alternative medicinen. A variety of health care practices, such as homeopathy, naturopathy, and Reiki, whose tenets often differ from those of mainstream medicine and are not generally taught in conventional medical schools.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.alternative medicine n (Complementary Medicine) another name for complementary medicine See also holism2 Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014alter?native med?icine n. health care and treatment practices, including traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic, folk medicine, and naturopathy, that minimize or eschew the use of surgery and drugs. [1980?85] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.al·ter·na·tive medicine (ôl-tûr?n?-t?v) A health care practice that does not follow generally accepted medical methods and may not have a scientific explanation for its effectiveness. Examples of alternative medicines are homeopathy and herbal medicine.The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.