Discover the types of alternative medicine, from acupuncture to herbal therapy. Learn their benefits, risks, and when to consult your doctor before trying them. Complementary, alternative, and integrative health definitions, an introduction to whole person health, and information about NCCIH’s mission and role in this area of research. Two wellness and preventive medicine specialists explain why the terms “complementary medicine” and “alternative medicine” are becoming outdated and what’s replaced them. Explore the world of alternative medicine and learn about its growing popularity and diverse therapeutic approaches beyond conventional care. Alternative methods are often marketed as more natural or holistic than methods offered by medical science, that is sometimes derogatorily called Big Pharma by supporters of alternative medicine. Billions of dollars have been spent studying alternative medicine, with few or no positive results and many methods thoroughly disproven. Alternative medicine is a term that describes medical treatments that are used instead of traditional (mainstream) therapies. Some people also refer to it as “integrative,” or “complementary. Alternative medicine refers to any type of medical practice that falls outside the mainstream. Learn more about the different types. Alternative medicine is a broad term for health practices, products, and systems that fall outside conventional Western medicine. You will also see it called CAM (complementary and alternative medicine), a term that has been in use since the 1990s when the National Institutes of Health established what is now the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). The distinction. Alternative medicine includes practices like herbal remedies, acupuncture, meditation, and dietary changes that work alongside or instead of conventional treatments. Integrative health brings conventional and complementary approaches together [1] in a coordinated way. Detailed information on different forms of complementary and alternative therapy, including information on safety and risks.