Complementary, Holistic, Alternative, and Integrative… What do they mean, and are they different?
Hoo boy, friend, have you ever opened a can of worms.
The reason we called this site “CHAI” vs. settling on one of those terms is that some vets feel very strongly about using one term but not another to describe the way they practice.
But in the end? These terms are more alike than they are different.
Here’s my take on them.
Complementary
Complementary medicine is so named because it complements conventional medical practice, but typically encompasses treatments that aren’t within the domain of conventional medical practice: that is, they don’t teach you this stuff in vet school.
In general, complementary therapies also have at least some buy-in from the conventional medical community. Most doctors would agree that acupuncture works alongside what they do, but injecting bleach to cure COVID does not, so the latter would not typically be considered complementary.
The term is a bit of a nicer version of “alternative” medicine, as it implies that it’s working alongside conventional medicine, whereas alternative medicine just might include that bleach.
Side note: this term is often misspelled as “complimentary,” and but complimentary medicine is, HEY, YOU’RE DOING A GREAT JOB TAKING CARE OF FLUFFY! I LOVE YOUR HAIR!
Holistic
I’m just going to steal this definition from the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association’s website (which I don’t feel too bad about since I’m the one who wrote it!).
“Holistic medicine is a form of healing that considers the whole patient–body, mind, and spirit–in its approach to achieving optimum health and eliminating the root causes of disease. The holistic approach is gentle, minimally invasive, and incorporates patient emotions and well-being. Holistic thinking is centered on love, empathy, and respect.
After a thorough exam and appropriate testing, a holistic veterinarian will choose the best combination of conventional and alternative (or complementary) therapies for each patient.”
This is my favorite of these terms because it suggests a philosophy more so than a particular set of modalities.
Alternative
This term originally came into being to describe any therapy that wasn’t considered a part of conventional medicine: massage, acupuncture, herbs, meditation, you name it.
It could be perceived as a bit problematic for a couple of reasons:
First, it implies that it’s used in place of, rather than in conjunction with, conventional medicine.
Second, because of this, it could also be perceived to include any therapy that’s not strictly conventional. Remember my bleach example? Alternative! Stepping on every third crack under the light of the full moon while muttering incantations? Alternative!
So is alternative medicine bad? Not necessarily; it’s just that the term itself has a bit more of a negative or anti-conventional implication than the others.
Integrative
This term implies the best of both worlds: integrative medicine uses complementary medicine alongside conventional medicine.
The term has become more popular in recent years, and it’s the term I find that people can be somewhat weird about, as in, “No, I’m not a holistic vet, I’m an integrative vet.” As though using any other term implies that you shun Western medicine.
The thing is, most vets practicing “alternative” medicine don’t just throw their vet school education out the window. Most of them would tell you they’ve augmented their conventional medical practice by also offering other options.
Some vets might lean more heavily toward conventional medicine, and some toward complementary medicine, but most of us are integrating all the things.
Ideally, an integrative vet is looking at the whole picture–not just treating the animal’s symptoms, but addressing the foundations of health.
Bonus! Traditional
I’m throwing this term in here because, one, it makes the very cool acronym CHAI-T, and two, it’s a term that’s frequently misused in veterinary medicine, so I feel the need to mention it.
Traditional medicine is synonymous with folk medicine or indigenous medicine. These are practices that are often deeply rooted in cultural or spiritual beliefs, such as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and Native American healing practices.
The odd thing about this term, though, is that it’s not uncommon to hear veterinarians say “traditional medicine” when they really mean “conventional medicine.” What they’re implying is that everything besides Western medicine is “non-traditional” (i.e., weird) so everything “normal” is “traditional medicine.” Ya follow?
I’ve only seen this in veterinary medicine, and it is both confusing and incorrect, in my opinion.
I hope that clears things up a little. And I hope you’ll consider joining us!
