Research Guides: Complementary & Alternative Medicine: Evidence-Based Practice & CAM

Evidence-Based CAM

The very premise that CAM can be "evidence-based" is not without controversy. Some argue that evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine is a contradiction in terms¹, and complementary and alternative therapies are inherently incompatible with evidence-based medicine². Others claim that CAM can be considered evidence-based if the supporting research adheres to the same rigorous and standardized methods as conventional medicine³.

Nevertheless patients and consumers continue to use and seek out information about CAM modalities^4-6, while facing an information landscape that plagued by limited empirical research that is often misleading or of low quality^7,8. As such, to best serve patients and clients, it is critically important for practitioners to understand the relationship between CAM and conventional medicine, the methodological issues that CAM research faces, and how to evaluate the potential value and pitfalls of CAM therapies.

The Critical Appraisal Resources found on this guide will offer general information and tools about critically appraising health evidence, but also consider exploring the resources below, which specifically focus on the conundrums, controversies and philosophies surrounding evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine.

Resources: Understanding CAM in the Context of Evidence-Based Medicine

‘Natural’ healing is metaphysically incoherent but valuable
Levinovitz, A. J. (2021, January 19). ‘Natural’ healing is metaphysically incoherent but valuable. Aeon.
This essay explores natural healing through the lens of 'therapeutic hope'
Series: The Convergence of Complementary, Alternative & Conventional Health Care
Starting in 2004, the Program on Integrative Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with support from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), National Institutes of Health, put out a series of monographs devoted to exploring the relationship between CAM and conventional medicine.
Notable titles include:
Evidence-Based Medicine & Complementary & Alternative Therapies
Assessing the Effectiveness of Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Safety Issues in Complementary & Alternative Health Care
Evaluating Information Sources for Complementary and Alternative Therapies
Research methods in complementary and alternative medicine: An integrative review
de Almeida Andrade, F., & Schlechta Portella, C. F. (2018). Research methods in complementary and alternative medicine: An integrative review. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 16(1), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2017.12.001
Methodological issues and complementary therapies: Researching intangibles?
Carter, B. (2003). Methodological issues and complementary therapies: Researching intangibles? Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery, 9(3), 133–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1353-6117(03)00042-8
Complementary and alternative medicine whole systems research: Beyond identification of inadequacies of the RCT
Verhoef, M. J., Lewith, G., Ritenbaugh, C., Boon, H., Fleishman, S., & Leis, A. (2005). Complementary and alternative medicine whole systems research: Beyond identification of inadequacies of the RCT. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 13(3), 206–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2005.05.001
Evidence based practice in traditional & complementary medicine: An agenda for policy, practice, education and research
Leach, M. J., Canaway, R., & Hunter, J. (2018). Evidence based practice in traditional & complementary medicine: An agenda for policy, practice, education and research. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 31, 38–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.01.011

References

Angell, M., & Kassirer, J. P. (1998). Alternative medicine—The risks of untested and unregulated remedies. The New England Journal of Medicine, 339(12), 839–841. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199809173391210
Tonelli, M. R., & Callahan, T. C. (2001). Why alternative medicine cannot be evidence-based. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 76(12), 1213–1220. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-200112000-00011
Yamey, G. (2000). Can complementary medicine be evidence-based? Western Journal of Medicine, 173(1), 4–5.
Clarke, T. C., Barnes, P. M., Black, L. I., Stussman, B. J., & Nahin, R. L. (2018). Use of yoga, meditation, and chiropractors among U.S. adults aged 18 and over (No. 325; NCHS Data Brief). National Center for Health Statistics.
Barnes, L. A. J., Barclay, L., McCaffery, K., & Aslani, P. (2019). Complementary medicine products information-seeking by pregnant and breastfeeding women in Australia. Midwifery, 77, 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2019.06.011
Scarton, L. A., Del Fiol, G., Oakley-Girvan, I., Gibson, B., Logan, R., & Workman, T. E. (2018). Understanding cancer survivors’ information needs and information-seeking behaviors for complementary and alternative medicine from short- to long-term survival: A mixed-methods study. Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA, 106(1), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2018.200
Ng, J. Y., Jomy, J., & Vacca, A. (2022). Evaluation of the quality of online patient information at the intersection of complementary and alternative medicine and hypertension. Clinical Hypertension, 28(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40885-021-00193-z
Ng, J. Y., Zhang, C. J., & Ahmed, S. (2021). Dietary and herbal supplements for fatigue: A quality assessment of online consumer health information. Integrative Medicine Research, 10(4), 100749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imr.2021.100749