Most of us have a good idea of what conventional medicine looks and feels like. Doctor’s offices, hospitals and medical instruments are not things we associate with the glow of health. For many, these seem the opposite of the comfort and relaxation associated with good health. These people may choose to look elsewhere for their medical needs, to practices known as alternative, integrative and complementary.

Alternative medicine is a catchall phrase that encompasses virtually any medical procedure or practice that originated outside the medical establishment. Most of these medicines have not been tested according to scientific criteria. Most professionals that study medicine though are well aware of the alternate forms of healing being practiced today. What is more, some practitioners of alternative medicine do not recognize that science has any business judging or recognizing their methods. They believe that science, which originally comes from European and American sources, cannot accurately measure the value of practices so foreign to its own.

Examples of alternative medicines run from complete philosophical systems; to natural food, vitamins or herbs; to energy-healing; to massage or chiropractic care; to mind-body connection, especially the mind’s power to affect the body through yoga, meditation and prayer. Modern medicine has shown the value of eating nutritiously, exercising, resting and having a meaningful foundation in life in preventing disease. In so far as alternative medicines provide these necessities, they are backed by solid scientific evidence. For the rest, you must use your judgment.

Complementary medicine refers to practices that combine both scientific and alternative therapies. The new and old practices “complement” one another. The term CAM is often used to stand-in for “complementary and alternative medicines.” Bridget Butler in the book “Alternative Therapies” describes the case of Abraham Cherrix, a 16-year-old diagnosed with cancer who was quite weakened by chemotherapy. When the cancer returned, Cherrix and his family had to go to court to allow him to use herbal medicines from Mexico at the same time as he used his scientifically based ones. It appears the two medical methods complemented each other well. As of 2010, Cherrix’s tumor had shrunk.

‘Integrative medicine” refers to medical practices that originated from nonscientific sources but have been shown through science to be effective, notes Brent Bauer, M.D., in the “Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine.” For example, science has proven that chiropractic care can benefit lower back pain. This aspect of chiropractics is then integrative medicine. But chiropractics have not yet been shown to ease blood pressure, as some of its proponents claim. Eventually, some scientific studies may demonstrate that chiropractic care is good for much more than lower back pain. In which case, those aspects of it would also become known as integrative medicine.

The area of alternative medicine that concerns most medical doctors is the use of food, vitamins and herbs. Many people feel that because these are “natural,” they have no side effects and cannot be toxic. Nothing could be further from the truth. These substances have as much or more potential to be toxic as does conventional medicine. Before taking a substance, look it up at a credible resource that vouches for its safety.

According to Dr. Mark Lee of the Mayo Clinic, we even need to be careful when approaching vitamin supplements. Many of these have promised to increase antioxidants and to help prevent conditions and diseases ranging from depression to Alzheimer’s to arthritis. Few scientific evidence backs up these claims made for supplements.

In the end, consumers must be vigilant. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the supplements industry. Therefore, you need to be suspicious of any claims that seem too good to be true. Dr. Lee also councils against taking mega doses. Consumers should look for vitamins that have been tested and shown to aid in some aspect of health.