Introduction
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCAAM) is a division of the National Institute of Health (NIH). This organization aims to prove the significant role of complementary health interventions in the health care system through scientific investigations (Trabulsy, 2019). NCAAM disciplines are subcategorized into five specific domains on a therapeutic methodology basis (Trabulsy, 2019). This essay will examine five NCAAM categories and their methodologies.
Description of the Five NCCAM Categories
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine categories contain approaches that are considered as Integrative Medicine. According to Trabulsy (2019), these categories are Nonconventional traditional medical systems, Mind-body Therapies, Biologically based therapies, Manipulative and Body-Based Therapies, Energy Medicine/Biofield-therapies. Nonconventional traditional medical systems include such methodologies as TCM, Ayurvedic, naturopathy, anthroposophic, Native/Indigenous (Trabulsy, 2019). These approaches emphasize the use of herbs in the process of treatment and research potential drug-herb interactions.
Mind-body Medicine uses techniques that affect the patient’s conscience with the purpose to meet their psychological needs. This domain includes Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, Tai Chi, psychology, biofeedback, relaxation, art, music, nature (Trabulsy, 2019). Biologically based therapies are concentrated on biologically based substances as dietary supplements, vitamins, minerals, botanicals, and medical mushrooms (Trabulsy, 2019).
Manipulative and Body‐Based therapies include such disciplines as Massage therapy, chiropractic, osteopathic. These approaches are concentrated on the manual, hands-on form of healing. The last category is Energy Medicine/Biofield‐ therapies that conceptualize the human body as an energy field comprised of circuits or channels through which subtle energy moves (Trabulsy, 2019). This domain practices such as Healing Touch, Therapeutic touch, Reiki. The mentioned categories constitute a complex system of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Conclusion
Complementary and Alternative Medicine serves the purpose of increasing the patient’s chances for a successful treatment and is used together with the conventional health-care system. NCAAM allocates five categories of nonconventional methodologies focused on the use of the traditional medical systems, herbs, active biological elements, mindset adjustments, manual healing, and energy channels. NCAAM proves these approaches’ safety and investigates their interactions with conventional Medicine to provide high-quality care to patients.
References
Trabulsy, P. (2019). Complementary and alternative medicine. (G. S. Stein and K. P. Luebbrs, Ed.). John Wiley & Sons.