Synopsis

Why are so many people now turning to complementary and alternative medicine and why do approaches to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) raise such controversy? This unit explores the following three key areas: ?Why people use complementary and alternative medicine?, ?Critical issues in the therapeutic relationship? and ?Ethics in complementary and alternative medicine?.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Learning outcomes
1.1 Introduction
1.2 What is health?
1.2.2 Reviewing the research: how people understand ‘health’
1.3 Components and origins of health beliefs
1.4 Influences on health and illness behaviour
1.5 Models of health care delivery
1.6 Models of health care delivery: the biomedical model
1.7 Models of health care delivery: the biopsychosocial model
1.8 Models of health care delivery: the salutogenic model
1.9 Models of health care delivery: alternative or holistic models
1.10 Concepts of healing: philosophies underpinning CAM practice
1.11 Researching health beliefs and CAM users' expectations
1.12 Conclusion to Extract 1
1.13 Extract 1 References
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Users' experiences of the therapeutic relationship
2.3 Changing notions of the therapeutic relationship and responsibility
2.3.1 Patients and therapeutic responsibility
2.3.2 Responsibility for the causes of ill health
2.3.3 CAM and the ‘tyranny of health’
2.4 Ownership, control and ideas about the body
2.4.1 Reductionism and ‘ownership’ of the body
2.4.2 Holism and ideas about the body
2.4.3 How CAM therapists impose their views on users
2.5 The therapeutic relationship as a placebo
2.6 The failure of CAM therapeutic relationships
2.7 The failure of CAM therapeutic relationships: breach of boundaries
2.8 The failure of CAM therapeutic relationships: wounded healers
2.9 The failure of CAM therapeutic relationships: creating dependency to satisfy practitioners' emotional and financial needs
2.10 The failure of CAM therapeutic relationships: sexual abuse and exploitation
2.11 The failure of CAM therapeutic relationships: complaints
2.12 The future of the therapeutic relationship
2.12.1 Integration
2.12.2 Litigation
2.12.3 Scientific advances
2.13 Conclusion
2.14 Extract 2 References
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Ethics and health care relationships
3.3 Why ethical behaviour is central to the health care relationship
3.4 Myths about ethics
3.4.1 Practitioners know intuitively what it means to act ethically
3.4.2 CAM practitioners are more ethical than conventional doctors
3.4.3 Respecting autonomy is the foremost ethical principle in health care
3.4.4 Law imposes more stringent requirements than ethics
3.4.5 What can be agreed about ethics?
3.5 The principles underlying ethical practice
3.6 Ethical practice and accountability: the role and function of professional bodies
3.7 Ethical practice and accountability: individual practitioners’ responsibilities
3.8 The centrality of consent
3.9 Acting ethically: tools for analysis
3.10 Difficulties in applying conventional bioethics to the CAM relationship
3.11 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners
3.12 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: competence
3.13 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: research
3.14 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: negotiation of contracts with users
3.15 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: respect for autonomy and consent
3.16 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: consent for children receiving CAM
3.17 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: respect confidentiality
3.18 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: maintain professional boundaries
3.19 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: professional etiquette and whistleblowing
3.20 Key ethical issues for CAM practitioners: an effective complaints mechanism
3.21 Conclusion
3.22 Extract 3 References
Next steps
Acknowledgements

 

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