Some CAM treatments are based on principles and an evidence base that are not recognised by the majority of independent scientists. See our Health A to Z index for a list of all conditions and treatments on the NHS website. You can learn more about the evidence for particular CAM practices by reading about individual types of treatment. To understand whether a treatment is safe and effective, we need to check the evidence. There can be overlap between these categories.įor example, aromatherapy may sometimes be used as a complementary treatment and in other circumstances is used as an alternative treatment.Ī number of complementary and alternative treatments are typically used with the intention of treating or curing a health condition.ĭeciding to use complementary or alternative treatments When a non-mainstream practice is used instead of conventional medicine, it's considered 'alternative'.When a non-mainstream practice is used together with conventional medicine, it's considered 'complementary'.The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) uses this distinction: There's no universally agreed definition of CAM.Īlthough 'complementary and alternative' is often used as a single category, it can be useful to make a distinction between the terms.

These treatments range from acupuncture and homeopathy, to aromatherapy, meditation and colonic irrigation. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is treatment that falls outside of mainstream healthcare.

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