"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Can nature really have such a profound effect on one's health? Licensed and certified complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners think so! These careerists use natural healing methods such as spinal and joint manipulation, muscle massage, acupuncture, herbs, dietary change, and nutritional supplements to help patients maintain wellness. Chiropractors, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, biofeedback technicians, and neuromuscular massage therapists are just a few of the careerists working in the diverse world of CAM.

CAM professionals and mainstream medicine practitioners differ in their views of health, disease, and the patient's role in both.

CAM practitioners focus on disease prevention. They treat ill patients, and they educate healthy patients on ways to stay well. CAM professionals stress the patient's responsibility for establishing and maintaining wellness.

Conventional medicine practitioners focus on disease elimination. They work to eradicate symptoms in ill patients. Mainstream medical practitioners use drugs and surgery to eliminate germ-caused illness and to correct bio- chemical imbalances.

CAM practitioners treat mind, body and spirit, a concept called holism. Holistic practitioners do not treat symptoms or individual body parts, only. They believe that sickness is the result of an imbalance in the delicate interplay between mind, body and spirit. CAM treatments aim to restore and maintain health by balancing these three elements.

Does the idea of practicing holistic medicine appeal to you? There are many career options underneath the CAM umbrella. Chiropractors restore mobility and range of motion by manually manipulating the spine and joints. Massage therapists perform various kneading techniques on the body to treat conditions ranging from swelling to chronic pain. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners use centuries-old healing therapies, including acupuncture and herbs. Naturopaths use holistic treatments to coax the body into healing itself. You will learn more about other CAM treatments, such as homeopathy, naturopathy, NAET, and nutritional counseling, in this report.

Although the terms complementary medicine and alternative medicine are used interchangeably, there is a distinction between the two terms. Alternative medicine is used in lieu of mainstream treatment, while complementary medicine is used in conjunction with conventional treatment.

In addition, CAM is sometimes referred to as integrative medicine. The term integrative medicine is also used to describe the combined use of conventional and CAM medicine.

No matter which of these terms is used, the intent is the same: to denote medical care and treatment that differs significantly from mainstream medicine. In fact, the debate over terms mirrors the very dynamic professional state of CAM today. Some CAM therapies are hundreds, even thousands, of years old, but acceptance of CAM into the mainstream medical community is relatively new, and its role is still evolving. Are you ready to learn more about the next professional wave in healthcare? If so, read on to discover the role you can play in the dynamic field of CAM!