alternative medicine  refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country s own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health - care system . according to who they are used interchangeably with  traditional medicine  in some countries . homeopathic medicine , herbal medicine and acupuncture are the most common , albeit not the unique , cam forms in european countries . homeopathy is a method of medical practice that aims to improve the level of health of an organism through the administration of medicinal products selected individually according to the principle of similarity ( see text ) . since homeopathy is strictly individualized and takes into account the physical , emotional , mental , constitutional , biographical and environmental state , it is a medicine of the whole person . the term homeopathy comes from the greek ( omoios  =  similar , pathos  =  suffering ) . integrative medicine is not simply the combination of conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medicine . the consortium of academic health centers for integrative medicine defines it as  the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient , focuses on the whole person , is informed by evidence , and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches , healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing  . alternative medicine  refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country s own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health - care system . according to who they are used interchangeably with  traditional medicine  in some countries . homeopathic medicine , herbal medicine and acupuncture are the most common , albeit not the unique , cam forms in european countries . homeopathy is a method of medical practice that aims to improve the level of health of an organism through the administration of medicinal products selected individually according to the principle of similarity ( see text ) . since homeopathy is strictly individualized and takes into account the physical , emotional , mental , constitutional , biographical and environmental state , it is a medicine of the whole person . the term homeopathy comes from the greek ( omoios  =  similar , pathos  =  suffering ) . integrative medicine is not simply the combination of conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medicine . the consortium of academic health centers for integrative medicine defines it as  the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient , focuses on the whole person , is informed by evidence , and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches , healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing  .