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Once considered fringe, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments, such as herbal remedies and meditation, are gaining acceptance in Western medicine. Thanks to increasing research, doctors are better able to understand the role these therapies play in helping to treat and prevent illness.

As a result, doctors are starting to combine these techniques with conventional treatments. This approach — called integrative (in-tuh-GRAY-tiv) medicine — takes advantage of evidence-based conventional and alternative medicine practices to improve health and treat illness.