Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(CAM)
What is complementary medicine?
Complementary medicine is a group of diagnostic and
therapeutic disciplines that are used together with conventional medicine. An example of a complementary therapy is using aromatherapy to help lessen a patient's discomfort following surgery.
Complementary medicine is usually not taught or used in Western medical schools or hospitals. Complementary medicine includes a large number of practices and systems of health care that, for a
variety of cultural, social, economic, or scientific reasons, have not been adopted by mainstream Western medicine.
Complementary medicine is different from alternative medicine. Whereas complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. An example of an alternative therapy is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that has been recommended by a physician.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can include the following:
- acupuncture,
- Alexander technique,
- aromatherapy,
- Ayurveda (Ayurvedic medicine),
- biofeedback,
- chiropractic medicine,
- diet therapy,
- herbalism,
- holistic nursing,
- homeopathy,
- hypnosis,
- massage therapy,
- meditation,
- naturopathy,
- nutritional therapy,
- osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT),
- Qi gong (internal and external Qiging),
- reflexology,
- Reiki,
- spiritual healing,
- Tai Chi,
- traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and
- yoga.
Next: What is alternative medicine? »
- Acupuncture - Acupuncture is the practice of inserting needles into the body to reduce pain or induce anesthesia. More broadly, acupuncture is a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical locations on or in the skin by a variety of techniques.
- Lower Back Pain - Get information on causes of lower back pain (arthritis, pregnancy, herniated disc, sciatica, ovarian cysts). Read about low back pain symptoms, backache treatment and diagnosis.
- Cervical Cancer - Get the facts on cervical cancer causes (HPV or human papillomavirus), symptoms, diagnosis (abnormal Pap smear), prognosis, treatment, research, stages and statistics.
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Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Cervical Cancer »
What is the cervix?
The cervix is part of a woman's reproductive system. It's in the pelvis. The
cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb).
The cervix is a passageway:
- The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina. During a menstrual period,
blood flows from the uterus through the cervix into the vagina. The vagina leads
to the outside of the body.
- The cervix makes mucus. During sex, mucus helps sperm move from the vagina
through the cervix into the uterus.
- During pregnancy, the cervix is tightly closed to help keep the baby inside
the uterus. During childbirth, the cervix opens to allow the baby to pass
through the vagina.
What is cancer?
Cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up tissues.
Tissues make up the organs of the body.
Normal cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them.
When normal cells grow old or get...
Read the Cervical Cancer article »
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