Alternative medicine
Activities
1. Acupuncture and back pain
(estimated time: 30 minutes)Some questions on a passage in the textbook, and some referring to the York Back Pain Trial website are a possible homework assignment examining the methodology of such trials.
Exercise (
, 48 KB)
2. Complementary versus conventional medicine-what do we think?
(estimated time: 20 mins)Different therapies are regarded by the public and the health professions in different ways. This activity allows students to decide where on a 'continuum of convention' each of these therapies these lie. There is no 'right answer' to this exercise, time and fashion have probably as much to do with where they place each therapy as its effectiveness does. However the way the effectiveness of a therapy has been evaluated also counts. A check list reminds students of the methods.
Teacher Notes and Student Sheets (
, 20 KB)
3. Discussion and Debate
(estimated time: 30 minutes)Summary debate allowing students to weigh up in their own minds the value and efficacy of CAM therapies compared with conventional ones.
Teacher Notes (, 9 KB)
4. Evaluating an alternative medicine
(estimated time: 30 minutes)Questions based on clinical trials carried out by researchers to test the effectiveness and the side effects of St.John's wort, as a herbal remedy for depression.
Teacher Notes and Student Sheets (, 38 KB)
5. Home remedies
(estimated time: 30 minutes)All families have their own home remedies, some of which are widely used, others which may be particular to a certain ethnic or religious group or region of the country. A class discussion on what students and their families use at home can provide an interesting opening activity.
Teacher notes (, 9 KB)
6. Testing the placebo effect
The effectiveness of many CAM therapies is often ascribed by sceptics to the 'placebo effect'. In this activity students carry out a short experiment on their peers into the placebo effect.
Teacher Notes and Student Sheets (, 10 KB)
7. The principles behind CAM
Independent work to prepare a short presentation of the principles behind one alternative therapy.
Student Sheet (, 6 KB)
8. Therapy window shopping
Independent work to produce a poster summarising one therapy. These posters can be displayed in the classroom for other students to see and 'window-shop' from.
Student Sheet (, 6 KB)
9. What is health?
(estimated time: 15 minutes)What do we understand by the term 'health'? Is it simply the 'absence of disease', or is it more than that? An understanding of the concept of health encompassing physical and psychological well-being is an essential pre-requisite for this whole topic, as many CAM therapies are holistic in their approach and emphasise psychological health. A short discussion activity.
Teacher Notes (, 6 KB)
10. Argument - Constructing arguments in favour of alternative medicine
(estimated time: 30 - 40 minutes)In this activity students use cards with different pieces of evidence some for and some against alternative medicine to construct an argument where the claim is supported by several grounds. They are then introduced to counter-argument and rebuttal.
Teacher notes and student sheets (, 153 KB)
11. Argument - Analysing an article on alternative medicine
(estimated time: 30 - 40 minutes)In this activity students get a chance to apply their knowledge of the structure of an argument to an article criticising the evidence supporting the use of alternative medicine. This analysis of a published argument should provide useful support in writing their own projects.
Teacher notes and student sheets (, 96 KB)