http://www.fda.gov/cber/gdlns/altmed.pdf

“‘补充与另类医学’一词涵盖许多种医疗实践、产品和疗法，它们与‘常规’或‘对抗疗法’医学的实践、产品和疗法有显著的差异。有些形式的补充与另类医学，例如中医和印度草医，已被实践了数百年，而其他的，例如电疗法，则是更晚近才出现的。”（The term "complementary and alternative
medicine" (CAM) encompasses a wide array of health care practices, products, and therapies that are distinct from practices, products, and therapies used in "conventional" or "allopathic" medicine. Some forms of CAM, such as traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic
medicine, have been practiced for centuries, whereas others, such as electrotherapy, are more recent in origin.）