Complementary therapies
Complementary and alternative medicine refers to a wide range of therapies and practices that are outside mainstream medicine.
- Complementary medicine uses therapies that work alongside conventional medicine.
- Alternative medicine includes treatments not currently considered part of evidence-based Western medicine.
- ‘Integrated’ medicine means that conventional, complementary and alternative therapies are brought together.
Alternative and complementary medicine or therapies aren’t always totally separate. For this reason, the term ‘complementary and alternative medicine’ (or CAM) is now widely used to include both approaches.
We describe the most widely used complementary and alternative medicines and explain what they might help with, the potential risks and how to find a reliable practitioner.
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We look at different types of complementary medicine used for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. They're classified by their effectiveness and safety.
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