Alternative Medicine

CAM refers to complementary, alternative, or integrative medicine. Sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, but they actually mean different things to practitioners. The term complementary "generally refers to using a non-mainstream approach together with conventional medicine (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). The term alternative "refers to using a non-mainstream approach in place of conventional medicine" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Integrative medicine is most similar to complementary medicine, in that it refers to using alternative practices in conjunction with traditional, mainstream approaches. However, because the line between mainstream and non-mainstream approaches is fluid, many practitioners incorporate approaches that were recently considered alternative into their mainstream treatment.

Conventional medicine plays a role in most of the CAM spectrum. First, it is important to realize that few people or practitioners adhere to strictly alternative methods. "Most people use non-mainstream approaches along with conventional treatments....
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