Complementary Therapy (Alternative Therapy)
Is as the name suggests a form of therapy or medicine that "complements" conventional treatments, it is variously known as Complementary Therapy, Alternative Therapy, or Holistic Therapy. (Examples of further terminology are described below)
Practitioners are consequently referred to as complementary therapists, alternative therapists, healers, complementary medicine providers, holistic therapists etc.

There is evidence that many of these alternative therapies have been in use for centuries, recent years have seen (particularly in the Western World) a rise in the popularity of these Complementary Therapies. Millions of people now subscribe to Complementary Health and use alternative & complementary therapies worldwide, and demand for these therapies is still growing.
About half of GPs, in the UK, now provide some kind of access to this form of therapy. Although Britain came late to complementary therapies. It is estimated by practitioners that demand for these therapies has increased by up to 30% in the last ten years.
It is currently estimated that 3 in 10 local health authorities in Britain now offer some form of alternative therapy to patients and that as many as one third of people in the United Kingdom have tried at least one form of alternative therapy, usually for the treatment of various problems such as backache, arthritis, or headaches migraine.

Much has been written on the subject of Complementary Therapies and Health (we have a wide range of articles elsewhere on our website) and a great deal of information and opinion is available on the internet.

Complementary Therapy is also referred to as Alternative Therapy, Holistic medicine is a narrower term. We have included a few definitions of Complementary Therapy showing how this "non conventional" form of healing is variuosly referred to.

Complementary Therapy
Complementary therapies offer a variety of "complementary" treatments, outside the scope of conventional medical practice, and are often used alongside standard treatments -- e.g. nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, massage, acupuncture, energy work, etc.

Complementary Medicine
The term complementary medicine is used by conventional medical practitioners to refer to non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical techniques which are used in conjunction with medical treatments such as drugs and surgery. The term implies that conventional medicine is used as a primary tool and the non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical alternative techniques are used as a supplement when needed.

Alternative Therapy
A variety of treatments, outside the scope of conventional medical practice, and used instead of standard treatments -- e.g. nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, massage, acupuncture, energy work, etc.

Alternative Medicine
A broad category of alternative treatment systems (e.g. chiropractic, herbal medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, and spiritual devotions) or culturally based healing

Integrative medicine
An increasing desire for wellness, in response to today’s stressful lifestyle, has led to the rising demand for Complementary Therapy and Alternative therapies. It is true that many people are becoming disenchanted with conventional medicine use of drugs and the approach to healing. On the other hand, Complementary therapies tend to be "holistic", where an individual's health is considered as a whole, and treatment is not just focused on the symptoms. Complementary therapy employs "natural" methods to aid the healing powers of the body to return to a state of health. Treatment is holistic; that is it takes into account every aspect of a patient and not just on the health symptoms that he or she is experiencing.

It is highly recommended that you use a qualified practitioner who is a member of a regulatory body. By law, chiropractic and osteopathy practitioners must be registered with the appropriate professional bodies

In the United Kingdom, there is an organisation that monitors *CAM therapists known as British Register of Complementary Practitioners. On their site, they say "The British Register of Complementary Practitioners (BRCP) is a professional register of practitioners who have proved their competence to practice by either completing an approved course or through an assessment made by the Registration Panel. They also agree to observe a Code of Ethics and Practice and have full practitioner insurance." This helps monitor the quality of CAM in the UK and reduces the risk of quackery.

Our guide to Complementary Therapy in the UK was set up to provide information about Complementary Therapy and we provide a comprehensive list of Alternative Therapy Providers in all areas of the UK.
Currently we list Therapists and Alternative Medicine Providers in the following areas :-

Alternative Therapists in Bedfordshire,
Bedford, Luton, Dunstable,
Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade,
Sandy

Alternative Therapists in Berkshire,
Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead,
Newbury, Windsor, Wokingham,
Slough

Alternative Therapists in Buckinghamshire,
Aylesbury, Milton Keynes,
Amersham, Buckingham,
High Wycombe,

Alternative Therapists in Cambridgeshire,
Cambridge, Wisbech,
Ely, March,
Whittlesey , Chatteris,
Linton

Complementary Therapists in Cheshire,
Chester, Stockport,
Runcorn, Macclesfield,
Sale & Altrincham ,
Crewe, Warrington

Complementary Therapies in Cleveland,
Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees,
Middlesborough

Complementary Therapists in Cornwall,
Bodmin, Truro,
Camborne, Falmouth,
Penzance, Newquay

Alternative Therapy in Cumbria,
Carlisle, Whitehaven,
Workington, Penrith,
Keswick

