alternative medicine
What is alternative medicine?Alternative medicine practices are used instead of standard medical treatments. Alternative medicine is distinct from complementary medicine which is meant to accompany, not to replace, standard medical practices. Alternative medical practices are generally not recognized by the medical community as standard or conventional medical approaches.Alternative medicine includes dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, massage therapy, magnet therapy, and spiritual healing. What are complementary and alternative medicine therapies?Complementary and alternative medicine therapies fall into five major categories, or domains:
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Biologically based therapies
Biologically based therapies in CAM use substances found in nature, such as herbs, foods, and vitamins. Some examples include dietary supplementary, local products, and the use of other so-called natural but as yet scientifically unproven therapies (for example, using shark cartilage to treat cancer). |