Are complimentary therapies widely used by patients receiving conventional treatments?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Literature Review:

Are complimentary therapies widely used by patients receiving conventional treatments?

Zollman et al (1999 p 693) defines complimentary therapies as:

"therapeutic and diagnostic disciplines that exist largely outside the institutions where conventional health care is taught and provided, complimentary medicine is an increasing feature of healthcare practice, but considerable confusion remains about what exactly it is".

Moule (2000 p75) explains that there is a wide range of therapies that are used instead of conventional treatment, which can be used very effectively; these are known as alternative therapies.

Some definitions seek to distinguish between 'alternative' and 'complimentary', and suggest that 'alternative' treatments are exclusive and a substitute for conventional medicine, (conventional treatments are those that are widely accepted and practiced by the main stream medical community). However, the terms 'alternative' and 'complementary' are conceptually distinctive and should not be used interchangeably. Lamont (1993 p6) argues that 'complimentary' therapies are used in conjunction with, and not in replacement of traditional medical care. Endacott, (1999 p115) suggests that practitioners of complimentary medicine see the symptoms as the body's response to illness rather than the disease itself. The fundamental philosophy of complimentary therapy is