Complementary and alternative medicine: an academic view.

In the last 20 years international scientifi c literature has shown a steady increase in discussions concerning complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) [1] . When dealing with this subject, many issues arise. It is imperative to understand fi rstly the kind of medical reality concealed beyond the names of these practices and secondly, the problems posed to the medical profession by their increased therapeutic usage. Important questions further arise regarding the introduction of CAM therapies in medical curricula. The reconstruction of the cultural context within which CAM has developed cannot escape a historical and linguistic refl ection: a semantic analysis clearly indicates that this terminology is a well-defi ned historical product and conceals a specifi c conceptualisation that very often also involves a value judgement.