Complementary and alternative medicine consists of practices such as massage, acupuncture, tai chi, and drinking

green tea. Credit: iStock Complementary and natural medicine (WEBCAM) is the term for medical products and
practices that are not part of standard healthcare. is medicine that is practiced by health professionals who hold
an M.D.

( physician of osteopathy) degree. It is likewise practiced by other health experts, such as physiotherapists,
physician assistants, psychologists, and signed up nurses. Requirement medication might also be called
biomedicine or allopathic, Western, mainstream, orthodox, or regular medicine. Some basic healthcare
professionals are likewise professionals of CAM. Complementary medication is treatments that are used along
with standard medical treatments however are ruled out to be standard treatments.

Alternative medication is treatments that are used instead of standard medical treatments. One example is using
an unique diet to treat cancer instead of anticancer drugs that are recommended by an oncologist. Integrative
medication is an overall approach to healthcare that integrates basic medication with the WEB CAM practices that
have actually been revealed to be safe and effective.

NCI provides evidence-based PDQ details for numerous CAM therapies in versions for both the patient and health
professional. Some CAM therapies have undergone careful assessment and have actually been found to be safe
and reliable. However there are others that have been discovered to be inadequate or potentially damaging. Less
is learnt about numerous CAMERA therapies, and research study has been slower for a number of factors: Time
and moneying concerns Issues finding organizations and cancer researchers to work with on the research studies
Regulatory problems WEB CAM therapies need to be assessed with the same long and careful research process
utilized to examine standard treatments.

CAM therapies include a wide array of botanicals and dietary items, such as dietary supplements, organic
supplements, and vitamins. Much of these "natural" items are thought about to be safe since they are present in,
or produced by, nature. Nevertheless, that is not true in all cases. In addition, some may impact how well other
medications operate in your body.

John's wort, which some people utilize for anxiety, might trigger certain anticancer drugs not to work as well as
they should. Natural supplements may be hazardous when taken on their own, with other compounds, or in large
doses. For example, some studies have actually shown that kava kava, an herb that has actually been utilized to
help with tension and anxiety, might trigger liver damage.

For instance, some research studies reveal that high dosages of vitamins, even vitamin C, might impact how
chemotherapy and radiation work. Too much of any vitamin is not safe, even in a healthy individual. Inform your
medical professional if you're taking any dietary supplements, no matter how safe you believe they are.

Even though there might be advertisements or claims that something has been used for several years, they do not
prove that it's safe or effective. Supplements do not have to be approved by the federal government prior to
being sold to the general public. Also, a prescription is not needed to purchase them.

NCI and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) are presently sponsoring or
cosponsoring various scientific trials that evaluate WEB CAM treatments and therapies in people. Some study the
results of complementary approaches utilized in addition to traditional treatments, and some compare alternative
treatments with traditional treatments. Discover all cancer CAMERA medical trials.