Page 96 - Cultural Competence in Health Education

EXHIBIT 4.3. Selected Modalities of CAM as Defined for the 2002

National Health Interview Survey.

Ayurveda—This comprehensive system of medicine, developed in India over 5,000 years
ago, places equal emphasis on body, mind, and spirit. The goal is to restore the natural har-
mony of the individual. An ayurvedic doctor identifies an individual’s “constitution” or over-

all health profile by ascertaining the patient’s metabolic body type (Vata, Pitta, or Kapha)

through a series of personal history questions. Then the patient’s “constitution” becomes

the foundation for a specific treatment plan designed to guide the individual back into har-
mony with his or her environment. This plan may include dietary changes, exercise, yoga,
meditation, massage, herbal tonics, and other remedies.
Biofeedback—This method teaches clients, through the use of simple electronic devices,
how to consciously regulate normally unconscious bodily functions (e.g., breathing, heart
rate, blood pressure) to improve overall health. Biofeedback has been used to reduce stress,
eliminate headaches, recondition injured muscles, control asthmatic attacks, and relieve pain.
Chelation therapy—This therapy involves a series of intravenous injections of a binding
(chelating) agent, such as the amino acid EDTA, to remove toxic metals and wastes from
the bloodstream. Following injection, the binding agent travels through the bloodstream
attaching itself to toxic metals and wastes, which are subsequently excreted through the
patient’s urine. Used initially to treat lead poisoning, chelation therapy is used by a growing
number of practitioners to treat and reverse the process of arteriosclerosis (hardening of
the arteries).
Energy healing therapy/Reiki—This method helps the body’s ability to heal itself through

the flow and focusing of healing energy (Reiki means universal healing energy). During
treatment, this healing energy is channeled through the hands of a practitioner into the cli-
ent’s body to restore a normal energy balance and health. Energy healing therapy has been
used to treat a wide variety of ailments and health problems and is often used in conjunc-
tion with other alternative and conventional medical treatments.
Folk medicine—These systems of healing (such as Curanderismo and Native American
healing) have persisted since the beginning of culture and have fl ourished long before
the development of conventional medicine. Folk healers usually participate in a training
regimen of observation and imitation, with healing often considered a gift passed down
through several generations of a family. Folk healers may employ a range of remedies
including prayer, healing touch or laying on of hands, charms, herbal teas or tinctures,
magic rituals, and others. Folk healers are found in all cultures and operate under a
variety of names and labels.
Guided imagery—This method involves a series of relaxation techniques followed by the vis-
ualization of detailed images, usually calm and peaceful in nature. If used for treatment, the

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