Complementary medicine is a term for different treatment methods, but also diagnostic concepts, which are complementary to scientifically based treatment methods (classical medicine/”orthodox medicine”). The methods do not claim to replace conventional medicine, but rather make it their task to support the treatment success of classical therapies.
A definition of the World Health Organization (WHO) reads: The term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) covers a broad spectrum of healing methods that are not part of the tradition of the respective country and are not integrated into the dominant health care system.
The spectrum of complementary medicine procedures is wide. For example, acupuncture, Bach flower therapy, bioresonance therapy, Bobath concept, autohemotherapy, homeopathy, ozone therapy, cupping therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine are among them, to name a few.
There is a great willingness for complementary medical treatments. Complex diseases are usually influenced by several factors (e.g. nutrition, sports, psyche, lifestyle, education, environment), which are not or insufficiently considered in classical medicine. Complementary medicine is holistically oriented and tries to include body, mind and soul in the therapy.
Typical indications (areas of application) for complementary medicine methods are pain conditions, headaches, anxiety and depression, asthma and allergies, insomnia (sleep disorders) and digestive disorders. In tumor diseases (cancer), the effectiveness of chemotherapy can be improved and side effects mitigated.
Conventional physicians require complementary medicine practitioners to provide evidence of studies and meta-analyses* . Users of complementary medicine procedures refer to their own therapeutic experience when asked about efficacy and refer to the effectiveness of their treatment methods with the remark “He who heals is right”.
Also not all classical medical procedures (so-called recognized orthodox medical methods), which the German health insurance companies pay, are proven in studies and meta-analyses!
There are now research projects on complementary medicine at some universities, which are mainly funded by foundation money from the health insurance companies as part of model projects.
For some complementary medicine treatment methods, further training regulations have been issued by the medical associations:
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic therapy
- Homeopathy
- Naturopathy
- Physical therapy and balneology
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychotherapy
- Special pain therapy
Alternative practitioners, naturopathic masseurs, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and osteopaths may also offer or perform complementary medicine methods.
However, it must not be ignored that complementary medicine treatments can cause side effects as well as standard therapies.
* Statistical procedure to combine the results of different but comparable studies. Meta-analyses are most often used as part of a systematic review to quantitatively analyze the identified studies.
