Complementary and Alternative Medicine & Psychiatry (Review of Psychiatry, Vol. 19, No. 1)

Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Psychiatry will start psychiatrists and other mental health professionals on the journey toward a more complete understanding of the most common CAM treatments in use today.

The alternative therapies discussed in this book pre-date our own conventional treatments by hundreds and even thousands of years. These therapies have been "conventional" medicine for hundred of millions of people who have used them throughout the centuries, and people continue to use them today.

One of the few texts that provides an academic and practical review of complementary and alternative medicine, the book is written from the perspective of clinicians who practice in both traditional and alternative medicine. The book covers the major areas in CAM, including herbal medicine and nutrients, acupuncture, meditative therapies, and yoga. It provides the most important and up-to-date scientific data along with controversies that exist in the field. With all of the chapters extensively referenced, the book will serve as a tremendous resource for those interested in exploring these areas in greater depth.

As evidenced by the statistics, patients today are taking increasingly active roles in managing their health care. They are using CAM therapies in the medical setting along with or in place of conventional treatment. They are using them for promoting wellness; for chronic conditions which they feel do not respond well to conventional approaches; and for more serious illnesses, as evidenced by the large number of inquiries being sent to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Psychiatry contains a thorough review of problems that may be encountered by the physicians treating these patients, and it also serves as a guide in advising patients who are seeking out CAM therapies.

This book will appeal to a wide audience of professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nonpsychiatric physicians, and residents by providing a guide for treatment with nutrients and botanical preparations and the foundation for the use of meditation, acupuncture and yoga along with traditional psychiatric treatment.