Centre for Complementary Medicines – An Invitation to Health and Wellness

What is Complementary Medicine?

There is no universally agreed definition of complementary medicine. NICM, the National Institute of Complementary Medicine defines it as;

“… an inclusive term that incorporates Complementary Medicines and Complementary Therapies (Modalities / Systems). The term complementary medicine is considered to be inclusive of historically used names such as alternative medicine, natural medicine and traditional medicine. CM is concerned with both the maintenance of wellness and the treatment of illness.” (https://www.nicm.edu.au)

The systems of complementary medicine are whole medical systems and founded upon complete systems of practice and theory. These concepts often evolved far earlier than conventional medicine. These whole medical systems include naturopathic and homeopathic medicine and use substances found in nature such as herbs, foods and vitamins. All Complementary Medicine systems have the concept of the body’s ability to heal itself in common. Hence all treatments used support this concept, rather than suppressing or numbing.