Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is becoming a more and more common source of treatment, but the vocabulary and distinctions between therapies can be confusing. The following is a list of some common CAM therapies and a brief description of each.

Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is becoming a more and more common source of treatment, but the vocabulary and distinctions between therapies can be confusing. The following is a list of some common CAM therapies and a brief description of each:

Acupuncture
American practices incorporate medical traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries. The most studied technique involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.

Ayurveda
A system of medicine that originated in India thousands of years ago. As a holistic practice, ayurveda integrates treatment to body, mind and spirit to achieve balance and contentment. It places high value on ridding the body of impurities.

Energy Healing / Reiki
The channeling of life-force (known as ki in the Japanese tradition) through the hands of a practitioner into the patient’s body.

Homeopathy
A medical system based on the “like cures like” theory: any substance that can produce symptoms of illness in a healthy person can cure those symptoms in a sick person. For example, someone suffering from insomnia may be given a homeopathic dose of diluted coffee.

Naturopathy
A medicine proposing that there is a healing power in the body that establishes, maintains, and restores health. Practitioners work to support this power through a range of traditional and alternative treatments.

Pilates
A movement based therapy developed through the rehabilitation techniques of Joseph Pilates that uses a method of physical exercise to strengthen and build control of muscles, especially those used for posture.

Qi Gong
An ancient Chinese discipline combining the use of gentle physical movements, mental focus, and deep breathing. Performed in repetitions directed toward specific body parts, the exercises are performed for 30 minutes at a time.

Tai Chi
A mind-body practice that originated in China as a martial art. Slow, graceful movements are joined with deep breathing and meditation (tai chi is sometimes called “moving meditation”). Movements quicken at higher levels. The practice facilitates the flow of chi, or vital energy, throughout the body.

Yoga
An ancient Indian practice that uses breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation to calm the nervous system and balance the body, mind, and spirit.

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