At first they were 'alternative' then they were 'complementary', and sometimes they are called 'holistic' or 'natural'. What are they? The hundreds of therapies offered outside of conventional medicine, as diverse as acupuncture, hopi ear candling, alexander technique and herbalism. The terminology has changed in recent years, with most practitioners now preferring the term 'complementary' rather than 'alternative', reflecting the view that such therapies are best used alongside conventional medicine rather than instead of it.

These days many of the complementary therapies are gaining recognition among members of the conventional medical world, and indeed some doctors, nurses and other conventional practitioners are practicing complementary therapies alongside their mainstream practice. So defining what exactly counts as complementary is not easy - some of the therapies on this site are very well known, such as chiropractic and acupuncture others are newer or more unusual and probably won't be well known to most conventional practitioners.

The Conventional/Complementary battle

Unfortunately, some practitioners on both sides of the conventional/ complementary divide are distrustful and suspicious of those on the other side. On the whole, conventional practitioners are ill informed about complementary therapies and often doubt they can be of any use. On the other hand, complementary therapists tend to speak ill of conventional medicine and do their best to steer patients away from it. This is not a healthy attitude on either side. Thankfully, this is all changing. As awareness grows among the public and among healthcare professionals, complementary therapies are becoming more well known, better researched, and better understood.

What are they good for?

In fact, complementary therapies and conventional medicine sit well together as they excel in different areas. Conventional medicine has undergone massive advances over time, and is now capable of near miraculous things. It has been responsible for wiping out certain killer diseases, it can give you a new heart, and it saves countless lives. At times we all need it - if you disagree, consider this - if you were run over by a bus would you rather be taken to hospital or to your herbalist?

However, conventional medicine doesn't have much to offer to help us with minor day to day troubles like back ache, colds or flu. Any it isn't much use with a lot of chronic problems such as asthma, eczema or ME. These 2 categories are the forte of complementary medicine, which often has great results, especially with chronic conditions.

The author, Neil Kingham, maintains an A-Z of complementary therapies website at http://www.therapy-info.com