Unconventional medicine is a term that is surprisingly difficult to define. Part of the difficulty is that many different terms are used in this area. In addition to unconventional medicine, other frequently used terms include alternative medicine, complementary medicine, and integrative medicine.

One of the more commonly used terms is unconventional medicine. This is sometimes defined as therapies that are not typically taught in medical schools or generally available in hospitals. However, this definition is awkward because it states what unconventional medicine is not as opposed to what it is. Also, this definition is a “moving target” because it depends on the medical traditions of the country in which it is used, and in some countries, including the United States, many medical schools now offer courses in unconventional medicine.

There are many other definitions of unconventional medicine. One definition that is more precise, but also more complex, is provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this definition, unconventional medicine is subdivided into categories. These categories, with representative examples, include:
• Biologically-based therapies: dietary supplements, diets, bee venom therapy
• Mind-body therapies: guided imagery, hypnosis, meditation
• Alternative medical systems: traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, homeopathy
• Manipulative and body-based therapies: chiropractic, reflexology, massage
• Energy therapies: therapeutic touch, magnets

Other terms refer to the ways in which these unconventional therapies are used. Unconventional therapies that are used instead of conventional medicine are known as alternative medicine, while unconventional therapies that are used in conjunction with conventional medicine are called complementary medicine. A broader term is complementary and alternative medicine, which is often shortened to the acronym CAM. An even broader term, integrative medicine, refers to the combined use of conventional and unconventional medicine.