The use of complementary medicine has mushroomed over the last decade. Along with the increased popularity there’s been an increase in the number of practitioners who practise complementary therapies either as their primary discipline or as a ‘complement’ to their own discipline, such as nursing or medicine. With an increasing acceptance by the public and by mainstream healthcare professionals, practitioners of complementary medicine are being asked to provide evidence of the effectiveness and safety of their therapies. This is in line with a growing emphasis on evidence-based practice across all health-related disciplines. Research into complementary medicine is still in its early days. Whereas practitioners of mainstream medicine have grown.
