The term Complementary Therapy, sometimes referred to as Alternative Medicine, covers any natural healing practice “that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine”. Complementary Therapists take a Holistic Health care approach to serving their clients.

Commonly cited examples include Acupuncture, Naturopathy, Chiropractic, Shiatsu massage, traditional Chinese medicine, Herbal Medicine, Unani, Ayurveda, Meditation, Yoga, Hypnosis, Biofeedback, Homeopathy, diet-based therapies and remedies such as Aloe Vera and Herbs, in addition to a range of other practices.

Complementary Therapy generally refers to interventions which, when used in conjunction with mainstream techniques, fall under the umbrella term Complementary and Alternative Medicine or CAM. Some researchers in Complementary Therapy oppose this grouping, preferring to emphasize differences of approach, but nevertheless use the term CAM.

Complementary Therapy or Holistic Health practices are as diverse in their foundations as in their methodologies. Practices may incorporate or base themselves on traditional medicine, folk knowledge, spiritual beliefs, or newly conceived approaches to healing.

A 1998 systematic review of studies assessing its prevalence in 13 countries concluded that about 31% of cancer patients use some form of complementary therapy for holistic health.

Complementary Therapy, Natural Healing or Holistic Health practices vary from country to country. For example in Austria and Germany CAM is mainly in the hands of physicians, while some estimates suggest that at least half of American Complementary Therapy practitioners are physicians.

In Germany, herbs are tightly regulated, with half prescribed by doctors and covered by health insurance based on their Commission E legislation.

Source: extract of Wikipedia – Complementary Medicine

Author: Liz Knox