Complementary therapies in the health care system Essay

Complementary therapies in the health care system - Essay Example [3] According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), CAM is defined as "a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine". [4] Complementary medicine suggests treatments in conjunction with Western medicine, for example, aromatherapy can be used to lessen patients discomfort after surgery, and eucalyptus can complement antihistamines for allergic rhinitis. Alternative therapies suggest replacements for western medicine, for example, when a special diet is used for cancer patients instead of chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. [2] Integrative medicine combines conventional Western medical therapies and CAM, for which there is some high-quality substantiated evidence for safety and efficacy. A very popular form of integrative medicine is seen in immune enhancement products, such as vitamins A, B6, C, zinc, Echinacea, and eucalyptus oil. [2] Cassileth (2001) initially observed that only 8% to 10% of patients with biopsy-diagnosed malignancy use alternative treatments. [6] However, the growth in the nutritional supplement industry indicates that there is a significant rise in the use of complementary/integrative nutritional therapies (CINTs) for disease treatment as well as for prevention in general. [7]CINTs are being sought by 30% to 80%of cancer patients during cancer treatment and for prevention. The most frequent users are those with breast cancer (80% to 85%)[8][9],pediatric cancers(46%)[10],prostatic cancer(27% to 43%)[11][12],and head and neck cancer(25%)[13]. A study reported by Kao and Devine (2000) observed that 37% of prostate cancer patients were using complementary nutritional modalities concurrently with radiation treatment. These ongoing studies indicate that complementary medicine use is much more prevalent among cancer patients than has been previously believed. Although patients,

Strategic Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Strategic Management - Assignment Example Rumelt has severely criticized the contemporary concepts of strategy, which is largely followed by strategists, marketers and leaders. According to Rumelt, a good strategy consists of a specific plan for solving a defined problem or challenge. It involves multiple stages and tedious development of expertly and thoughtfully implemented policies. This strategy is designed focusing on the obstacles and the appropriate procedure to mitigate them. A major differentiating factor between Rumelt’s good strategy and other contemporary strategy is that his strategy stresses upon intelligent utilization of resources in order to solve specific issues, rather than distributing the resources without proper research.According to Rumelt, bad strategy is not necessarily the reverse of good strategy. In general, bad strategy has emerged from specific leadership dysfunctions and specific misconceptions. Bad strategies are characterized as follows;1. Fluff: It means filling slogans with trends an d popular buzzwords rather than important insights, thereby rendering the slogans empty. Here, aims or objectives of an organization are bluntly put in their strategies, without adding creativity or streamlining the same with business function or target customers. Most of the mediocre and traditional organizations follow the similar unproductive approach.2. Failure in facing challenges: It is impossible to create a strategy if leaders fail to identify as well as isolate the major issue or challenge faced.