What is Alternative/Complementary Medicine?
Complementary and alternative medicine covers a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches and therapies. It generally is 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. Therapies are alternative when they are taken instead of treatments offered by orthodox medicine. Therapies are complementary when taken with conventional medical therapies. Many therapies are termed holistic, which generally means that the health care practitioner considers the whole person, including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. Some approaches are consistent with physiological principles of Western medicine, while others constitute healing systems with a different origin. While some therapies are far outside the realm of accepted Western medical theory and practice, others are becoming established in mainstream medicine. What are Some Types of Alternative/
