Complementary or Alternative Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Complementary or Alternative Medicine - Essay Example In contemporary context, many states that license for CAM certain practices, press coverage devoted to CAM and positive publicity naturally contribute to increase of CAM awareness among the general population. Those individual who seek to improve health and well-being, including the relief of symptoms associated with chronic illness or the side-effects to conventional treatment refer to CAM as to safe and reliable health alternative. From demographical perspective, millions of immigrants coming from various cultural backgrounds choose CAM treatments because it corresponds to their traditional beliefs, philosophy and expectations. For instance, it explains why Traditional Chinese Medicine became very popular recently. In addition, help-seeking individuals may refer to CAM providers because CAM medicine is generally perceived as more affordable than conventional western medicine, and thus seems to be more a logical and suitable choice for patients not covered by insurance. Furthermore, individuals are more likely to choose CAM health providers because traditional medicine became ineffective for them or failed to meet their expectations. According to Barnes et al (2008), common diseases and conditions for which people use CAM includes back, neck, or joint pain, arthritis, and mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, ADHA/ADD). Overall, 38% of adults had used complementary and alternative medicine in the previous 12 month, most commonly nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products, deep breathing exercises, meditation, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, massage therapy, and yoga (Barnes et al , 2008). It is evident that the main underlying reason why CAM is so popular today among various population groups, is because it provides effective therapeutic solutions for many health conditions and is generally has positive patient outcomes. Empirical evidence suggests that CAM can be very beneficial for the patients as a safe alternative to certain pharmaceutical medication treatments and other traditional medical interventions. For instance, Dunn, Sleep and Collett (2004) found the use of aromatherapy massage with patients in an intensive care unit, resulted in elevated mood and decreased anxiety. A study done by Styles (1987), reported the use of aromatherapy with 20 hospitalized children diagnosed with HIV who were experiencing pain. The outcomes of Styles' study (1987) included decreased chest pain, peripheral neuropathy, and muscles spasm, along with a decrease in requested analgesics. According to Thomas, aromatherapy using odorants "penetrate the bloodstream via the lungs causing physiologic changes," such as lowering blood pressure, which is associated with the reduction of adverse psychosocial symptoms including stress and anxiety (Thomas, 2002, p. 8). In another study, Lin, Chan, Ng and Lam (2007) found that t he use of lavender may be a possible alternative in lieu of psychotropic medications in those diagnosed with dementia who are also experiencing agitation. Furthermore, one of the most popular CAM, acupuncture, has been shown to have positive outcomes in treatment of depression. To illustrate, a double-blind study involving 38 women (ages 18 to 45) demonstrated how acupuncture significantly reduced

The Will of God and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Will of God and Ethics - Essay Example The fundamental question of theology is, â€Å"Does God tell us what to do and therefore it is right, or does God happen to be right and tell us the right thing to do?† Does justice precede theology, or theology precede justice? The distinction is important. If one states that good precedes God, one might be being blasphemic, as God might do something evil; in any respect, obedience to God is a mere logical consequence, not a highest duty. But if one states that God precedes good, the question is, why? As Sayre-McCord puts it, â€Å"Many have thought the right answers to these questions are found in an appeal to God. On their view, moral principles are the expression of God's will — they are His commands to us — and they get their authority from their source. In important ways, though, this merely shifts the puzzles back a step. Whatever problems one might have making sense of eternal transcendent standards re-emerge when trying to make sense of an eternal trans cendent being who might issue commands...[O]ne is also left with the difficulty of explaining why God's commands are authoritative† (2007). ... in light of which He counts as morally perfect), in which case speaking of morality as consisting of God's commands will not explain the origin or nature of these independently existing standards...Alternatively, one might eschew an appeal to God's knowledge or goodness and claim that there is no independent standard for God's will and nature...If we reject the idea that God's commands reflect His knowledge of right and wrong, and reject as well the idea that God is all good, it seems reasonable to wonder why his commands have any special authority† (Sayre-McCord, 2007). Euthyphro exposes some of the obvious logical dilemmas of the theological position admirably. Socrates asks Euthyphro, â€Å"What is the meaning of "attention"? For attention can hardly be used in the same sense when applied to the gods as when applied to other things. For instance, horses are said to require attention...† When Euthyphros offers that piety is other obedience or care of the Gods, it begs the question, why would omnipotent entities care for what a human being has? Either the gods want the obedience of people who can offer them nothing, in which case the gods are either petty or helpless, or they do not, in which case the gods do not care. This difficulty is especially applicable to the modern world: Assuming an omnipotent and good God essentially obviates the idea of obedience or sacrifice, since God can get anything He wants. Further, Socrates exposes the issues of theodicy and hermeneutics, the question of what God or the Gods want. â€Å"And further, Euthyphro, the gods were admitted to have enmities and hatreds and differences?† If the gods had differences, then how could one be pious? Try to represent the general opinions of the god, or only obey directives of all the gods? Since