Conventional is used to describe the use of pharmaceutical drugs and surgery.
Holistic is used for a wide range of
approaches, but, in its most basic sense, it refers to working with the body’s innate intelligence,
promoting balance, strength, and restoration.
Alternative means using methods other than the
conventional approaches of pharmaceuticals and surgery.
By far, my favorite term
is complementary, and I hope we are
approaching a time in history when we can use this term to fully
describe the nature of medicine. Complementary means that the wonderful medley of healing styles, both new and ancient, can be
used to complement each other. There is a time and a place for each and every one. The ability to combine the best options from different healing approaches is what’s known as integrative health care and complementary
medicine.