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Last Updated: 11/09/12

CAM Definitions

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)
Any medical system, practice, or product that is not thought of as standard care

Complementary Medicine
A CAM therapy used along with standard medicine

Alternative Medicine
A CAM therapy used in place of standard treatments

Integrative Medicine
An approach that combines treatments from conventional medicine and CAM for which there is some high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness