Complementary, Alternative, and integrative Medicine Paper Essay

Complementary, Alternative, and integrative Medicine Paper - Essay Example An ancient CAM is Ayurveda (science of life) which has been practiced in India since around 5000 years. It is based on the belief that there are broadly 3 body types, Kapha, Pitta and Vata, and an illness manifests itself if there is imbalance in the body. Diagnosis is done through monitoring the pulse and observing the tongue. Treatment involves diet restrictions, hatha yoga, breathing exercises and a prescription of herbal medicines. Allopathic Medicine in contrast lays stress on treating the symptoms like fever, cough etc and to kill pathogens which are believed to be the cause of illness. Here the medicine suppresses the natural response of our body to pathogens. Thus the two streams cannot be compared as they are based on different philosophies, one tries to regain body's natural balance and the other overrides the nature of the body to cure. Whole Medical Systems-These are believed to have developed earlier than conventional medicine and are complete systems in theory and practice e.g. homeopathic, naturopathic, ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. The philosophy and healing techniques are varied and are described briefly above.