Complementary and alternative medicine

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) encompasses health practices used alongside conventional medicine or in its place. Which practices count as CAM depends partly on the medical system and society in question.

Conventional medicine: Medical practice grounded in scientific evidence, clinical training, and regulated health systems. CAM is defined in relation to the dominant medical system, whose boundaries vary by place and time.
Acupuncture: A practice that inserts thin needles at selected points on the body, originating in East Asian medicine. It is a widely studied practice often used alongside conventional care.
Clinical trial: A research study that prospectively tests health interventions in human participants. Controlled trials can test whether a CAM practice improves outcomes beyond comparison conditions.
Traditional medicine: Health knowledge and practices developed within particular cultural traditions and transmitted across generations. Many practices classified as CAM elsewhere are established traditional medicine in their societies of origin.
Complementary medicine: Health practices used alongside conventional medical care. This is the alongside-care meaning of the first term in CAM.
Herbal medicine: The use of plants or plant extracts for health purposes. Herbal products are a major CAM category, with effects and risks that vary by substance.
Systematic review: A structured synthesis of studies addressing a clearly defined research question. Reviews assess the full body of evidence rather than relying on individual positive studies.
Dietary supplement: A product intended to supplement the diet, such as a vitamin, mineral, herb, or other ingredient. Supplements are commonly used as CAM and are regulated differently from medicines in many jurisdictions.
Alternative medicine: Health practices used instead of conventional medical care. This is the replacement-care meaning of the second term in CAM.
Homeopathy: A system of treatment based on like-cures-like and repeated dilution of substances. Its defining principles make it a prominent example of a practice lacking reliable evidence for specific effects.

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