Complementary Therapies & Anatomy & Physiology: What Are Complementary Therapies?

The term 'complementary therapy' is generally used to indicate therapies which differ from medicine, and which may be used to complement, support, or sometimes, to replace it.

The term 'alternative therapy' is used for therapies that offer alternatives to orthodox Western medicine. However, although some therapists might claim that their therapy provides an alternative to orthodox medicine, such claims should always be treated with caution. No therapy should be considered as proven to be safe and effective if service users have not been involved in the design and evaluation of the therapy.