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Health and Wellness: Holistic and Complementary Methods

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Good Health and Well-Being

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

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Synonyms

Herbal medicine; Holistic; Integral; Integrative; Mind-body medicine; Preventative; Sustainable medicine; Traditional

Definition

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a commonly used term for holistic and complementary therapies that have typically not been part of conventional Western medicine. Complementary means treatments that are used along with conventional medicine. Alternative means treatments used in place of conventional medicine (Mayo Clinic). Integrative medicine combines, or integrates, the best of conventional medical care with the best of evidence-based CAM. A whole-person approach is the focus of most CAM therapies to address the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of health. This paper will address the main areas, for example, mind-body medicine (such as meditation, acupuncture, and yoga), manipulative and body-based practices (such as massage therapy and spinal manipulation), and natural products (such as herbs and dietary...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Women’s Health and Well-being, Private Medical Practice, Cape Town, South Africa

    Lynette Steele

Authors
  1. Lynette Steele
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lynette Steele .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences FTZ-ALS, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Centre for Work Related Studies, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

  3. Ctr Neurosci & Cell Biology, 1 Floor, Univ Coimbra, Edf Fac Medicina, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  4. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  5. Ozyegin University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

Section Editor information

  1. International Centre for Thriving at Work, University of Chester, Chester, Cheshire, UK

    Tony Wall

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Steele, L. (2019). Health and Wellness: Holistic and Complementary Methods. In: Leal Filho, W., Wall, T., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P. (eds) Good Health and Well-Being. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69627-0_18-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69627-0_18-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69627-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69627-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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