Complementary and Alternative Therapies: Medicine’s Response 

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 36 percent of people in the U.S. use some form of “CAM” (complementary and alternative medicine). Some physicians scorn CAM products and practices as prescientific quackery; others integrate CAM treatments for which there is evidence of safety and effectiveness into their care for patients. Contributors to this issue agree that, whatever their views, physicians owe it to their patients to understand CAM and its appeal and be willing to counsel patients about its use. 

Volume 13, Number 6: 331-415 Full Issue PDF
  • From the Editor
    Jun 2011

    Physician Responsibilities in a World of CAM

    Kara J. Gulewicz
    Physicians cannot ignore the importance of CAM to patients, whether or not they agree with its use.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):333-335. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.fred1-1106.
  • Case and Commentary
    Jun 2011

    When Patients Choose CAM over EBM: How to Negotiate Treatment

    Michael J. Fisch, MD, MPH and Richard T. Lee, MD
    Respecting patient autonomy sometimes entails adult patients' making what those in allopathic medicine view as poor decisions, but compassionate patient communication can leave the door open for patients to change their minds.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):336-341. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.ccas1-1106.
  • Case and Commentary
    Jun 2011

    “CAM” Education in Medical Schools: A Critical Opportunity Missed

    Kimball C. Atwood, MD
    Discussing CAM offers an opportunity to study the development of basic medical science that refuted vitalism, homeopathy, humoral theory, miasma theory, the doctrine of signatures, and other prescientific myths that persist today.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):342-353. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.ccas2-1106
  • Case and Commentary
    Jun 2011

    Herbal Supplements as Placebos

    Valerie Jones, MD
    Even if a placebo is safe, it should not be employed as a way of mollifying patients or glossing over underlying causes of illness.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):354-358. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.ccas3-1106.
  • In the Literature
    Jun 2011

    Fairness in the Context of CAM

    Hannah L. Kushnick
    Wayne Vaught argues that physicians have an ethical obligation to treat CAM fairly, which means subjecting it to standards that are as rigorous but not more so than those applied to conventional medicine.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):361-364. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.jdsc1-1106.
  • Health Law
    Jun 2011

    Choosing Alternative Treatments for Children

    Kavitha V. Neerukonda, JD, MHA
    Balancing parents' rights to raise their children and a state's duty to protect children is no easy task. Even though most states have religious exemptions to child abuse or neglect laws, courts have ruled in favor of both parents and states, depending on the circumstances.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):369-373. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.hlaw1-1106.
  • State of the Art and Science
    Jun 2011

    The Lipid-Lowering Properties of Red Yeast Rice

    David J. Becker, MD and Ram Y. Gordon, MD
    Red yeast rice is an over-the-counter supplement, long used in China, that has shown lipid-lowering effects in trials. It has become popular among Americans but, until regulation and standardization improve, its use will remain controversial.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):365-368. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.cprl1-1106.
  • Policy Forum
    Jun 2011

    Licensure of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners

    Michael H. Cohen, JD, MBA, MFA and Harry Nelson, JD
    Unlike the medical doctor’s “unlimited” license, CAM practitioners have “limited” licensure that carves out a designated scope of practice.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):374-378. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.pfor1-1106.
  • Medicine and Society
    Jun 2011

    Integrative Medicine and Cancer Care

    David S. Rosenthal, MD and Anne M. Doherty-Gilman, MPH
    Integrative medicine combines the best of both conventional and evidence-based CAM therapies for treatment, wellness, and prevention. 61 percent of cancer survivors have used CAM.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):379-383. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.msoc1-1106.
  • History of Medicine
    Jun 2011

    Chiropractic’s Fight for Survival

    Steve Agocs, DC
    Despite generations of opposition from organized medicine, chiropractors, unlike most other groups of professionals, maintained an identity distinct from the practice of medicine.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):384-388. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.mhst1-1106.
  • Viewpoint
    Jun 2011

    Resisting the Understandable Appeal of CAM

    Michael Shermer, PhD
    Alternative medicine practitioners may offer a more informative and satisfying relationship to patients, and the anecdotal support for alternative treatments’ rationales may have emotional appeal, but quack medicines cost money and cause harm. What really matters is whether a treatment can stand up to scientific testing.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):389-393. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.oped1-1106.
  • Viewpoint
    Jun 2011

    Medicine’s Great Divide: The View from the Alternative Side

    Deepak Chopra, MD
    The relationship between conventional and alternative medicine is wary at best. What is needed is expanded medicine, which encompasses the best that both kinds of medicine have to offer.
    Virtual Mentor. 2011;13(6):394-398. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2011.13.6.oped2-1106.