Week 1 Individual

CAM Therapeutic Modalities Paper

Resource: NCCAM website located at http://nccam.nih.gov/

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper that describes an overview of CAM and its categories of treatments. The following areas should be addressed:

·         Define the terms alternative medicine, complementary medicine, and integrative medicine and clarify how these terms differ.

·         Describe how conventional medicine plays a role in these three terms.

·         Review the philosophy of CAM and how it relates to or is different from conventional Western medicine.

·         Describe the five domains of therapies according the NCCAM website.

·         Research and describe one CAM treatment modality within one of the five NCCAM domains and provide an example of how such a therapy could be used as an alternative therapy, a complementary therapy, and an integrative therapy for a specific medical condition. Explain how each example meets the definition of alternative, complementary, or integrative therapy and support the rationale for each of your selections.

Note. Include three examples in the completed assignment.

·         Include the results of scientific studies, if available, that show a clinical benefit from the examples selected.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Week 1 Individual

Alternative Medical Systems Chart

Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Alternative Medical Systems Chart

Complete the Alternative Medical Systems Chart.

Describe or define each system, delineate the key principles underlying the system, list several treatment types included in the system, and briefly describe how this system differs from conventional Western medicine.

Week 2 Individual

Complementary Healing Therapies Chart

Complete the University of Phoenix Material: Complementary Healing Therapies Chart.

Describe, in the first column, the philosophy and principles of therapy for each treatment modality.

Identify, in the second column, some of the potential benefits of therapy for each treatment modality.

Week 2 Individual

Dietary Supplement and Herb Chart

Complete the University of Phoenix Material: Dietary Supplement and Herb Chart.

Discuss, in the first column, the various therapeutic uses for the herbal agent.

Write, in the second column, a summary of some available scientific studies that provide evidence for efficacy in any of the therapeutic uses listed in the first column. If there are no good scientific studies, note the absence of good studies.

List, in the last column, any potential side effects or possible adverse reactions that could occur with the use of the herbal agent.

Week 2 Individual

Assessing Reliability and Credibility of CAM Resources Presentation

Create a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation on a methodology you create for assessing credibility and reliability of sources of CAM information. Include detailed speaker notes and reference citations.

Devise three to five objective criteria to judge the credibility and reliability of a source of information on CAM, such as a book, newspaper article, or speaker. Research websites on a CAM therapeutic modality.

Review one of the websites and determine how reliable the site is for CAM information, using your three to five criteria.

·         Describe how a consumer’s attitudes and beliefs about CAM could hinder objective assessments of reliability and credibility in CAM.

·         Demonstrate, in detail, how you reached your conclusion about the website. Consider using a grading scale or grid for this exercise.

·         Discuss what steps the website could take to increase its credibility.

Present the Assessing Reliability and Credibility of CAM Resources Presentation.

·         For Local Campus students, these may be (at the discretion of the faculty) oral presentations accompanied by Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentations.

·         For Online and Directed Study students, these are Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentations with notes.

Week 2 Learning Team

Regulatory Issues in CAM Paper

Write, as a team, a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper examining the current and future role of regulation and oversight in the field of CAM therapies and how it affects the consumer.

Note. Your facilitator will assign each Learning Team a therapeutic modality from each of the five NCCAM domains.

Address the following for each of the treatment modalities:

·         The current regulations and oversights that exist in the United States

·         The organization that provides the oversight

·         Potential deficits of the current regulatory oversight

·         Potential adverse outcomes that could occur with the current system

·         A proposal and rationale for a new or alternative regulatory process

·         An analysis of how the new plan would improve consumer protection

·         Potential obstacles to implementing the new plan