In 1998 Congress established the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a division of the National Institutes of Health. Its three primary goals are to evaluate the safety and efficacy of natural products, support the scientific study of those products and evaluate practices that implement them. The growth in the public’s interest in complementary and alternative medicines is evident in the budget of the NCCAM, which in 2000 was $68.7 million compared to just $2 million in 1993.

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are those that fall ouside the dominate system of treating health and diseases. CAM medicine is not recommended as a replacement for conventional medicine. But if you believe in the healing power of nature and the recuperative power of the body, CAM medicine may be for you.

There is a difference between complementary medicine and alternative medicine. Complementary medicine is used with conventional medicine. Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine.

If you are considering CAM therapy, here are some things to remember:

• Research. Learn about the benefits and risks involved in CAM therapy. Just because something is on the Internet does not mean it is true. Look around for different studies that prove the treatment’s effectiveness.
• Get referrals. Verify that the therapy will help you. Use the alternative practitioner’s staff to get reliable information about them and how they work.
• Look into the philosophy behind the alternative techniques. Find out how the therapy came about. Is the therapy based in science? Does the therapy welcome independent evaluation?
• Interview the provider. Ask questions. Develop an alliance with your CAM health care provider.

There are five major types of complementary and alternative medicines:

• Alternative Medical Systems. Alternative medical systems are built upon complete systems of theory and practice. Examples of alternative medical systems include homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine.
• Mind-Body Interventions. These medicines use a variety of techniques designed to enhance the mind’s capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms. Some mind-body techniques are meditation, prayer, mental healing and therapies that use creative outlets such as art, music or dance.
• Biologically Based Therapies. These therapies use substances found in nature, such as herbs, foods and vitamins. Some examples include dietary supplements, herbal products and other so-called natural but as yet scientifically unproven therapies, such as using shark cartilage to treat cancer.
• Manipulative and Body-Based Methods. These methods are based on manipulation and/or movement of one or more parts of the body. Some examples include chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation and massage.
• Energy Therapies. These therapies involve the use of energy fields. There are two types:

–Biofield therapies are intended to affect energy fields that are supposed to surround and penetrate the human body. Some forms of energy therapy manipulate biofields by applying pressure and/or manipulating the body by placing the hands in, or through, these fields. Examples include Reiki, therapeutic touch and qi gong.

–Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies involve the unconventional use of electromagnetic fields, like magnetic fields, pulsed fields or alternating current or direct current fields.

Not all illnesses can be treated by CAM therapies. Always check with your doctor before beginning any kind of CAM therapy. Never stop mainstream therapy for an unproven CAM one. To get more information about the NCCAM, visit the Web site www.nccam.nih.gov.