Part One: References do not count in the word count

Researchers are continually bringing to light new, supporting, or changed information which shape the practices and beliefs within the health world. You are going to use the information from your textbook about the CAM movement to see if and how the information presented by the author of your textbook has changed or not in the past three-years.

Choose a practice and application of that practice from the CAM movement described in your textbook. For example: The practice of yoga as applied to reducing anxiety and stress
Next, find one quality research/scholarly reports from within the last 3-years that either supports or refutes what your textbook says about the CAM practice and application you chose. (You may wish to use the link to the TWU Health Studies Subject Guide)
Citing specific references from your text, the supplementary videos, as well as, the resources from the additional articles and websites I provided in addition to just the textbook, describe why the materials you found/chose to use are quality materials, and come from valid and reliable sources.
Described what you learned about the CAM practice in regards to the application you chose to focus on. Did you find what you expected to find? Why or why not?
Did the information presented in your text about the CAM practice and application you chose prove to be still relevant, reliable, and accurate? Why or why not? Were there changes or updates?
What are the two most important skills health educators need to teach consumers in order for consumers to be more discerning about choosing CAM-related health products and services? Be sure to support your belief and opinion with evidence.
After you have given your answers in this Discussion Board (minimum of 350 words), read at least two classmates’ discussions and offer your thoughts on their ideas (minimum of 150 words)

Part Two: Provide one response listed below.                                                                                                                             

Response One: Toni O.
he textbook defines CAM as practices most of which are unsubstantiated and lack a scientifically plausible rationale (Barrett, London, Kroger, Hall, & Baratz, 2007). The phrase Complementary and alternative medicine encompasses much more than just medicine. In most cases it doesnt include  The textbook breaks out CAM practices into 5 groups; medicine, medical systems, natural substances, body manipulation and energy medicine (Barrett, London, Kroger, Hall, & Baratz, 2007). The textbook classifies chiropractic care as a CAM practice. While not entirely surprised by this classification, I was surprised to learn that chiropractors think the spine controls everything in the body and therefore, if the spine is manipulated in certain ways, it should reduce or eliminate pain in the affected areas.

In a study of 33,000 adults, the National Health Interview Survey found that of the adults studied, 55% of them had 1 or more chronic conditions (Falci, Shi, & Greenlee, 2016). The article states adults were concerned about managing and coordinating their care throughout many medical professionals along with the cost of the medicines and doctor visits when managing chronic conditions. An additional learning from the study showed that these consumers with 2 or more chronic conditions were more likely to choose CAM practice to manage their conditions.  Chiropractic care probably shouldnt be used to lose weight or manage allergies but there does seem to be some directionally positive results regarding the utilization of chiropractic care to reduce lower back pain. In addition to the textbook, I found an article written by an MD that suggests there might be some benefits of chiropractic care for lower back pain. Dr. Robert Shmerling, MD wrote about a study published in JAMA Network Open where 750 active duty military participants who complained of back pain. After 6 weeks, the participants who received the chiropractic care reported less pain, more mobility and needed less pain medicine (Shmerling, 2019). This suggests to me that the info in the text is accurate. The textbook

I believe both articles I referenced are credible sources because the first report is from a credible health source, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the second article was from a medical doctor. Dr. Shmerling didnt conduct the research but it was published in a credit medical news source and Dr. Shmerling presented reasons why additional research is needed to scientifically say without a doubt that chiropractic care is an effective treatment method for lower back pain.

The two most important skills health educators can teach consumers in my opinion are how to be an informed consumer and to maintain a healthy level of skepticism when approaching healthcare; research products, practices, medicines and physicians and find reliable sources for information. Start research with .gov or.edu websites. The textbook has a great list of good websites in Chapter 2 (Barrett, London, Kroger, Hall, & Baratz, 2007). Then use the good old scientific method to question what you find.