Complementary and alternative medicine for sleep disturbances in the elderly

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) encompass a very diverse array of treatment modalities and diagnostic techniques. Th ey have in common that they are not presently considered part of conventional/mainstream medicine and emphasize a holistic approach towards health care. A number of terms and definitions exist (Table 38.1) that define CAM mostly by what it is not, for example, not provided in routine health care, not taught to medical students, not scientifically proven. Th e term CAM has established itself as an umbrella term for “alternative medicine” (a term popular in the 1970s and 1980s highlighting that CAM treatment approaches are used instead of conventional treatments) and “complementary medicine” (describing treatments used in addition to conventional medicine). Th e focus of the term has therefore shift ed from mainly meaning “outside the mainstream medical system” to describing a group of therapeutic approaches that are (sometimes wrongly) associated with certain similar characteristics such as “holistic,” “natural,” and “harmless.” Nowadays “integrative medicine” or “integrated medicine” have become buzz words claiming to comprise “the best of both systems” by combining conventional with CAM treatments for which highquality evidence of effectiveness and safety exists – which is basically the same as evidence-based medicine. Herbal and non-herbal dietary supplements, acupuncture, manipulative therapies, homeopathy, and mind–body interventions are among the most popular CAM modalities used by the general population but many more exist. Th e US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has classified CAM and categorized it into several groups, acknowledging that overlaps between groups exist.