Table 1 Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine/healthcare

Traditional medicine: is the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness [1].

Complementary medicine: refers to a broad set of healthcare practices that are not part of that country’s own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant healthcare system [1], and may include natural health products (e.g. herbs, vitamins, nutraceuticals), mind-body therapies (e.g. yoga and meditation), and traditional medicine systems (e.g. Ayurvedic, Chinese medicine, and Indigenous healing practices) [2].

Integrative medicine: refers to the practice of medicine that reaffirms importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing [3].

Integrative healthcare: has a broader context than the above, which may be practised by non-medical professionals and is more than preventing and treating disease. Aspects of integrative healthcare include an interdisciplinary, non-hierarchical approach to whole-person care and the promotion of health and wellness [4].