Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Homeopathy

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), homeopathic dilution principles, and pseudoscience concepts.

CAM

An acronym for complementary and alternative medicine; preventative measures and treatments that have not undergone clinical trials to prove they are safe and effective.

Homeopathy

An alternative medicine practice based on the belief that "like cures like" (for example, using $HCl$ to treat chemical burns and heartburn because it causes them).

Succussion

The systematic process of shaking an active ingredient combined with dilution to create a homeopathic remedy.

Water Memory

The belief held in homeopathy that water retains a memory of a dissolved substance, supposedly allowing extremely diluted remedies to work.

$$30\text{C}$$

A common homeopathic dilution concentration consisting of $1$ part active ingredient to $10^{60}$ ($1$ followed by $60$ zeros) parts water.

Complementary Medicine

Therapies designed to be used in conjunction with evidence-based treatments (e.g., massage therapy, herbal remedies, hypnosis), which may have some proof of working though efficacy is often more limited than traditional use.

Alternative Medicine

Treatments with no scientific evidence that do not work, often based on traditional beliefs or scams supported by pseudoscience.

Pseudoscience

The practice of using scientific words incorrectly to make false claims.

Placebo Effect

The psychological response that causes patients to take and feel benefits from alternative medical treatments even though the treatments themselves do not work.