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Consumer Health Information

This guide collects consumer health information with a focus on our local Long Island community.

Introduction

Complementary and alternative medicine refers to "health care approaches that are not typically part of conventional medical care or that may have origins outside of usual Western practice." (NCCIH) However, most people who use CAM also use conventional health care practices.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health,

  • If a non-mainstream approach is used together with conventional medicine, it’s considered “complementary.”
  • If a non-mainstream approach is used in place of conventional medicine, it’s considered “alternative.”

However, the terms are often used interchangeably.

Complementary & Alternative Medicine Resources