What Is Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine?

The ICAM Profession is the utilization of non-mainstream medicine to treat injuries, illness, and disabilities.
Mainstream medicine is the use of pharmaceuticals and/or surgical procedures. Using mainstream healthcare
providers focus on curing he disease or fixing he problem. With ICAM or non-mainstream, the utilization of
different practices are used to treat the patient as a whole.

Integrative medicine is where health care providers offer both types of care, such as the decision to either
see a chiropractor or an orthopedic surgeon.

Complementary medicine is when the use of these other medical treatments is used alongside the
mainstream medical care. An example of this situation is us physical therapy for a shoulder injury after
giving a steroid injection as part of the recovery process.

Alternative medicine is using one of these instead of mainstream medicine. An example of this type of
medicine is when an individual decides to seek massage therapy rather than be seen for a back injury.

Types of Practices

 Acupuncture
 Chinese or Oriental medicine
 Chiropractic
 Diet
 Herbs
 Homeopathy
 Hypnosis
 Magnet
 Massage therapy
 Meditation
 Occupational Therapy
 Physical Therapy
 Tai Chi
 Yoga

Read Ahead Articles

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). (2019, April 2). Complementary, Alternative,
or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name? Retrieved from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/integrative-health

Johns Hopkins. (n.d.). Types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/types-of-complementary-and-alternative-
medicine