an approach that replaces conventional medicine is known as
When describing these approaches, people often use “alternative” and “complementary” interchangeably, but the two terms refer to different concepts: 1  If a non-mainstream practice is used together with conventional medicine, it’s considered “complementary.”. If a non-mainstream practice is used in place of conventional medicine, it’s considered “alternative.”. Medicine has existed for thousands of years, during most of which it was an art (an area of skill and knowledge) frequently having connections to the religious and philosophical beliefs of local culture. Integrative Medicine. There are many definitions of “integrative” health care, but all involve bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. The use of integrative approaches to health and wellness has grown within care settings across the United States. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is a branch of the National Institutes of Health that specializes in CAM therapies. Any therapy that is typically excluded by conventional medicine, and that patients use instead of conventional medicine, is known as “alternative medicine.” It’s a catch-all term that includes hundreds of old and new practices ranging from acupuncture to homeopathy to iridology. Today many CAM therapies are practiced in the context of integrative medicine, which is the combination of mainstream medical therapies with CAM therapies that have “high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness.”2 At its core, the field of integrative medicine seeks to incorporate a broader understanding of the nature of illness, ... Modern scientific medicine is highly developed in the Western world, while in developing countries such as parts of Africa or Asia, the population may rely more heavily on traditional medicine with limited evidence and efficacy and no required formal training for practitioners. T/F Because of the issues related to dietary supplements and their lack of pre-market control by the Food and Drug Administartion, most major companies, such as, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer do not produce or market supplements. False. The vision of integrative medicine is not to replace pharmaceutical treatments but rather to examine other paradigms of illness and health, understand their value, and advance the science and practice of modern Western medicine in the 21st century (see “How my practice works”). An alternative medicine practice that is used in conjunction with a conventional one is known as a “complementary” medicine. Example: using ginger syrup to prevent nausea during chemotherapy. Together, complementary and alternative medicines are often referred to by the acronym CAM. Enter integrative medicine.
Alternative medicine