- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- 6.2.1 General principles of drug therapy in psychiatry
- 6.2.2 Anxiolytics and hypnotics
- 6.2.3 Antidepressants
- 6.2.4 Lithium and related mood stabilizers
- 6.2.5 Antipsychotic and anticholinergic drugs
- 6.2.6 Antiepileptic drugs
- 6.2.7 Drugs for cognitive disorders
- 6.2.8 Drugs used in the treatment of the addictions
- 6.2.9 Complementary medicines
- 6.2.10 Non-pharmacological somatic treatments
- 6.3 Psychological treatments
- 6.4 Treatment by other professions
- 6.5 Indigenous, folk healing practices
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Complementary medicines
- Chapter:
- Complementary medicines
- Author(s):
Ursula Werneke
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0159
Complementary medicines pose a particular challenge to medical practitioners who may feel that their patients need conventional treatment but often find themselves out of their depth when patients ask about complementary therapies. Pharmacological options include herbal medicines, certain foods, and nutritional supplements such as vitamins and minerals. Physical treatments include acupuncture, massage, and osteopathy to name a few. Treatments, which purport to achieve their effects through changes in internal ‘energy flow’ include reiki, reflexology, healing, and therapeutic touch, and also homeopathy and traditional Chinese acupuncture. All these treatments are either used alternatively, i.e. instead of, or complementary, i.e. in addition to, conventional medicine. In patients with mental health problems, depending on the definition and inclusion criteria, estimates of the prevalence of complementary medicine use range from 8 per cent to 57 per cent. Depression and anxiety seem to be the most common indications.
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- 6.2.1 General principles of drug therapy in psychiatry
- 6.2.2 Anxiolytics and hypnotics
- 6.2.3 Antidepressants
- 6.2.4 Lithium and related mood stabilizers
- 6.2.5 Antipsychotic and anticholinergic drugs
- 6.2.6 Antiepileptic drugs
- 6.2.7 Drugs for cognitive disorders
- 6.2.8 Drugs used in the treatment of the addictions
- 6.2.9 Complementary medicines
- 6.2.10 Non-pharmacological somatic treatments
- 6.3 Psychological treatments
- 6.4 Treatment by other professions
- 6.5 Indigenous, folk healing practices
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry