| Complementary and Alternative Medicine or CAM | | | | which covers many different methods of |
| are diagnostic or therapeutic techniques that | | | | treatment such as acupuncture, homeopathy, |
| are outside the mainstream of Western | | | | Chinese herbal medicine, Ayurvedic and more. |
| medicine. Alternative medicine is used in | | | | |
| place of conventional medicine while | | | | Therapies such as biofeedback, massage, and |
| complementary medicine is used along with | | | | exercise are also considered alternative |
| conventional medicine though some of the | | | | medicine. Alternative medicine includes |
| treatments methods are the same. Although | | | | various systems of healing or treating |
| most people utilize mainstream medicine for | | | | disease such as chiropractic, homeopathy, and |
| diagnosis and basic information, many are now | | | | faith healing. Alternative medicine is a |
| turning to alternatives for what they believe | | | | comprehensive approach to healing that uses |
| to be total body health-enhancing measures. | | | | natural methods to bring physical, mental, |
| | | | emotional, and spiritual harmony. Alternative |
| CAM is very popular with people who are | | | | medicine systems believe body has a network |
| terminally ill and has also been used on | | | | of channels (meridians) that carry a subtle |
| animals. There have also been sufficient | | | | form of life energy. Since it uses a holistic |
| instances of "inexplicable" extension of life | | | | approach and time-tested, natural remedies, |
| and other significant health benefits for | | | | hands-on treatments to help enable the body's |
| people who have pursued these options that | | | | own innate powers to do the healing, |
| the Western health systems are now seriously | | | | alternative medicine requires the patient to |
| starting to further assess these systems. | | | | take a highly active part in healing their |
| Alternative medicine is a fairly broad term | | | | own body including prevention and treatment. |