As a nation, Britain spends around £130 million on complementary and alternative therapy in the last year, a figure that looks set to rise to £200 million in the next four years.
There are differences between complementary and alternative therapies. Complementary therapy is regarded as when a patient chooses a different option of treatment to the conventional, Western method. Alternative therapy, however, are methods used with conventional medicine, such as hypnotherapy and massage.
Many health professionals believe that the numbers turning to complementary and alternative therapies will continue to increase, along with the integration of such therapies into general treatment.