What to know about complementary and alternative medicine

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According to NHS, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is treatment that falls outside of mainstream healthcare.

These treatments range from acupuncture and homeopathy, to aromatherapy, meditation and colonic irrigation.

Defining CAM

There’s no universally agreed definition of CAM.

Although “complementary and alternative” is often used as a single category, it can be useful to make a distinction between the terms.

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) uses this distinction:

1. When a non-mainstream practice is used together with conventional medicine, it’s considered “complementary”.

2. When a non-mainstream practice is used instead of conventional medicine, it’s considered “alternative”.

There can be overlap between these categories.

For example, aromatherapy may sometimes be used as a complementary treatment and in other circumstances is used as an alternative treatment.

A number of complementary and alternative treatments are typically used with the intention of treating or curing a health condition.

Examples include homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic and herbal medicines.

Deciding to use complementary or alternative treatments

To understand whether a treatment is safe and effective, we need to check the evidence.

You can learn more about the evidence for particular CAM practices by reading about individual types of treatment.

Some CAM treatments are based on principles and an evidence base that are not recognised by the majority of independent scientists.

Others have been proven to work for a limited number of health conditions.

For example, there’s evidence that chiropractic is effective for treating lower back pain.

When a person uses any health treatment, including CAM, and experiences an improvement, this may be due to the placebo effect.

Finding a CAM practitioner

If you think you may have a health condition, first see your doctor. Do not visit a CAM practitioner instead of seeing your doctor.

It’s particularly important to talk to your doctor before trying CAM if you have a pre-existing health condition or are pregnant.

Some CAM treatments may interact with medicines that you’re taking or should not be tried if you’re pregnant.

Questions to ask before starting a treatment

Once you have found a practitioner, it’s a good idea to ask them some questions to help you decide if you want to go ahead with treatment.

You could ask:

1. about the cost of treatment

2. how long the treatment will last

3. whether there are any people who should not use this treatment

4. what side effects the treatment might cause

5. whether there’s anything you should do to prepare for treatment

6. what system the practitioner has for dealing with complaints about their treatment or service

7. for documentary proof of their qualifications

8. for documentary proof that they’re a member of their professional association or voluntary register

9. for documentary proof that they’re insured

10. for written references.

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