alternative medicine
Non-conventional therapeutic practices
Alternative medicine refers to treatments and practices used instead of conventional Western medicine—acupuncture, herbal remedies, homeopathy, chiropractic care, and the like.
The term implies these approaches exist outside mainstream medical science, often lacking rigorous clinical validation.
She turned to alternative medicine after chemotherapy failed.
When used alongside conventional treatment, it's called complementary medicine.
Therapeutic needle insertion
- homeopathyDiluted-substance alternative medicine
- naturopathyAlternative healing using nature
- chiropracticSpine-focused alternative medicine
- aromatherapyTherapeutic use of plant essences
reflexology · reiki · ayurveda · herbalism · osteopathy · hypnotherapy · biofeedback · cupping
Plant-based medicinal preparations
- botanicalsPlant-based ingredients
- supplementsExtra nutritional intake
- tincturesMedicinal solutions in alcohol
- essential oilsConcentrated plant-derived aromatics
Indian traditional medicine system
- shamanismMediation between worlds
- folk remediesTraditional non-medical treatments
Mental-physical relationship
- integrativeCombining into a whole
- qiVital life energy
- chakrasBody's spiritual focal points
- meridiansPole-to-pole geographic lines
vital force · energy healing · prana · life force · balance · wholeness · spirituality · aura
Bogus methodology posing as factual
- placebo effectHealing through expectation
- efficacyAbility to produce results
- evidence-basedSupported by verified data
- clinical trialsControlled health research experiments
quackery · regulation · skepticism · anecdotal · unproven · complementary · CAM · drug interactions
acupuncture
Therapeutic needle insertion
- homeopathyDiluted-substance alternative medicine
- naturopathyAlternative healing using nature
- chiropracticSpine-focused alternative medicine
aromatherapy · reflexology · reiki · ayurveda · herbalism · osteopathy · hypnotherapy · biofeedback · cupping · shiatsu
herbal remedies
Plant-based medicinal preparations
- botanicalsPlant-based ingredients
- supplementsExtra nutritional intake
- tincturesMedicinal solutions in alcohol
essential oils · homeopathic remedies · adaptogens · probiotics
ayurveda
Indian traditional medicine system
- shamanismMediation between worlds
- folk remediesTraditional non-medical treatments
mind-body
Mental-physical relationship
- integrativeCombining into a whole
- qiVital life energy
- chakrasBody's spiritual focal points
meridians · vital force · energy healing · prana · life force · balance · wholeness · spirituality · aura · holism
pseudoscience
Bogus methodology posing as factual
- placebo effectHealing through expectation
- efficacyAbility to produce results
- evidence-basedSupported by verified data
clinical trials · quackery · regulation · skepticism · anecdotal · unproven · complementary · CAM · drug interactions · informed consent
- wellnesshealthy, wellness, fitness, exercise, nutrition
- treatmentstreatment, treatments, medication, therapies, surgery
- folk medicineherbalism, herbal remedies, folk healer, herbalist, healer
- Science Debatesclimate change, global warming, evolution debate, vaccine safety, creationism
- denialismclimate denial, Holocaust denial, vaccine denial, denialism, anti-science
- acupunctureacupoints, needling, acupuncture needles, acupuncture points, electroacupuncture
alternative medicineevidence-based medicine
Clinical care guided by research
biomedicine · clinical medicine · traditional medicine · Big Pharma
alternative medicinesurgery
Invasive medical procedure
chemotherapy · surgical intervention · synthetic drugs · radiation therapy · drug therapy
medicine, alternative, alternate, alternating, alternatively, alternation, alternator, holistic medicine, complementary medicine