The explosion of information about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has demanded the attention of health professionals and responsible consumers, in cluding the elderly. Increasingly, medical schools are providing education about CAM. This book brings together for academicians and interested mainstream practitio ners much of the current information on CAM and its role in the health of the elderly. The individual chapters are thoroughly researched and quite readable, even for patients and the lay public concerned with the state of the evidence and art supporting CAM's role in prevention and management of illness and well-being. This book provides edu cators with much necessary information needed to prepare coursework and learning activities. Although definitive data are lacking regarding efficacy and even safety of CAM methodologies, many chapters in this book summarize the existing evidence in a us able way. The topics analyzed range from well-accepted therapies, such as vitamin E for dementia and zinc tablets for the common cold, to far less conventional therapies such as transcendental meditation. The conclusions are often surprising, but well-presented and defended. Even the most highly controversial areas, such as the use of acupuncture to treat low back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee, are thoroughly and fairly re viewed. Finally, the chapters address some of the political issues that challenge CAM. These issues include who should be allowed to practice a CAM discipline whose efficacy is not based on the scientific method, and some of the state-to-state variations in prac tice standards and licensure.

A Epidemiology

1 Patterns and Predictors of CAM Use Among Older Adults
2 Why Do the Elderly Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine?
3 The Use of Alternative Medicine by the Elderly and the Doctor-Patient Relationship
4 Alternative Medicines and the Elderly
5 Ethical Issues Associated with CAM Use Among the Elderly
6 Future Trends in Use - Focus on Transcendental Meditation as a Traditional System of Natural Medicine
B Types of Cam Used
7 Alternative Therapy: Vitamin Use in the Elderly
8 Herbal Therapy and the Elderly
9 The Use of Green Tea by the Elderly
10 Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for the Elderly?
11 Unconventional Western Medicine
12 The Use of Traditional Japanese and Chinese Medicine for the Elderly
13 Acupuncture in the Context of Traditional Chinese Medicine
14 Current Practice of Acupuncture - Use in Common Diseases of the Elderly
15 Tai Chi Use and the Elderly
16 Ayurveda - The Ancient Scientific Medicine with Natural Healing
17 Herbal Folk Medicine
18 Native American Elder Care
19 Looking After Our Elders: Healthcare and Well-being of the Elderly from the Perspective of Gwich'in and Other First Nations of Canada
20 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Latinos
21 Diet and Lifestyle Modification for the Elderly
22 The Benefits of Lifestyle Modification for Older People
C Common Medical Problems of the Elderly and CAM
23 Treatments for Arthritis: Conventional Drugs versus Complementary Alternative Medicines
24 Alternative and Complementary Treatments in Respiratory Diseases in the Elderly
25 The Use of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Older Women
26 The Use of Phytotherapy in the Treatment of Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
27 Alternative and ComplementaryMethods in Cancer Treatment, Palliation, and Prevention
28 Dementing Illness and Complementary and Alternative Medicine
29 Depression in the Elderly
30 Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Neurology
31 Acupuncture Effect on Pain
D Appendix.