Alternative therapies refer to any medical treatments that are not traditional medicine techniques. Alternative therapies could either be used alongside conventional medicine or instead of it. The term is often used interchangeably with "complementary medicine." In medical spaces, the practice is referred to as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) does make a distinction between complementary and alternative medicine. According to them, when it's used alongside traditional medicine, it's complementary, but if it's used in place of conventional medicine, then it's considered alternative. However, most people are likely to use these therapies alongside traditional medicine.
- Nutritional approach: This includes any diets, dietary supplements, probiotics and herbs used in alternative and complementary therapies.
- Physiological approach: This includes alternative therapy practices like meditation and hypnosis.
- Physical approaches: This includes practices like acupuncture and massages.
- Combination of physiological and physical: These are therapies that affect the mind and body simultaneously. They include yoga, tai-chi, dance therapy, and a host of others.