Definitions and Core Concepts
This term refers to a non-mainstream therapy used together with conventional medicine.
Answer: What is complementary medicine?
Explanation: Complementary medicine describes evidence-based non-mainstream practices used alongside standard medical care—like acupuncture for chemotherapy-related nausea.
Roughly one in three Americans has used this category of therapies.
Answer: What is Complementary & Alternative Medicine?
Explanation: CAM use is steadily rising in the U.S. and globally, with yoga and meditation among the fasting-growing practices.
Clinical Reflection:
How will increasing CAM prevalence change what you routinely ask on intake?
This type of study design provides the strongest evidence for an integrative therapy.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Answer: What are controlled clinical trials?
Explanation: RCTs offer the most rigorous data, though many IM modalities remain difficult to study due to lack of standardization.
Clinical Reflection:
When evidence is limited but risk is low, how do you navigate “evidence-informed” decision-making?
Ancient needling therapy that may help with migraines, enuresis, and chronic pain.
Answer: What is acupuncture?
Explanation: Shown safe in children when performed by trained practitioners and increasingly used in hospitals.
Clinical Reflection:
Would you consider referring a patient for acupuncture as part of multimodal pain care?
When discussing CAM, this interviewing strategy avoids assumptions by asking the patient to explain their beliefs in their own words.
Answer: What is using open-ended questions?
Explanation: Open-ended questions facilitate culturally sensitive, patient-centered dialogue, encouraging disclosure about CAM use, cultural healing traditions, and values.
Clinical Reflection:
How might starting with “Tell me more about…” change the direction and tone of your patient conversations?
This type of therapy replaces conventional care entirely.
Answer: What is alternative medicine?
Explanation: Alternative medicine is used instead of standard therapies—for example, rejecting thyroid medication in favor of homeopathy. This can increase risk and presents ethical dilemmas.
Clinical Reflection:
How would you counsel a patient choosing an ineffective alternative therapy without alienating them?
This is the biggest danger of non-disclosed CAM use.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Answer: What are herb-drug interactions/contraindications?
Explanation: Studies show only 34–50% of patients disclose CAM use, creating safety concerns such as drug interactions.
Clinical Reflection:
How would you ask a patient about their CAM use in a non-judgmental way?
Used when evidence is limited, clinicians weigh safety vs. potential effect using this rubric.
Answer: What is the safety–effectiveness rubric?
Explanation: This shared decision-making tool helps guide patients when robust evidence is lacking.
Clinical Reflection:
How could this rubric support respectful conversations with CAM-enthusiastic patients?
This 8-week program includes meditation, body scan, and gentle movement.
Answer: What is MBSR? (Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction)
Explanation: Proven to reduce stress, pain, and improve mental health, especially in healthcare workers.
Clinical Reflection:
Could mindfulness training help you manage training-related stress?
This core principle of integrative medicine acknowledges that beliefs, identity, and culture influence healing and patient decision-making.
Answer: What is whole-person care?
Explanation: Whole-person care integrates physical, emotional, cultural, and social factors, validating patient lived experiences as part of treatment.
Clinical Reflection:
How can you incorporate a patient’s cultural values when designing a treatment plan?
This model focuses on whole-person, evidence-informed care while emphasizing the patient-practitioner relationship.
Answer: What is integrative medicine?
Explanation: Integrative Medicine (IM) blends conventional and complementary therapies when safe and effective, centering patient values and the therapeutic relationship
Clinical Reflection:
What parts of your future practice could benefit from a more “whole-person" approach?
Children with these types of chronic conditions have CAM use rates over 50%. (Name 1)
Answer: What is/are headaches/IBS/ADHD?
Explanation: CAM use is highest among children with chronic or recurrent symptoms seeking symptom relief and improved well-being.
Clinical Reflection:
How might familiarity with CAM help you connect with families managing chronic pediatric conditions?
Some herbal therapies, including traditional formulations from TCM and Ayurveda, carry this risk due to variability in manufacturing and lack of regulation.
Answer: What is contamination or toxicity?
Explanation: Herbal preparations can contain heavy metals, adulterants, or variable potency, posing health risks—especially in children.
