Reading Practice B2

Name: _____________________________________________ READING COMPREHENSION PRACTICE
Read the article and tick ( ) A, B, or C.
DOES COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE WORK?

The main point made by people who dismiss Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as a pointless waste of time and money is that there is no scientific evidence whatsoever that it works. For conventional medicine there is of course an enormous amount of scientific research to back up the effectiveness of medical treatments. This is because of the fundamental difference between conventional medicine and CAM. Conventional medicine regards the body as a complex and sophisticated machine and illness as a breakdown of one or more parts of the machine. Its aim is to get the machine working properly again by removing the problem parts or treating them so that they return to working order. CAM, in the form of such things as homeopathy, acupuncture, and medical herbalism, regards illness as a breakdown of the bodys natural healing systems. It believes that there is a natural, non-physical force in all of us that enables the body to heal itself and its aim is to make that force powerful enough to overcome illness and restore health. This natural, non-physical force, however, cannot be detected using the usual scientific techniques. So it is impossible to prove its existence scientifically, and this has led some people to reject the whole idea of CAM. With conventional medicine, we can test scientifically whether treatments have an effect on the body by looking for changes in the bodys cells, nerves, organs and systems as a result of treatment. With CAM, we cannot prove whether or not the natural force for restoring health exists. However, it is possible to see what effects CAM treatments have had on the cells and structures of the body in order to assess their effectiveness. One example of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of CAM treatments is a study which showed that homeopathic medicine had an effect on the brain activity of sufferers from fibromyalgia, a painful muscle disorder. Research also indicated that acupuncture was effective in the treatment of patients suffering from Crohns disease, a painful disorder of the digestive system. Tests on their digestive systems showed that they had less inflammation after acupuncture treatment. Another study concerned the highly diluted solutions used in homeopathic medicines. Sceptics claim that these cannot possibly have any effect because they are so diluted and little or nothing of the original substance remains. But a study showed that ultra-high dilutions of histamine (a protein involved in allergies) have an influence on cell activity in the body. One of the most common tools of conventional medical research is a test called an RCT. This is a comparative test to discover the effectiveness of, for example, a new drug. Some subjects are given the drug and others are given a dummy pill. The subjects do not know whether they have taken a real pill or a dummy one, known as a placebo. Researchers then look at whether the people who took the real pill showed more improvement than the people who took the dummy pill, or placebo. The same kind of test is also carried out for CAM treatments, and it seems an obvious thing to do in order to get evidence of their effectiveness. However, a number of CAM
practitioners feel that these RCT tests are not appropriate for CAM treatments. This is for two reasons. Firstly, they say, this is because CAM therapies are entirely focused on each individual as a separate case. Treatment isnt dictated by the specific medical problem the patient is suffering from but by the need to restore to full power that individuals natural force for maintaining health. So the result of an RCT test for one person may be wholly different for another, meaning that no general conclusion could be drawn about a particular treatment. Secondly, the practitioners say, a key factor in CAM treatments is the relationship between the patient and the practitioner. Many people, especially those with severe or long-standing medical problems, opt for CAM treatments because they do not want to take drugs for a long time or because they do not have faith in conventional medicine to improve their condition. Some of these people may feel that they get benefits from CAM treatments and from their consultations with CAM practitioners, even if the treatments do not work for their original problem. So CAM treatments may be beneficial in ways that RCT tests would not reveal. Some patients, for example, say that they prefer the holistic approach of CAM and feel that the decisions about treatment give them greater control over their own lives than conventional medicine. They like the feeling that they are taking personal responsibility for their own health.
1 The writer says in the first paragraph that criticism of CAM is ________. A based on ignorance B understandable C increasing 2 The writer says that the difference between CAM and conventional medicine ________. A is a very great one B is not as great as people may think C is greater in some forms of CAM than others 3 The writers point in the second paragraph is that ________. A you cant prove that CAM treatments have had any effect B you cant prove that the main principle of CAM is true C you cant use the same tests for CAM and conventional medicine 4 The writer uses fibromyalgia and Crohns disease as examples of ________. A conditions that dont respond to conventional medicine B conditions that CAM has been shown to improve C how different kinds of CAM treatment can be compared 5 The study of highly diluted solutions ________. A disproved a common criticism of homeopathy B provided different results from previous studies of them C showed that some solutions are more effective than others 6 When describing what RCT tests involve, the writer says that ________. A some people disapprove of their use in conventional medicine B they have proved the effectiveness of some CAM treatments C they appear suitable for testing CAM treatments 7 The first objection to the use of RCT tests for CAM treatments is that ________. A the tests do not work for certain medical problems B tests on a single individual may produce very different results C the tests do not produce a consistent pattern of results 8 The writer says in the last paragraph that the attitude of patients to CAM treatments ________. A depends entirely on whether the treatments are effective or not B is not necessarily connected with whether the treatments are effective or not
C may make them think that a treatment has been effective when it has not 9 The second objection to the use of RCT tests for CAM treatments is that ________. A they cannot measure the effect of CAM treatments on some patients B they do not work for the most common CAM treatments C they may suggest that some ineffective CAM treatments actually work 10 The writers purpose in the article is to ________. A demonstrate why critics of CAM treatments may be right B recommend CAM treatments rather than conventional medicine C discuss whether or not the effectiveness of CAM treatments can be proved Reading total 10

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What is the main criticism of CAM mentioned in the passage?

What are two differences highlighted between CAM and conventional medicine?

Name: _____________________________________________ READING COMPREHENSION PRACTICE

Read the article and tick ( ) A, B, or C.

DOES COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE WORK?

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