Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Approved by the ACFAS Board of Directors, November 2021Download as PDF
The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) represents board-certified or qualified podiatric foot and ankle surgeons. ACFAS urges its members and their patients to use guidance related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is funded by the National Institutes for Health, CAM is a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices and products that are not presently considered part of conventional medicine. CAM can be used together with conventional medicine.
Patients considering using a CAM therapy should consult with their physician or other healthcare provider. An additional patient resource when considering CAM therapies can be found on the NCCAM website.
ACFAS recognizes that there are different types of practitioners and proponents of the various forms of alternative and conventional medicine. Foot and ankle surgeons must base their treatment pathways on evidence-based medicine as well as the published data on safety and therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of lower extremity conditions.