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The very first step in understanding ACM (Alternative or Complementary Medicine) that this type of curing approaches are not ALTERNATIVES for Conventional Medicine but AUXILIARY / SUPPORTIVE methods. Applicable only with the approval of your doctors and subject to operation with medical supervision.
There is no clear and consistent definition for either alternative or complementary medicine. In Western culture it is often defined as any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine".
But in no way organizations should not mislead sick patients to replace CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE with Alternative or Complementary Medicine.
NCCAM (The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of USA)has developed one of the most widely used classification systems for the branches of complementary and alternative medicine. It classifies complementary and alternative therapies into five major groups which have some overlap.
Whole medical systems: cut across more than one of the other groups; examples include Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.
Mind-body medicine: takes a holistic approach to health that explores the interconnection between the mind, body, and spirit. It works under the premise that the mind can affect "bodily functions and symptoms".
Biologically based practices: use substances found in nature such as spring waters, herbs, foods, vitamins, and other natural substances.
Manipulative and body-based practices: feature manipulation or movement of body parts, such as is done in chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation.
Energy medicine: is a domain that deals with putative and verifiable energy fields
Within this frame Turkey benefits the third item " Biologically based practices" as the soil is prosperous with natural springs a wide variety of herbs and on the other hand these were in use for centuries by locals for curing sick people without naming this proceedure as ACM. Besides being a medicine this proceedure became a tradition of curing and being cured.
Human has considered water to be curative for centuries. Especially, the benefits of sea water and thermal springs for human health have always been well known. SPA for "sanus per aquam" in Latin means "health by water" and is a kind of alternative treatment with “various aromatic oils and massages” human has not given up for 3000 years. In coastal countries with no thermal springs, the treatment via sea water which has an abundance of minerals and salt, is called Thalassotherapy is also within the utilization of Turkey with one of the countries with very long sea shores much more longer than their land borders.
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