What is complementary/alternative medicine (CAM)? And, what does it have to do with mental health and therapy? That’s exactly what this blog post will discuss! Not only the differences between Western and Eastern medicine but how CAM uses both approaches and can pair with therapy to make sure clients like yourself have as much support as needed.
What is CAM?
Complementary/alternative medicine is “medicine” that differs from traditional medicine offered like prescription drugs. Prescription drugs are often considered “conventional” medicine. When certain medicine is used with conventional medicine, it is “complementary.” When certain medicine is used as a replacement for conventional medicine, it’s considered an “alternative.” That’s why CAM stands for complementary and alternative medicine.
While Western medicine often looks at the symptoms someone suffers from, Eastern medicine tends to focus on the whole body and uncover the cause behind certain symptoms (both physical and mental). CAM combines Eastern and Western medicines because the core belief is that the body and mind are interconnected.
What are some examples of CAM?
-Natural products
-Deep breathing
-Yoga, tai chi, qi gong
-Chiropractic
-Meditation
-Massage
-Special diet
-Assessing sleep issues
-Exercise
-Assessing stress levels
Nutrition and Mental Health
Although we briefly mentioned diet above, let’s dive into a little bit more of the specifics when it comes to how CAM focuses on nutrition.
When a person isn’t getting the nourishment they need, they often feel mentally unwell (in fact, certain foods can even boost your mood). In addition, because every body is so different, focusing on what a specific body needs when it comes to food can have powerful results! CAM often focuses on addressing diet issues like nutritional deficiencies for that very reason.
CAM not only focuses on getting someone the nourishment they need but can also provide an individual approach when it comes to diet advice. In this way, a client can get their specific nutritional needs met to improve their mental health.
How can therapists use CAM?
CAM is not a standalone solution! This means… CAM techniques can pair with therapy! For example, CAM can help someone treat trauma stored in the body. For someone who has experienced physical trauma, a therapist could prescribe movement therapy like dance or yoga to help someone process and move through the traumatic experience.
With an activity like that, the person can also continue practicing the techniques at home, providing relief outside of a therapy session.
Another example could be with a patient who struggles with anxiety. For that patient, a therapist who is familiar with CAM techniques may help their client reduce their sugar intake, increase their physical activity, AND lead them through CBT – cognitive behavioral therapy or DBT – dialectical behavioral therapy (two different kinds of behavioral therapy). (Check out this recent blog post to read more about CBT or this article to learn more about DBT.)
These combined approaches address the body and mind, allowing for holistic healing to take place.
Why would a therapist use CAM?
Every person is different. The more treatments available to help someone process their feelings, deal with discomfort or improve their mental health, the better. CAM provides therapists with multiple types of treatments to explore.
CAM can also help with depression, self-care, and chronic disease management, making it useful for a variety of physical and mental challenges!
The bottom line is that the more techniques available to support someone’s mental health needs, the better! CAM addresses mental health issues using a combination of treatments like diet and therapy or diet, therapy, and conventional medicine, rather than focusing on one type of treatment. At Solace Solutions, we love this approach! That’s why we are working to get officially certified so we can offer CAM approaches to you!
Curious to learn about how we can holistically help you? Check out our services page!
