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Biplab MukherjeeSec- B
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National Center for Complementary and AlternativeMedicine
(NCCAM), the lead agency that funds for
scientific research on CAM in the United States. The
NCCAM categories are:
Whole medical systems
Mind-body medicine
Biologically based practices
Manipulative and body-based practices
Energy medicine
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As alternative therapiesmove from fringe tomainstream the ethics
ofhow we practice must alsobe reviewed and morewidely adopted.
There are conflicting ethical
standards betweenprofessions, as many CAMpractitioners practice
avariety of work.
The widespread use of multi
level marketing foralternative therapies is anadditional ethical
challenge.
Ethics
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The growing use oftrademarked movements,therapies, terms,
and
teachings has an effect onalternative therapies andwho can do
and teach what.
Much of the consumerinformation on CAM isobtained from ads,
popularpress articles, the internet,and other
non-professionalsources. Ethicalconsiderations will usuallynot be
included in andpromoted by those sources.
Some of the ways that CAMis practiced would naturallychallenge
conventionalethical boundaries.
Ethics
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Parents of seriously illchildren sometimes forego
beneficial allopathictreatments in favor of analternative method
that isuseless or injurious. One ofthe physician's ethical
duties
in this case is to find a wayto work with the parents.However,
if the physicianbelieves the child is indanger, she should
counselthe parents to abandon the
therapy, or, if they refuse,attempt to obtain a courtorder to
discontinue thetreatment
What is the
proper
approach when
alternative
medicine is
used for
children?
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A young mother has just
been informed that her 2-year-old son has leukemia.
The mother refuses
permission to begin
chemotherapy and
informs the team thattheir family physician (a
naturopath) will follow
the child's illness.
Whatshould you do?
Case:
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Of utmost importance are the child's best interests,
whichinclude getting good medical care andmaintaining a close
connection with his mother.
One way to achieve both is by requesting a care conference
with both the mother and the family's naturopathic
physician.
If the mother refuses this meeting and you remain convinced
that chemotherapy is the only hope this child has, you are
professionally obligated to seek a court order to appoint a
guardian for the child.
If chemotherapy offers a clear and compelling survival
benefit,the justification for seeking legal intervention
increases
