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Complementary and alternative medicine: what is its role?

Leon Eisenberg1

  • 1Departments of Psychiatry and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Harvard Review of Psychiatry
|July 18, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Patient use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is rising, despite advances in conventional treatments. CAM

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Area of Science:

  • Integrative Medicine
  • Patient-Centered Care
  • Healthcare Systems Analysis

Background:

  • Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is increasing, even as evidence for conventional treatments grows.
  • Physicians often overlook "nonspecific" effects like patient care, attributing improvements solely to placebo.
  • Over 50% of patients with anxiety or depression seek CAM practitioners annually.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the reasons behind the increasing popularity of CAM.
  • To analyze the shortcomings of biomedicine in patient care and communication.
  • To advocate for the integration of effective CAM practices into mainstream healthcare.

Main Methods:

  • Qualitative analysis of patient-reported experiences and healthcare system interactions.
  • Literature review on CAM effectiveness and patient satisfaction.
  • Comparative analysis of biomedical and CAM approaches to patient care.

Main Results:

  • CAM's popularity stems from its responsiveness to patients' need for more than procedural care.
  • Biomedicine often fails to provide adequate patient time, narrative validation, and informed choice.
  • Patients seek holistic care that addresses their broader needs beyond specific diagnoses.

Conclusions:

  • The rise in CAM use highlights failures in biomedicine's patient-centered approach.
  • Effective CAM therapies should be integrated into patient care, regardless of provider.
  • Improving communication and patient engagement in biomedicine is crucial.

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