What is the Difference between Complementary and Alternative Medicine?
The terms “complementary medicine” and “alternative medicine” often are used interchangeably, but the two are different. Complementary therapies are used together with traditional Western medicine. For example, you may take opioids to manage your day-to-day pain and use guided imagery to help manage a breakthrough pain episode. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. For example, using a special diet to treat your arthritis instead of using medications recommended by a physician is using alternative medicine. Complementary techniques to manage pain include diet, exercise, biofeedback, massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and self-regulation techniques such as self-hypnosis, relaxation training, yoga, reiki (a natural healing process using the hands to tap a universal life energy) and Jin Shin Jyutsu (a process to balance the body’s energies to bring optimal health and well-being). Practitioners of complementary medicine, such as acupuncturists, chiropractors