Alternative Therapies in Derbyshire,
Derby, Buxton,
Chesterfield, Ashbourne

Alternative Therapies in Devon,
Exeter, Plymouth,
Torquay, Barnstaple,
Exmouth, Sidmouth,
Newton Abbot

Alternative Therapies in Dorset,
Dorchester, Poole,
Weymouth, Sherborne,
Shaftesbury, Bournemouth

Alternative Therapies in Co. Durham,
Durham, Darlington

Alternative Therapies in Essex,
Colchester, Chelmsford,
Southend, Harlow,
Romford

Complementary Therapies in Gloucestershire,
Gloucester, Cheltenham,
Bristol, Cirencester,
Stroud,

Complementary Therapies in Hampshire,
Portsmouth, Southampton,
Aldershot, Winchester,
Basingstoke

Complementary Therapies in Herefordshire,
Hereford, Ross-on-Wye,
Leominster, Ledbury,
Bromyard  

Alternative Therapists in Hertfordshire,
Hertford, Watford,
St. Albans, Stevenage,
Hemel-Hempstead, Hatfield,
Bishops Stortford 

Alternative Therapists in Huntingdonshire,
Huntingdon, St. Ives,
St. Neots 

Alternative Therapists in Kent,
Maidstone, Margate,
Folkestone, Chatham,
Canterbury

Alternative Therapists in Lancashire,
Lancaster, Preston,
Bolton, Wigan,
Oldham, Blackpool

Complementary Therapists in Leicestershire,
Leicester, Loughborough,
Melton Mowbray, Hinckley,
Market Harborough

ComplementaryTherapists in Lincolnshire,
Lincoln, Grimsby,
Scunthorpe, Boston,
Grantham, Stamford

Complementary Therapies in (Gtr.) London,
Central London, North London,
South London, East London,
West London

Complementary Therapists in (Gr.) Manchester,
Manchester

Alternative Therapys in Merseyside,
Liverpool, Bootle,
Southport, Wirral

Alternative Therapy in Middlesex,
Harrow, Enfield,
Staines, Ealing,
Potters Bar

Alternative Therapies in Norfolk,
Norwich, Thetford,
Kings Lynn, Gt Yarmouth,
Dereham

Alternative Therapies in Northamptonshire,
Northampton, Peterborough,
Corby, Kettering,
Wellingborough

Alternative Therapies in Northumberland,
Alnwick, Morpeth,
Hexham, Berwick-upon-Tweed

Alternative Therapies in Nottinghamshire,
Nottingham, Mansfield,
Worksop, Newark

Complementary Therapies in Oxfordshire,
Oxford, Banbury,
Witney, Bicester,
Henley-on-Thames,
Thame

Complementary Therapies in Rutland,
Oakham, Uppingham.
Cottesmore  

Alternative Therapists inShropshire,
Shrewsbury, Telford,
Oswestry, Bridgnorth,
Market Drayton, Ludlow

Alternative Therapists in Somerset,
Bath, Taunton,
Yeovil, Bridgwater,
Weston-s-Mare

Alternative Therapists in Staffordshire,
Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent,
Cannock, Lichfield

AlternativeTherapists inSuffolk,
Ipswich,
Bury St. Edmunds,
Lowestoft, Felixstowe,
Sudbury, Haverhill

Complementary Therapists inSurrey,
Guildford, Croydon,
Woking, Sutton,
Kingston-on-Thames,
Wimbledon

Complementary Therapies in Sussex,
Brighton, Chichester,
Worthing, Crawley,
Hastings, Eastbourne,
Bognor Regis

Complementary Therapies in Tyne & Wear,
Newcastle, Gateshead,
Sunderland, North Shields,
South Shields

Alternative Therapy in Warwickshire,
Warwick, Nuneaton,
Rugby,
Stratford-upon-Avon

Complementary Therapies in West Midlands,
Birmingham, Coventry,
Wolverhampton,
Dudley, West Bromwich,
Solihull

Alternative Therapies in Wiltshire,
Trowbridge, Salisbury,
Swindon, Chippenham,
Marlborough, Warminster

Alternative Therapies in Worcestershire,
Worcester, Kidderminster,
Malvern, Evesham

Alternative Therapies in East Yorkshire,
Hull, Beverley,
Bridlington

Alternative Therapies in North Yorkshire,
York, Northallerton,
Scarborough, Whitby,
Harrogate

Complementary Therapies in South Yorkshire,
Sheffield, Doncaster,
Barnsley, Rotherham

Complementary Therapies in West Yorkshire,
Leeds, Bradford,
Wakefield, Halifax,
Huddersfield