Health Science Education

Complementary and Alternative CPU Objectives

Activity 1

1-1. Test your pre-existing knowledge of the course material.
1-2. Gain an overview understanding of complimentary and alternative medicine as a health care field.
1-3. Explore major careers associated with alternative medicine and the responsibilities, education, and licensure requirements for each.
1-4. Research laws for the state in which you live pertinent to naturopaths, acupuncturists, or homeopaths.
1-5. Develop a short paper discussing a chosen career field, using information gained during your research.
1-6. Choose a CAM career that you would like to “shadow” and discuss this opportunity with the instructor.
1-7. Analyze your previous perceptions of CAM, and explain whether or not your initial research affected them.

Activity 2

2-1. Discover the basic principles of massage therapy.
2-2. Review the anatomy of the muscular, nervous, and lymphatic body systems.
2-3. Understand the importance of professionalism in massage therapy.
2-4. Create a client brochure to familiarize new customers with the principles, goals, and scope of practice of massage therapy.
2-5. Explore the importance of sanitation, hygiene, and safety in any health care career, and the specific sanitation practices related to massage therapy.
2-6. Imagine a standard sanitation situation and explain what sanitation steps a massage therapist should take.

Activity 3

3-1. Define body mechanics and understand their importance in massage therapy.
3-2. Explore the basic principles of body mechanics and how to incorporate these practices into the massage.
3-3. Practice the proper use of body mechanics.
3-4. Discuss the importance of proper body mechanics and think of a simple machine that best relates to body mechanics.

Activity 4

4-1. Discover the history of Swedish massage.
4-2. Explore the five primary strokes used in Swedish massage.
4-3. Practice the principle steps used in Swedish massage.
4-4. Consider your own experiences and impressions regarding massage.

Activity 5

5-1. Define acupuncture, acupressure, and reflexology.
5-2. Discover the history and modern relevance of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
5-3. Consider the cultural context of the categories of traditional medicine and CAM.
5-4. Discover the difference between scientific and anecdotal evidence.
5-5. Explore both the traditional and scientific theories behind a specific TCM practice, acupuncture.
5-6. Discover the relationship between acupuncture, acupressure, and reflexology.
5-7. Discuss whether or not you think qi is real and, if so, how you think it is most effectively described in Western terms.

Activity 6

6-1. Define chiropractic.
6-2. Review the skeletal system.
6-3. Discover the current scientific findings concerning chiropractic.
6-4. Discover the dangers associated with chiropractic, including who should not receive chiropractic treatment.
6-5. Explore and practice proper intake procedures for a chiropractic clinic. 6-6. Examine your feelings concerning chiropractic care and explain what, if anything, would cause you go see a chiropractor.

Activity 7

7-1. Review the vertebrae and the spine.
7-2. Explore the various components of a chiropractic exam.
7-3. Discover the procedures and instruments which are used by a chiropractor.
7-4. Imagine a situation in which a chiropractor’s patient refuses needed traditional medical treatment and decide how you think the chiropractor should respond.

Activity 8

8-1. Define recreational therapy.
8-2. Discover where a recreational therapist works.
8-3. Explore how a patient is evaluated to determine if recreational therapy is appropriate.
8-4. Conduct a patient evaluation.
8-5. Reflect on your experience with the FACTR-R test.

Activity 9

9-1. Discover the tools and methods used by recreational therapists.
9-2. Examine several types of animal assisted therapy.
9-3. Take and evaluate a survey of recreational interests.
9-4. Discover how recreational therapy is adapted for individual patients.
9-5. Develop recreational activities for hypothetical patients.
9-6. Based on the role play assignment in this activity, explain which patient population you think you would especially enjoy working with.

Activity 10

10-1. Consider your impression of homeopathy and explain whether you think its claims of effectiveness are baseless or strong.
10-2. Discover how to read homeopathic labels.
10-3. Select the most appropriate homeopathic remedy for several hypothetical patients.
10-4. Consider the histories of homeopathic and heroic medicine and their relationship to each other.

Activity 11

11-1. Create a presentation on a CAM treatment or method that is not covered in this course.
11-2. Discuss your presentation topic.

Activity 12

12-1. Complete the presentation you began in the last activity.
12-2. Present your finished project to the instructor for evaluation.
12-3. Discuss the research you conducted for your presentation.

Activity 13

13-1. You will participate in a career shadowing activity the instructor has arranged. OR
13-2. You will conduct research regarding a recent development in CAM.
13-3. Describe what new or surprising things you have learned in your job shadowing (or in your research, if you did not job shadow).

Activity 14

14-1. You will participate in a career shadowing activity the instructor has arranged. OR
14-2. You will work on a project that presents the information that they gathered during the last activity.
14-3. Review your job shadowing or research and discuss how your opinion of CAM was influenced or changed.

Activity 15

15-1. Select appropriate vocabulary terms based on the definitions provided.
15-2.Test your comprehension of concepts gained during this course.