Knowra Alternative medicine Alternative medicine Health practices and treatments used instead of mainstream medical care. Their methods and evidence vary widely, and some can delay or replace effective treatment.
Complementary medicine : Health practices used alongside conventional medical care rather than in its place. It differs from alternative medicine by being added to mainstream treatment instead of replacing it.
Randomized controlled trial : A study that assigns participants by chance to compare an intervention with a control condition. It can test whether an alternative treatment improves outcomes beyond placebo and usual care.
Homeopathy : A system of treatment based on highly diluted substances and the principle that like cures like. Its extreme dilutions provide a prominent case where proposed mechanisms conflict with established chemistry.
Medical harm : Physical or psychological injury caused by healthcare, including treatment, omission, or delay. Harm can result when an ineffective substitute causes adverse effects or postpones effective treatment.
Conventional medicine : Medical care grounded in tested diagnostic methods and treatments adopted by mainstream health systems. It is the care alternative treatments may displace, and the evidence-based comparator.
Placebo effect : A change in symptoms or experience associated with treatment context rather than the treatment's specific active effect. Expectations and care rituals can make a treatment feel effective even without its claimed mechanism.
Traditional Chinese medicine : A medical tradition encompassing practices such as acupuncture, herbal remedies, and concepts of qi and meridians. Its diverse methods show why broad labels cannot substitute for evaluating individual treatments.
Medical misinformation : False or misleading claims about health, disease, or medical treatment, whether shared intentionally or not. Unsupported claims can persuade people to replace effective care with unproven alternatives.
Integrative medicine : An approach combining conventional medicine with selected complementary practices, guided by evidence and patient needs. It incorporates selected non-mainstream practices without treating replacement of standard care as its aim.
Clinical efficacy : The extent to which an intervention produces a beneficial effect under controlled research conditions. Efficacy tests whether an alternative treatment works beyond plausible contextual effects.
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