Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine

Complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine refers to procedures and products that are not typically included in conventional allopathic medicine. Collectively referred to as CAM, complementary and alternative medicine includes time-honored healing modalities such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurvedic medicine, and homeopathy. Herbal remedies and vitamin therapy can be complementary or alternative medicines. Procedures such as craniosacral therapy and reiki are also considered to be alternative or complementary. Chiropractic medicine is sometimes included under the rubric of complementary medicine.

The terms complementary medicine and integrative medicine imply that the intervention is used in conjunction with allopathic medicine to enhance the benefits of both. The term alternative generally means that the intervention is used instead of allopathic medicine, at least for a short while. Some alternative interventions are accepted and used relatively often by the medical community. Alternative medicine is only likely to be embraced by the allopathic community when an intervention or procedure has undergone rigorous scientific review. Hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and some specific herbal remedies have undergone rigorous scientific review. They are therefore more likely to be integrative or complementary than methods that have not undergone scientific scrutiny.

Three factors that have promoted the popularity and use of CAM include the following. First, traditional medical care is wrought with problems including high cost of insurance coverage and poor quality of care delivery in some health care institutions. Doctors have become increasingly indebted to pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Second, complementary medicine and alternative medicine encourage the client to take control of his or her own health. The Internet and other new media allow ready access to information about diseases and ailments. New Age philosophy and the self-help book phenomenon has also promoted complementary and alternative medicine. Well-known medical doctors like Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil have written books publicizing their successful use of integrative medicine. This information enables individuals to learn about treatment methods that their doctors have not yet recommended. Third, allopathic medicine is not fail-proof. Many diseases or conditions do not respond well to conventional medicine, and many conventional medicines create as many problems as they are designed to solve.