What are some examples of complementary and alternative medicine?
To make sense of the many therapies available, it helps to look at how they are classified by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the lead agency that funds for scientific research on CAM in the United States. The NCCAM categories are: • Whole medical systems • Mind-body medicine • Biologically based practices • Manipulative and body-based practices • Energy medicine Keep in mind, however, that the distinctions between therapies aren’t always clear-cut, and some systems use techniques from more than one category. Whole medical systems A system isn’t just a single practice or remedy — such as massage — but many practices that center on a philosophy, such as the power of nature or the presence of energy in your body. Examples of whole medical systems include: • Ancient healing systems. These healing systems arose long before conventional Western medicine and include ayurveda from India and traditional Chinese medicine. • Homeopathy. This approach uses
