Student Perspective on CAM

By Paula C. Belem

For many years now, I have had a very keen interest in all types of CAM modalities. I have a very diverse background and am also a CAM practitioner myself. I try to keep current with the literature and in my quest for knowledge in this ever-expansive field, look for any and all opportunities to learn more about alternative medicine. It was for this reason that I registered this semester to take the WebCT Seminar in Complementary and Alternative Medicine through the School of Health Related Professions at UMDNJ. I am very interested in the new graduate program in Integrative Health & Wellness and will be applying for admission in the spring.

I have always been very interested in the amazing ability

that the body has for self-healing. It was my desire to understand more about this that led me to specialize in molecular and cellular biology. I currently work at UMDNJ-NJ Medical School in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine as a Research Scientist. I am the Laboratory Manager for the Molecular Diagnostics Clinical Research Lab and work on several projects that deal primarily with infectious diseases. I focus on studying the pathological disease process to try to garner a greater understanding of how it can occur and why healing is sometimes impaired and in other cases, greatly enhanced.

My interest in alternative, non-traditional medicine first came years ago while I was vacationing in Europe and made a consultation with a botanical herbalist. Within a few minutes, and using very non-invasive techniques, this "medicine man" was able to assess, evaluate and make an extremely accurate diagnosis. I was amazed and intrigued and wanted to know more. That summer, I tried to research and read everything I could about alternative medicine modalities. Within a few years the NIH funded the Office for Alternative Medicine and it has been since then that I have been trying to follow the ever-evolving field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to continue my study of the human body by studying anatomy and then enrolled in an intense massage therapy course that focused more on a medical and clinical approach. I am a Nationally Board Certified Massage Therapist and specialize in Neuromuscular Therapy and Orthopedic Medical Massage. I would like to somehow bring my two careers together in order to set up research studies to analyze the effects of therapeutic massage on different patient populations.

The interest that I have in this field leads me to continue to investigate and experiment with many of these CAM modalities by trying them out myself and seeing their effect. It is my own investigative inquiry, as my scientific background requires that I seek the evidence-based data. However, my "holistic" side knows that many of these therapies have been in existence and practiced for thousands of years, proof enough of their efficacy, yet lack the scientific validity only because we do not yet have the means by which to demonstrate their validity. I believe that in time it will come.

My desire to want to know more about achieving an optimal state of health and well-being (mind, body and soul) is the reason I want to study more about CAM therapies. I believe in a very pro-active lifestyle and about being informed and making very conscious decisions about what we do, what we choose to eat, how we choose to handle stress, how we exercise, even how we choose to spend our consumer dollar, etc. These very decisions that we make will ultimately affect and impact our well-being, be it mental, physical and/or spiritual. I believe that by incorporating different CAM modalities into our lifestyle, we can greatly enhance our quality of life and state of being. As a healthcare professional, I ultimately want to be able to offer my patients choices about their healthcare together with the best possible combination of traditional and alternative therapies.