Questions & Answers

What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine (C.A.M.)?

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (C.A.M) is an emerging new field of healthcare that seeks to work as an alternative to or in conjunction with conventional medicine to enhance the healing and well-being of our populace. C.A.M. techniques can supplement existing medical protocols using relaxation, visualization, yoga, or other beneficial processes (often called integrative medicine) or as an alternative to traditional medicine as in the case of hypnosis, acupuncture, bioenergetics, diet or other mind/body spirit approaches. The Federal Government has acknowledged this new field of study by establishing the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) as a component of the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Washington, D.C., which seeks to utilize C.A.M. to help optimize the healthcare system of our country, a goal supported by President Obama.

What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine Training at the Institute?

In Statute 456.41, the Florida Legislature declared in the following:

“It is the intent of the Legislature that citizens be able to make informed choices for any type of healthcare they deem to be an effective option for treating human disease, pain, injury, deformity or other physical or mental condition. It is the intent of the Legislature that citizens be able to choose from all healthcare options, including the prevailing or conventional treatment methods as well as other treatments designed be complement or substitute for prevailing or conventional treatment methods”.

FICAM has dedicated itself to the achievement of this intent approaching it from a holistic perspective which acknowledges firstly we are spiritual beings having a human experience. From this perspective we treat the different levels of consciousness (mind, emotions and body) as different aspects of the one substance we call spirit, life, pure existence or pure consciousness. We believe each level of our make up needs different transformational tools to access and transform. Like H2O which can be vapor, water or ice, spirit or life manifests in different levels of itself as mind, emotions and body. Each requires a different tool to work with the different levels. It is the intent of FICAM to integrate, consolidate and expand the field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to help conventional healthcare providers and alternative healthcare practitioners to effectively use this knowledge in a coherent, organized and effective manner which expedites a patients healing and well-being.

What is the Clearminded Educator Training Program?

FICAM believes that psychotropic drugs such as anti-depressants, Ritalin, Adderal, Klonopin or other addictive and toxic medications used for treatment of ADD/ADHD, social anxiety disorder, Bi-polar or OCD symptoms are not a viable approach. These drugs only treat the symptoms of the person and never address their causes. Scientific research has demonstrated how psychotropic medications weaken the nervous system and cause brain damage as well as being addictive and toxic. Most importantly according to research by the renown group the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology (ICSPP) these “illnesses” are nothing but labels for human emotional states and imbalances which have spawned a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical/medical industrial complex. Their findings and the scientific findings of many others have demonstrated there is no scientific evidence that any of these “illnesses” are caused by chemical imbalance. They are all just a hypothesis! The Clearminded Educator Training Program uses C.A.M. techniques to help children and adults wean off their psychotropic medications in conjunction with their prescribing physician, to then address the individual symptoms, identifying them and then eradicating their underlying causes.

Why train at the Florida Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine?

Brian Sheen has been a pioneer in alternative health modalities since his emersion into this field in 1970. He has done intensive training and research with many noted authorities and leading researchers, around the world. His nearly four decades of expertise working with thousands of individuals has provided him a unique perspective of knowledge and experience which he freely shares with all FICAM students. As part of the Florida’s Governors Board of Directors on Community Health Action Response Team, he is working to share his knowledge and training to be healthy, fit and balanced without unnecessary medications.