Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Medicine
As defined by the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health,
integrative medicine “combines mainstream medical therapies
and CAM [complementary and alternative medicine] therapies
for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety
and effectiveness.”6
The NCCAM suggests that Complementary
and Alternative therapies can be loosely grouped into five
categories: