Complementary & Alternate Medicine
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard medical care.
Standard medical care is medicine that is practiced by health professionals who hold an M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degree. It is also practiced by other health professionals, such as physical therapists, physician assistants, psychologists, and registered nurses. Standard medicine may also be called biomedicine or allopathic, Western, mainstream, orthodox, or regular medicine. Some standard medical care practitioners are also practitioners of CAM.
- Complementary medicine is treatments that are used along with standard medical treatments but are not considered to be standard treatments. One example is using acupuncture to help lessen some side effects of cancer treatment.
- Alternative medicine is treatments that are used instead of standard medical treatments. One example is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of anticancer drugs that are prescribed by an oncologist.
- Integrative medicine is a total approach to medical care that combines standard medicine with the CAM practices that have been shown to be safe and effective. They treat the patient's mind, body, and spirit.
NCI provides evidence-based PDQ information for many CAM therapies in versions for both the patient and health professional.
Related Conference of Complementary & Alternate Medicine
July 29-30, 2026
20th International Conference on Frontiers in Alternative & Traditional Medicine
Paris, France
September 14-15, 2026
14th International Conference on Traditional & Alternative Medicine
Barcelona, Spain
September 21-22, 2026
12th International Conference & Exhibition on Herbal & Traditional Medicine
Barcelona, Spain
October 01-02, 2026
13th International Conference on Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Complementary & Alternate Medicine Conference Speakers
Recommended Sessions
- Alternative Healthcare Medicine
- Acupressure & Cupping Therapies
- Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
- Addiction Treatment
- Aromatic Plants & Products Research
- Ayurveda Medicine
- Chinese Medicine
- Complementary & Alternate Medicine
- Energy Medicine
- Evidence based medicine
- Herbal Medicine
- Holistic Medicine
- Holistic Nursing
- Holistic Nutrition
- Holistic Psychology
- Homeopathy & Naturopathy
- Integrative Medicine
- Kampo (Japanese Medicine)
- Magnet Therapy
- Massage Therapy
- Medicinal Plants & Research
- Meditatio & Mind-body Therapies
- Mind Body Therapy
- Naturopathy-Natural Medicine
- Nursing education
- Nursing practice
- Nutritional Medicine
- Occupational Therapy
- Osteopathic Treatment
- Phyto Therapy
- Reiki
- Siddha and Unani Medicine
- Traditional Medicine
- Traditional Physical Therapies
- Women Health Nursing
- Yoga & Natural Therapies
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