<unk>  is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine, but which lacks biological plausibility and is untested, untestable or proven ineffective. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and<unk>  (CAM), integrated medicine or integrative medicine (IM), and holistic medicine are among many rebrandings that describe various ways<unk>  is combined with mainstream medicine.<unk>  therapies share in common that they reside outside of medical science and instead rely on pseudoscience. Traditional practices become<unk> " when used outside their original settings without proper scientific explanation and evidence. Frequently used derogatory terms for the<unk>  are new-age or pseudo, with little distinction from quackery. Some<unk>  practices are based on theories that contradict the science of how the human body works; others resort to the supernatural or superstitious to explain their effect. In others, the practice is plausibly effective but has too many side effects.<unk>  is distinct from scientific medicine, which employs the scientific method to test plausible therapies by way of responsible and ethical clinical trials, producing evidence of either effect or of no effect. Research into<unk>  therapies often fails to follow proper research protocols (such as placebo-controlled trials, blind experiments and calculation of prior probability), providing invalid results. Much of the perceived effect of an<unk>  practice arises from a belief that it will be effective (the placebo effect), or from the treated condition resolving on its own (the natural course of disease). This is further exacerbated by the tendency to turn to<unk>  therapies upon the failure of medicine, at which point the condition will be at its worst and most likely to spontaneously improve. In the absence of this bias, especially for diseases that are not expected to get better by themselves such as cancer or HIV infection, multiple studies have shown significantly worse outcomes if patients turn to<unk>  therapies. While this may be because these patients avoid effective treatment, some<unk>  therapies are actively harmful (e.g. cyanide poisoning from amygdalin, or the intentional ingestion of hydrogen peroxide) or actively interfere with effective treatments. The<unk>  sector is a highly profitable industry with a strong lobby, and faces far less regulation over the use and marketing of unproven treatments. Its marketing often advertises the treatments as being "natural" or "holistic", in comparison to those offered by medical science. Billions of dollars have been spent studying<unk> , with few or no positive results. Some of the successful practices are only considered<unk>  under very specific definitions, such as those which include all physical activity under the umbrella of<unk> ".
Alternative medicine
Venoms in medicine
Herbal medicine
Traditional medicine
Cold medicine
Graphic medicine
Jewish medicine
Allopathic medicine