Defining
Co m p l e ment ar y and Al t er n at ive T r eat m ent s
Dr Carolyn Dean is a medical doctor and naturopath. She has authored and co-authored over 35 books
Defining Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Dr. Carolyn Dean Complementary and alternative medicines, often abbreviated to as CAMs, refers to any medicine or medical treatment that falls outside the mainstream. There is no universal definition, but generally any type of therapy that does not involve medication, surgery, radiation or other forms of traditional Western treatment can be classified as CAMs.
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C o m p l e m e n ta ry V s. A lte rnat i ve
E ffi cacy
Many treatments that fall under the
The success of some CAMs treatments
CAMs umbrella can be either comple-
is evidence-based, but not under con-
mentary or alternative, depending on
trolled circumstances recognized by
whether they are used in conjunction
the
with traditional therapies (comple-
some have proven effective in the treat-
mentary) or instead of traditional treat-
ment of certain health conditions, such
ments (alternative). Common CAMs
as chiropractic and osteopathic treat-
practices include homeopathy, aroma-
ments.
medical
community.
However,
therapy, acupuncture, colonic irrigation and meditation.
The success of some CAMs treatments is evidencebased, but not under controlled circumstances recognized by the medical community.
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Dr Carolyn Dean
You can learn more about one of Dr. Dean’s publications, the Everything Alzheimer’s Book, by visiting her blog.