1.
Complementary and
Alternative Treatments
Dr Carolyn Dean
is a medical doctor and naturopath. She has
authored and co-authored over 35 books
D e f i n i n g

2.
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Defining Complementary
and Alternative
Treatments
Complementary and alternative medicines, often abbreviated to as
CAMs, refers to any medicine or medical treatment that falls outside the
mainstream. There is no universal definition, but generally any type of
therapy that does not involve medication, surgery, radiation or other forms
of traditional Western treatment can be classified as CAMs.
Dr. Carolyn Dean

3.
The success of some CAMs treatments is evidence-
based, but not under controlled circumstances
recognized by the medical community.
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Many treatments that fall under the
CAMs umbrella can be either comple-
mentary or alternative, depending on
whether they are used in conjunction
with traditional therapies (comple-
mentary) or instead of traditional treat-
ments (alternative). Common CAMs
practices include homeopathy, aroma-
therapy, acupuncture, colonic irrigation
and meditation.
The success of some CAMs treatments
is evidence-based, but not under con-
trolled circumstances recognized by
the medical community. However,
some have proven effective in the treat-
ment of certain health conditions, such
as chiropractic and osteopathic treat-
ments.
Complementary Vs. Alternative Efficacy

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You can learn more about one of Dr.
Dean’s publications, the Everything
Alzheimer’s Book, by visiting her blog.
Dr Carolyn Dean