Complementary and alternative medicine: what is its role?

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) remedies vary greatly in safety and effectiveness. Then why is their use increasing at a time when evidence for the effectiveness of "orthodox" treatments is greater than ever before? Dazzled by technology, physicians dismiss "nonspecific" treatment effects as mere "placebo" and ignore the effects of caring. Over half of patients with anxiety or depression consult CAM practitioners in any given year. The popularity of CAM attests to its responsiveness to patients' search for more than procedurally oriented care. It reflects biomedicine's failure to give patients the time they need to tell their story and to explain the nature of problems they face, and its failure to provide sufficient information to allow patients their choice among therapeutic alternatives. Effective CAM practices should be incorporated into care, whether treatments are provided by biomedical or CAM practitioners.