Holistic Medicine and Nursing Practice

Current Research in Alternative Medicine

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People have used complementary and alternative medicine practices for thousands of years in pursuit of health and well-being. However, rigorous, well-designed clinical trials for many complementary and alternative medicine therapies are often lacking; therefore, the safety and effectiveness of many CAM therapies are uncertain. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is sponsoring research designed to fill this knowledge gap by building a scientific evidence base about CAM therapies—whether they are safe, whether they work for the conditions for which people use them and, if so, how they work.

Complementary and alternative medicine therapies and medical systems are widely used and available in the United States. They include diverse products and practices such as dietary supplements and botanicals, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, mind-body medicine, and therapeutic massage.