Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) covers a broad range of healing modalities, philosophies, and therapies. CAM is generally defined as those treatments and health care practices not taught widely in medical schools, not generally used in hospitals, and not usually reimbursed by medical insurance companies. Many CAM therapies are termed "holistic," which implies that the health care practitioner evaluates the whole person, including mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects.
These treatments and therapies are used in a variety of ways. Therapies are used alone ("alternative therapies"), in combination with other alternative therapies, or in addition to conventional therapies ("complementary therapies").
The different CAM modalities may be divided into mind/body practices: relaxation, yoga, qigong; nutritional therapies: diets, supplements; manual therapies: massage, osteopathy, chiropractic; energy therapies: acupuncture, light or magnet therapy; herbal therapies; and traditional systems: Chinese, Ayurvedic, and homeopathy. Some approaches are consistent with physiological principles of Western allopathic medicine, while others constitute healing systems based on entirely different theories. Although some therapies are far outside the realm of accepted Western medical theory and practice, many others are becoming established in mainstream medicine.
Source: NCCAM
For more information on CAM’s acceptance by the public, see Chairman of the AAOS CAM Committee Dr. John Wickenden’s April 2001 Bulletin article.
http://nccam.nih.gov/
Comments or Questions cam@aaos.org