Women's use of complementary medicine. Combining mainstream medicine with alternative practices

Most female patients use some form of complementary medicine some time in their lives. Complementary medicine provides patients with alternative avenues for finding relief from chronic ailments. Patients also enjoy the more personal and holistic approach of complementary practitioners. Increasingly, schools of medicine are incorporating complementary approaches into their training programs, and third-party reimbursement is now available for some forms of complementary therapies. Research into the safety and efficacy of complementary therapies is in its infancy and therefore it is difficult for mainstream physicians to recommend complementary approaches to their patients. Nonetheless, mainstream physicians who incorporate some of the principles of complementary therapies into the own practices may be rewarded by more positive outcomes in their patients.