Integrative medicine – an approach that combines conventional (academic) medicine with complementary methods based on scientific evidence, such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, meditation, yoga. It places the patient and their holistic needs at the center – physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and treats them as an active participant in the treatment process. Complementary therapies are used in parallel to conventional treatment – under the supervision of a medical team.
Complementary medicine – methods used in conjunction with conventional medicine, most often to improve the patient’s quality of life or alleviate disease symptoms and treatment side effects (e.g. acupuncture, meditation, breathing techniques, massages). They are not always integrated systematically with hospital treatment.
Alternative medicine – refers to methods used instead of conventional treatment. This is a risky approach, especially in chronic diseases and cancer, because the therapies used often have no scientific basis and no research-proven effectiveness, and the patient gives up on therapies with proven effects.
More: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name
