complementary medicine

noun

: any of the practices (such as acupuncture) of alternative medicine accepted and utilized by mainstream medical practitioners

Examples of complementary medicine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
These practitioners use Western medicine, traditional medicine, and complementary medicine. Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2024 Homeopathy is a form of alternative or complementary medicine that emphasizes using natural substances to stimulate the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Sarah Jividen, Health, 20 July 2024 For some cancers, the use of complementary medicine was associated with over a doubling in the risk of death. David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 1 July 2024 This idea has been an especially popular one for practitioners of alternative or complementary medicine. Anju Goel, Verywell Health, 25 Mar. 2024 It’s considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Mayo Clinic News Network, Anchorage Daily News, 4 July 2023 Edzard Ernst, former professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, has written extensively about acupuncture also concurs. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 30 May 2010 To better understand pain in America, USA TODAY spoke with more than 50 experts – in pain control, psychology, complementary medicine, addiction and neuroscience – and people who live with pain every day. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2022 Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, said that there was no scientific evidence to support the efficacy of the detox tonic. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 6 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of complementary medicine was in 1982

Dictionary Entries Near complementary medicine

Cite this Entry

“Complementary medicine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complementary%20medicine. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

complementary medicine

noun
: any of the practices (as acupuncture) of alternative medicine accepted and utilized by mainstream medical practitioners

More from Merriam-Webster on complementary medicine

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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