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The CAM Psychiatrist at Work | 75

7. The CAM Psychiatrist at Work

Hyla Cass, Dan Stradford

Physicians’ use of complementary and alternative medicine
(CAM) treatments in psychiatry range from none at all to
complete immersion. The general goal of most organized efforts
to utilize CAM treatments is to integrate them with the best of
mainstream medicine. Thus, the typical CAM physician is
actually an integrative doctor, one who sees his or her CAM and
orthodox options as a large toolbox from which to choose the
best implements for the task at hand.

The Making of an Integrative Psychiatrist

The making of an integrative practitioner is a different path for
each who travels it. Some doctors have a personal recovery
experience through CAM and excitedly delve into it to bring
similar benefits to their patients. Some grow up in homes where
CAM treatments are used, so find it natural to bring such tools to
their practice. Some come from cultures where CAM is part of
traditional healing methods. Others see a patient or patients
dramatically improve through CAM and investigate further out
of professional curiosity. Some simply see that they are losing
patients to CAM practitioners and feel that learning more of the
subject would be a good business practice.