Complementary and Integrative Health

“Complementary medicine refers to additional healthcare
practices that are not part of a country’s mainstream
medicine. Evidence-based complementary medicine…”.1

Umbrella

What may the Complementary and Integrative Health Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Acupuncture
  • Alternative Medicine Practices/Products/Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Ayurveda/Ayurvedic Medicine
  • Chinese Medicine Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Chiropractic
  • Complementary Health Practices/Products/Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Complementary Medicine (CM)
  • Complementary Medicine Practices/Products/Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Complementary Medicine and Therapies (CAM)
  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  • Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH)
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Energy Medicine
  • Herbal Treatments
  • Homeopathy
  • Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy
  • Integrative Health Care/Medicine
  • Kinesiology
  • Manipulative and Body Based Therapies
  • Massage/Remedial Massage
  • Meditation
  • Mind and Body Approaches/Practices/Therapies/Treatments
  • Mindfulness
  • Natural Approaches/Practices/Products/Remedies/Therapies/Treatments
  • Naturopathy
  • Non Mainstream Health Care
  • Nutrition/Nutritional/Dietary Approaches
  • Osteopathy
  • Prayer
  • Psychotherapy
  • Qi Gong
  • Reflexology
  • Reiki
  • Relaxation
  • Remedial Therapy
  • Spiritual Healing
  • Supplements
  • Tai Chi
  • Therapeutic Touch
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
  • Traditional Medicine
  • Yoga

Complementary

What is considered complementary?

DotS the definition may vary. In Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health? What’s In A Name? Complementary Versus Alternative the (United States) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s (NCCIH) 2021 definition is:

  • “If a non-mainstream approach is used together with conventional medicine, it’s considered “complementary””.2

Complementary Medicine

What is complementary medicine?

DotS the definition may vary. In Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine: Complementary Medicine the World Health Organization’s  definition is:

“Complementary medicine refers to additional healthcare practices that are not part of a country’s mainstream medicine. Evidence-based complementary medicine has the potential to support mainstream medicine and more comprehensively support people’s health and well-being needs”.3

Complementary Approaches

What are complementary approaches?

DotS the definition may vary. In Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Complementary Health Approaches the NCCIH elaborate on:

Complementary and Integrative Health“Complementary approaches can be classified by their primary therapeutic input (how the therapy is taken in or delivered), which may be:

  • Nutritional (e.g., special diets, dietary supplements, herbs, and probiotics)
  • Psychological (e.g., mindfulness)
  • Physical (e.g., massage, spinal manipulation)
  • Combinations such as psychological and physical (e.g., yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, dance or art therapies) or psychological and nutritional (e.g., mindful eating)

Nutritional approaches include what NCCIH previously categorized as natural products, whereas psychological and/or physical approaches include what was referred to as mind and body practices”.4

Alternative

What is alternative?

DotS the definition of alternative medicine may vary. The NCCIH’s 2021 definition is:

  • “If a non-mainstream approach is used in place of conventional medicine, it’s considered “alternative””.5

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

What is complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)?

DotS the definition of CAM may vary. In Natural Therapies the (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (JH) definition is:

“Natural therapies are part of a broad range of complementary and alternative medicines and therapies (CAM). Natural therapies include supplements (vitamins, minerals and fish oils), herbal medicine (tea, tablets and liquids) and nutrition. CAM also includes things like relaxation, mindfulness, meditation, aromatherapy, acupuncture and yoga”.6

Integrative Health

What is integrative health?

DotS the definition of integrative health may vary. In Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Integrative Health the NCCIH’s 2021 definition is:

“Integrative health brings conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. Integrative health also emphasizes multimodal interventions, which are two or more interventions such as conventional medicine, lifestyle changes, physical rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and complementary health approaches in various combinations, with an emphasis on treating the whole person rather than, for example, one organ system. Integrative health aims for well-coordinated care among different providers and institutions by bringing conventional and complementary approaches together to care for the whole person”.7

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

What is the mission of the (United States) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)?

In About NCCIH the NCCIH explain:

“The mission of NCCIH is to determine, through rigorous scientific investigation, the fundamental science, usefulness, and safety of complementary and integrative health approaches and their roles in improving health and health care”.8

Health Care Provider

What are some tips for talking to health care providers about CIH?

In 4 Tips: Start Talking With Your Health Care Providers About Complementary Health Approaches the NCCIH elaborate on:

  1. “List the complementary health practices you use on your patient history form…
  2. At each visit, be sure to tell your providers about what complementary health approaches you are using…
  3. If you are considering a new complementary health practice, ask questions…
  4. Don’t wait for your providers to ask about any complementary health practice you are using. Be proactive. Start the conversation”.9

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Complementary and Integrative Health?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Complementary and Integrative Health?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

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Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine: Complementary Medicine. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/traditional-complementary-and-integrative-medicine#tab=tab_1 Accessed: 23 December 2025
  2. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Complementary Versus Alternative. Last Updated: April 2021. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Accessed: 23 December 2025
  3. Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine: Complementary Medicine. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/traditional-complementary-and-integrative-medicine#tab=tab_1 Accessed: 23 December 2025
  4. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Complementary Versus Alternative. Last Updated: April 2021. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Accessed: 23 December 2025
  5. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Complementary Health Approaches. Last Updated: April 2021. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Accessed: 23 December 2025
  6. Natural Therapies. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/natural-therapies-supplements/natural-therapies Accessed: 23 December 2025
  7. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In A Name? Integrative Health. Last Updated: April 2021. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Accessed: 23 December 2025
  8. About NCCIH. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/about Accessed: 23 December 2025
  9. 4 Tips: Start Talking With Your Health Care Providers About Complementary Health Approaches. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tips/tips-start-talking-with-your-health-care-providers-about-complementary-health-approaches Accessed: 23 December 2025
Topic Last Updated: 23 December 2025 – Topic Last Reviewed: 23 December 2025

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