What's In A Name?

You must have heard the words “complementary,” “alternative,” and “integrative,” but may not know about, what do they really mean? if this is the case, you are at the right place. These terms often used interchangeably, but their meanings are different. Simply, complementary medicine refers to non-conventional practices "used together" with conventional (allopathic) medicine. Alternative medicine too are non-conventional practices "used instead" of conventional medicine. In real world scenario "Integrative experts" use all three in various combinations to treat the person or patient as one complete entity after a thorough understanding of mind-body and even environment of the subject.

 

Conventional medicine is the most common type of medicine in the entire world. Many types of complementary medicine have been around for hundreds of years. However, it is only over the last few decades that conventional medical practitioners / doctors have started used complementary medicines alongside. Examples of conventional medical therapies are:

1. Pharmaceutical medications

2. Physical rehabilitation

3. Psychotherapy

4. Radiation therapy

5. Surgical treatments

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Complementary medicine refers to treatments that are used besides the conventional medicine, which are not part of standard medical therapies. Examples of common types of complementary medical therapies are:

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1. Aromatherapy

2. Acupuncture

3. Herbal medicine

4. Massage therapy

5. Visualization

6. Yogasanas

 

There are some additional types of complementary therapies:

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1. Biofeedback

2. Chiropractic

3. Homeopathy

4. Hypnotherapy

5. Naturopathy

6. Qi gong

7. Reflexology

8. Reiki

9. Relaxation therapies

10. Tai chi

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Conventional medical therapies (CAM) are widely used to prevent, diagnose, and treat symptoms of illnesses and disease conditions. Doctors may also use complementary treatments to alleviate or control the side effects of conventional pharmaceuticals drugs (medicines) and to improve the sick persons' quality of life. For example, complementary treatments are used to reduce stress, balance emotions, and ease fatigue while undergoing cancer chemotherapy.

 

A 2020 study (1) investigated the use of CAM treatments in patients with fibromyalgia. Two-thirds subjects received CAM treatments using the following common therapies:

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1. Vitamins

2. Meditation

3. Massage therapy

 

Findings of the study showed that the patients, who used CAM treatments alongside pharmacological treatments had a significantly better quality of life than those who used only the conventional therapies. A review (2) published in 2020 conclude that acupuncture is an effective treatment for cancer-related fatigue and may help improve the quality of life of those who have survived their cancers.

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1. Fjær EL, Landet ER, McNamara CL, Eikemo TA. The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Europe. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Apr 6;20(1):108. doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-02903-w. PMID: 32252735; PMCID: PMC7137515.

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2. Jang A, Brown C, Lamoury G, Morgia M, Boyle F, Marr I, Clarke S, Back M, Oh B. The Effects of Acupuncture on Cancer-Related Fatigue: Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Integr Cancer Ther. 2020 Jan-Dec;19:1534735420949679. doi: 10.1177/1534735420949679. PMID: 32996339; PMCID: PMC7533944.

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