Mosby's Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a contemporary, comprehensive glossary of approximately 6,600 terms and 500 illustrations, along with 24 appendices, useful for any health professional in today's medical field. The terms and definitions cover the five major areas of complementary and alternative medicine, as outlined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health: 1) alternative health care systems; 2) mind-body interventions; 3) biologically based therapies; 4) manipulative and body-based healing methods; and 5) energy therapies. This dictionary is intended to be a quick and ready reference to the common terms used in those medical and healing practices that lie outside of conventional medicine. It's ideal for conventional health professionals who need to quickly find definitions of common CAM terms and descriptions of their meaning. It is also a handy reference for those in introductory courses * Provides a comprehensive resource for improving communication among practitioners of various disciplines and between patients and their health care providers. * Approximately 6,600 terms are listed. Both general and "first level" specialized terms are included. * Over 500 illustrations visually represent the terms and concepts within, and extensive appendices provide quick, easy-to-use resources on CAM specialties. * 23 appendices explore the history, theory, and practice of numerous systems of complementary and alternative medicine, and an additional appendix provides the latest information on HIPAA regulations. * The most common concepts and terms in use around the world were selected, and both definitions and descriptions of their meaning are included. * Provides up-to-date definitions of terms, including the current definitions for archaic terms.