The term "complementary medicine" refers to non-conventional treatments used in addition to traditional medicine prescribed by a physician, for example, homeopathy, accupuncture, chiropracty, aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, osteopathy, midwifery and herbal medicine.
Practitioners often label complementary medicine as such because they believe that it complements more of the needs of the patient than conventional medicine.
Alternative medicine practices may incorporate spiritual, metaphysical, or religious underpinnings, pre-modern medical traditions or newly invented approaches to healing and may be based on traditional belief systems, folk knowledge or more recent ideas.
Manual Therapy encompasses the treatment of health ailments through 'hands-on', physical intervention. Physical treatments includes massage, soft tissue mobilization, various connective tissue techniques, myofascial release, craniosacral techniques, mobilization of joints, joint manipulation, mobilization of neural tissue, visceral mobilization and strain/counterstrain.