What are complementary and alternative medicine? ·
Alongside orthodox medicine there is a whole system of therapies labelled ‘alternative’ or ‘complementary’. These have also been labelled as ‘holistic’, ‘natural’, ‘fringe’ or ‘mind-body’, but today are commonly referred to as complementary and alternative medicine.
Although such treatments are considered ‘alternative’ in the West, it should be noted that these are the sorts of treatments that the majority of the world population use and rely on (World Health Organisation 2002).
Complementary and alternative medicine covers a range of philosophies and a variety of therapeutic practices and treatments. These include:
- acupuncture
- chiropractice and osteopathy
- homeopathy
- naturopathy
- touch therapies such as massage, shiatsu, Reiki and spiritual healing
- movement therapies such as tai chi, chi gong and yoga
- relaxation therapies such as hypnotherapy, guided imagery, and meditation
- herbal remedies
- special diets.