Clinical Reflection:
How will you counsel families using imported herbal products?
This gentle movement practice, rooted in martial arts, improves balance, stress response, and sleep—especially in older adults.
Answer: What is tai chi?
Explanation: Tai chi is supported by evidence for balance, fall prevention, anxiety reduction, and chronic pain—often recommended in integrative geriatrics.
Clinical Reflection:
How might tai chi be a low-risk option for a patient struggling with mobility and stress?
This term describes a clinician’s ongoing effort to recognize personal biases and improve alignment with a patient’s cultural background.
Answer: What is cultural humility?
Explanation: Cultural humility emphasizes lifelong learning and partnership, acknowledging that providers can’t be fully “competent” in every culture.
Clinical Reflection:
What is one bias you could examine that might impact your conversations about CAM?
NCCIH defines most CAM modalities as either mind-body practices or these items, including herbs, vitamins, and probiotics.
Answer: What are natural products?
Explanation: Natural products are the most commonly used CAM category, widely purchased and often not disclosed to clinicians.
Clinical Reflection:
How will you create space for patients to volunteer their supplement use?
The most common source of CAM information, surpassing clinicians, books, and TV.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Answer: What is the internet?
Explanation: Over one-third of consumers rely on online sources, which vary widely in reliability.
Clinical Reflection:
How can you gently redirect patients to reputable evidence-based CAM resources?
This organization’s evidence reports and systematic reviews help clinicians evaluate CAM safety and efficacy when data are unclear.
Answer: What is AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)?
Explanation: AHRQ compiles reviews on CAM modalities, helping guide evidence-informed practice.
Clinical Reflection:
How could you incorporate AHRQ or Cochrane reviews into patient education?
This technique helps patients voluntarily modulate HRV, muscle tension, and temperature.
Answer: What is biofeedback?
Explanation: Used for ADHD, headaches, anxiety, and gut motility disorders.
Clinical Reflection:
When might biofeedback be a valuable adjunct for a patient reluctant to start medication?
A clinician practicing cultural sensitivity recognizes that a patient’s CAM use may be tied to this aspect of their identity—beyond just health beliefs.
Answer: What is cultural or spiritual identity?
Explanation: Many IM and CAM traditions have roots in spirituality or cultural heritage; acknowledging this improves rapport and safety.
Clinical Reflection:
How could exploring the spiritual meaning behind a therapy deepen patient understanding and trust?
This approach seeks underlying causes of disease using genetic, biologic, and environmental analysis.
Answer: What is functional medicine?
Explanation: Functional medicine overlaps with IM but emphasizes root-cause analysis and personalized laboratory-driven care
Clinical Reflection:
How might patients interpret “root cause”–focused language compared to standard medical explanations?
This mind-body practice became the most used complementary health approach among U.S. adults by 2017, with 14.3% participation.
Answer: What is yoga?
Explanation: National Health Interview Survey statistics show yoga’s rapid growth in popularity as a wellness and stress-reduction practice.
Clinical Reflection:
How could increased interest in yoga influence your recommendations for stress, pain, or mental health management?
Providers may need this type of consultation when a patient taking multiple medications wants to add botanicals or supplements.
Answer: What is a pharmacy consultation?
Explanation: Pharmacists help evaluate drug–supplement interactions and safety, especially in polypharmacy.
Clinical Reflection:
When would you partner with a pharmacist to guide a patient’s CAM decisions?
Uses imagery and music to reduce stress and promote healing.
Answer: What is guided imagery?
Explanation: Helps with surgery preparation, insomnia, anxiety, and chronic pain.
Clinical Reflection:
How could guided imagery help a pediatric patient fearful of procedures?
To ensure full understanding when discussing CAM risks and benefits, clinicians should use this communication technique to confirm patient comprehension.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Answer: What is the teach-back method?
Explanation: Teach-back ensures patients correctly understand safety concerns, interactions, and care plans—especially important when CAM therapies are involved.
Clinical Reflection:
How might using teach-back reduce dangerous misunderstandings about supplements or alternative therapies?