Complementary and Integrative Treatments: The Voice

Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) is defined by the National Institutes of Health as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products not generally considered part of conventional medicine. CIM practices are grouped into 4 categories: natural products, mind and body medicine practices, manipulative practices, and body-based practices. CIM use in patients is common and a working knowledge is relevant to practicing physicians. This article presents an overview of common forms of CIM and their theoretic framework to review the data regarding CIM use in thyroid disease. The intent is to facilitate communication between patients and physicians regarding CIM.