Archive for November, 2008
Complementary Medicine Part 1
Complementary Medicine
How would you define complementary medicine?
The term complementary medicine (CM) is an umbrella term that refers to a number of treatment systems, e.g., acupuncture, herbal medicine, homoeopathy, & naturopathy, that differ from mainstream medicine in their treatments, philosophy, & in some cases (e.g., homoeopathy or acupuncture), their diagnostic techniques. In spite of their individual differences, they are collectively termed complementary medicine as they are viewed as treatment systems that ‘complement’ biomedical treatment. It is my view, that if the treatment given replaces biomedicine in its entirety, then it would be classified as ‘alternative medicine’. I further like the philosophical principle, as stated by Donald W. Novey (2000, p 5), ‘therapeutic actions should be complementary to & synergistic with the healing process’. (1)