Complementary and Integrative Medicine

Contact Information:
Laura A. Young, MD, PhD: Laura_Young@med.unc.edu

Description/Mission Statement:
According to the National Center on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to a broad range of healing approaches that mainstream Western (conventional) medicine does not commonly use, accept, study, understand, or make available. This special interest group provides a forum for discussion of CAM, as defined by the NCCAM of the NIH, as it relates to behavioral medicine, with a particular emphasis on the integrative nature of such modalities, by themselves and in conjunction with other modalities of biopsychosocial care. In particular, the CAM SIG will promote understanding of the underlying behavioral and psychological processes and application of CAM approaches; attitudes toward use and delivery of CAM; and use of CAM with special populations, in the context of culturally traditional healing, and in regard to public health policy. CAM SIG membership does not imply or endorse the individual's ability to practice CAM modalities.