. Currently, the numbers of cancer cases are one out of two for men and one out of three for women with traditional methods of treatment being surgical intervention, chemotherapy and radiation.
There are several methods of alternative treatment that have proven to be beneficial in treating the side effects of chemotherapy. For example, the use of acupuncture in relieving pain, stress, and anxiety can also be helpful in aiding breathing in lung cancer patients. Another alternative method of pain relief for headaches and stress as a result of cancer treatment is chiropractic care; diet and exercise, supplements
References: Chih-Fen Ku & Koo, Malcolm (2011, November 9). Association of distress symptoms and use of Complementary medicine among patients with cancer. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21, 5-6, 736–744, http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03884. Hecht, Ph.D. Barbara, & Hecht, Frederick M.D. (2012, June 14). Non-Traditional Medicine in America. MedicineNet.com. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32836 . National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2013, October 13). Paying for Complementary Health Approaches. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/financial. National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health (2013, August 6). Acupuncture (PDQ). Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/acupuncture/patient.