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Complementary medicines 

Complementary medicines
Chapter:
Complementary medicines
Author(s):

Ursula Werneke

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0159
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date: 23 November 2020

Complementary medicines pose a particular challenge to medical practitioners who may feel that their patients need conventional treatment but often find themselves out of their depth when patients ask about complementary therapies. Pharmacological options include herbal medicines, certain foods, and nutritional supplements such as vitamins and minerals. Physical treatments include acupuncture, massage, and osteopathy to name a few. Treatments, which purport to achieve their effects through changes in internal ‘energy flow’ include reiki, reflexology, healing, and therapeutic touch, and also homeopathy and traditional Chinese acupuncture. All these treatments are either used alternatively, i.e. instead of, or complementary, i.e. in addition to, conventional medicine. In patients with mental health problems, depending on the definition and inclusion criteria, estimates of the prevalence of complementary medicine use range from 8 per cent to 57 per cent. Depression and anxiety seem to be the most common indications.

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