Complementary and  alternative  medicine (CAM)  is  a broad  domain  of healing  resources  that encompasses  all health systems, modalities, and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health system of a particular society or culture in a given historical period. CAM includes all such practices and ideas self-defined by their users as preventing or treating illness or promoting health and wellbeing. Consequently, boundaries between the CAM domain and that of the dominant healthcare system are not always sharp or fixed, which creates uncertainty among consumers and health professionals regarding the use of CAMs. Complementary medicine is an increasing feature of healthcare practice, with recent surveys finding that approximately two-thirds of Australians regularly use a CAM product (typically vitamin and/or herbal preparations).In this unit, you will be given an overview of CAM as practiced in Australia and around the world. This will include looking at who uses CAM, their motivations for using CAM, and the ethical and professional issues that CAMs raise in health professionals. This unit will also focus on the use of CAMs in alignment with quality use of medicines principles. The focus will be on the safety of CAMs (adverse events, drug interactions) and use in special patient groups (pregnancy, older people, and children). This will enable you to make better decisions regarding the need to use CAMs, the appropriateness of CAM for your patients in light of other available treatment options, and how to educate patients regarding their use and monitor the outcomes.