Clinical Review
State of Care: Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Veterans Health Administration—2011 Survey Results
Fed Pract. 2013 November;30(11):14-19
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Stephen C. Ezeji-Okoye, MD; Tanya M. Kotar, MBA, RHIA; Sandra J. Smeeding, PhD, CNS, FNP; and Janet M. Durfee, RN, MSN, APRN
There is a growing interest and demand for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) across the U.S. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines CAM as “a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine” (conventional medicine also called Western or allopathic medicine).(1) The boundaries between CAM and conventional medicine are not absolute, and specific CAM practices may, over time, become widely accepted.