Complementary and Alternative Medicine Overview Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is defined by the National Institutes of Health as the "broad range of healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies that mainstream western (conventional) medicine does not commonly use, accept, study, understand, or make available."

Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine generally refers to practices and treatments used as alternatives to conventional western medicine. An individual, for example, may decide to see a homeopath or naturopath instead of a physician to treat a particular illness or disease.

Complementary Medicine
Complementary medicine refers to practices and treatments used to supplement conventional western medicine. A cancer patient, for example, may choose to practice meditation for pain management as well as take prescription medication as recommended by a physician.

Conventional Medicine
Conventional medicine refers to medicine as practiced by holders of an M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and their allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses.