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For all preventive, therapeutic and diagnostic methods outside biomedicine we use various inadequate categorizing systems accompanied by the same terminology such as: alternative medicine, complementary medicine, traditional medicine, folk medicine and many others, while recently the term integrative medicine has also been used. However, the most comprising term for all nonofficial methods is unconventional medicine (as opposed to conventional medicine).
WHO (World Health Organization) uses terms and classification into traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
Experts within different fields are trying to practice unconventional medicine (psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, doctors) by understanding the reasons for practicing such medicine. Also very often some new terms and categorization of unconventional medicine are created. However, since these terms are coined by experts from other fields, their understanding of unconventional medicine is limited by the sphere of their own profession.
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Sociologists and ethnologists and cultural anthropologists (such as David M. Eisenberg whose classification and terminology is actually completely useless) see these methods through the prism of population who practice them and based on that they coin terms and create classifications. Hence the CAM classification (which is further divided into professional systems, popular health care systems, New Age healing, spirit- body methods and nonscientific systems) and provincial unconventional medicine classification (composed of ethno-medicine, religious healings and folk medicine).

Psychologists and psychiatrists will categorize unconventional medicine through prism of adequate psychological predispositions of the users and their affinity towards placebo effect or the level of their awareness as well as education and religion, hence the terms such as folk medicine, hagiotherapy, Christotherapy, spontaneous re-emission, placebo effect and nocebo effect.

Doctors are mostly not in the position to draw correct conclusions on unconventional medicine, unless they have managed to cure one of their incurable diseases somewhere else… They are more prone to observing the unconventional methods in relation to the conventional medicine hence terms such as complementary, alternative, unconventional, nonscientific medicine etc.

In any case, one should be acquainted with foundations and essence of each and every unconventional method in order to address correctly terminology and classification issues. That is the only criterion for the classification – the foundation of action and essence. Later on in this article we will notice that all methods based on its essence can be classified into three basic categories.
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• Western-alophatic medicine, classical medicine, biomedicine
• Natural medicine
• Energy medicine
• Spiritual medicine.

OFFICIAL BIOMEDICINE

Biomedicine has its diagnostics which consists of physical checkup, body fluids analysis and detection of pathological changes via various medical equipment and other technical appliances. 

Therapy or treatment is mostly conducted via means that are chemically processed through various technological processes (drugs) and «invasive procedures» (all sorts of surgeries).

Preventive easures consist of avoiding of harmful areas, substances, conditions, improving personal hygiene and doing regular checkups. Biomedicine in most cases separates human body and human mind (apart from psychosomatic diseases where the connection of organic disorder and state of mind is obvious) so that psychiatry and psychology deal separately with mental illnesses and disorders. We can also see that a special part of medicine focuses on a special body part - more or less independently of other body parts.


NATURAL MEDICINE

Therapeutic services of natural medicine include all therapeutic procedures in which according to special rules each method uses natural, chemically unprocessed ingredients and preparations (herbs, minerals, essential oils, honey preparations, healthy food and alike).

Diagnostics (that is body state analysis) within therapeutic methods of natural medicine consists of body checkup, but taking into consideration client's state of mind and characteristics of the environment he lives in. However, it is important to point out that diagnostics differs from one method to another. Homeopathy in its own way finds the cause of problem (through conversation where you get crucial information which, via special analysis, disclose the real cause of distress), on the other hand, ayurvedic medicine, as well as other traditional phytotherapeutic systems disclose cause of illness- for example, by analyzing pulse, iris, tongue shape etc. Various computer analysis of medical condition are used more often – such as computer aided pulse diagnosis, OBERON; STRANNK; before AMSAT etc.
Very often, especially in the field of Western phytotherapeutic systems (homeopathy excluded) that do not have developed special and self-sufficient diagnostic approach (apart from most systems from the East, especially China, India etc) biomedicine doctor's reports are used as the starting point for defining therapy. 

Therapy consists of consummation of means that are not chemically processed: plants, minerals, essential oils, honey preparations, vegetarian food or ‘programmed starvation’ and alike. Therapeutic approach and preparation differ from one method to another so for instance homeotherapy treats an illness completely different than let us say phytotherapy or herbalism. Preparations are prepared in a completely different way (by various physical methods, without chemical reactions) and therapeutic procedure is completely different.

According to our rules and guidelines, these preparations are registered as «food supplement», not as drugs, while for instance in India ayurvedic preparations have a medicine status and that traditional medicine is enjoying the same rights as biomedicine. Ayurvedic doctors are educated at universities and are acknowledged on behalf of the state.
In Croatia prior to placing on the market, every product (no matter whether it is vitamins, tea, homepathic or ayurvedic product) has to pass the health control in Croatian National Institute of Public Health and registration at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. However, despite regulations many «miracle products» in form of tea, liquids and various mixture (without any declaration) can be found on the market with the guarantee of the salesperson how it cures cancer, diabetes and other diseases that biomedicine has no cure for. They even advertise in public media.
We should make a clear difference between products that are proved efficient over the years and used in widely recognized natural therapeutic methods and untested home made products.

The difference between biomedicine drugs and natural medicine preparations is in the philosophy of their preparation. Biomedicine tries to cure a disease by discovering, isolating and extracting the key substance or a chemical compound, even a molecule, out of its natural environment (plant, organism etc.), which is used then to prepare an adequate concentrate (in form of a pill or syrup…) which will be consummated in regular intervals. However, this procedure is preceded by long and expensive clinical drug trials. Natural medicine (no matter which type) tries to leave the active substance (chemical compound, molecule…) in its natural surroundings – most often plants. Thus implementing various physical processes we create a preparation which must be consummated in the way defined by the expert of a certain field of natural medicine because otherwise incorrect consummation of natural preparations can cause unwanted effects. In this way side-effects characteristic for drugs (even when consummated properly…) are avoided because drugs are in fact new (unnatural) substances which have an unnatural effect on the body (treatment with possible side effects). In drugs the key chemical compound is present in much larger amount therefore the effect can be faster then by consummation of preparations. However, there is always exception to the rule, especially when it comes to chronic diseases and incurable diseases. 
In homeopathic preparations certain substances in traces could be found which in larger amounts cause symptoms characteristic for a certain disease which differs from both biomedicine and any other phytotherapy system.

Preventive measures, just like in biomedicine, consist of healthy lifestyle (proper food, staying outdoors, positive thinking…).

Natural medicine aims to perceive a human being as a unity of nature and human. Types of natural medicine are homeopathy, pyhtotheraphy, aromatherapy, apitherapy, Bach flower therapy, herbalism within traditional medical systems (Chinese medicine, ayurveda, unani, Tibetan medicine…), healthy food forms etc.


ENERGY MEDICINE

Energy medicine therapeutic services include all therapeutic procedures in which for every therapeutic method energetic balance and flow in the body are established.
Energy medicine will be explained in detail unlike natural medicine and we will divide it into subgroups according to diagnostics and energy type (therapeutic means) which this method uses to emphasize the obvious differences between them.

Diagnostics of energy medicine consists of analysis and examination of human body and/or soul and connecting with certain energy state. That examination is performed in different ways:

• by performing physical checkup and questioning human state of body and/or mind and connecting with energy state,
• by "observing" and "touching" of aura and noticing pathological changes on it,
• by radioesthesy procedure,
• by using technical aids for aura recording, computer analysis of functional and energy state of human body, etc.
• by using of diagnostic reports of biomedicine (especially in chiropractic, osteopathy etc

Therapy consists of compensating for energy losses during energy transmission from body that had surplus of energy (or with the assistance of technical aids which in an artificial way produce special energetic vibrations) onto the body with less energy or by stimulation of self-healing mechanism in organism for self-sufficient work. Therapy also consists of certain procedures or direct contact on the body itself within certain methods which improve circulation of bioelectric nerve impulses (such as via chiropractic or osteopathy) or by stimulating energy meridians (for instance various energy massage, Bowen technique, shiatsu etc) and improving energy flow.

Preventive measures consist of maintaining energy balance in body and soul via different methods which combine special mental or physical exercises.
Energy medicine finds the cause of physical and psychological disorders in blocked energy channels in a human being, his energy shell and (or) in energy centers (chakras). So the cause of all diseases (physical and psychological) lies in the common place – energy and energy flow. There are various techniques that try to compensate for energy losses by taking energy either from the universe or the people (or technical aids) that can make up for that loss.

Techniques of this kind are reiki, excalibur, which allow people to connect with the universe energy as well as other techniques such as bioenergy therapy, shiatsu, acupuncture, chiropractic…where a human being in certain way depends on the therapist who helps him to achieve energy balance and flow. In the same manner, energy medicine includes yoga, that is the part of yoga which refers to preservation and improvement of health in human being.

HENCE, MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF ENERGY MEDICINE ARE:

• Body energy treatment is performed by a therapist who has to be on a higher energy level than the client; or the lack/blockade of energy is resolved by certain technical equipment and aids as well as special procedures on the body; or the client does it independently via certain exercises and techniques.
  
• What is important for energy medicine therapist is the existence of proper medical diagnosis or just energy intuitive body analysis. Thus, some methods require only creation of an intuitive analysis of the human energy „body“, while other methods must have biomedicine diagnosis of the physical body (such as chiropractic and osteopathy).
  
• Therapists of certain methods (bioenergy therapy and such) of energy medicine must be careful not to exhaust themselves during therapy or that diseases of their clients do not pass onto them. For that purpose different types of meditation and spiritual exercises as well as rest and other forms of protection are used.
  
• Energy medicine enters into various energy levels (depending on type of therapeutic methods) as follows:
  -------energy of physical body which manifests itself in the form of bioelectrical impulses that pass through nerve systems (for instance in chiropractic, osteopathy…);
  -------energy body connected with meridians, aura and chakra (acupuncture, bioenergy therapy…);
  -------energy of higher levels connected with nature, universe and the creator (Reiki, some types of meditation…), but still strongly focused and controlled on behalf of the therapist without whose efforts no healing process would take place

TYPES OF ENERGY MEDICINE

All therapeutic methods of energy medicine can, according to the way of work, be divided into four basic categories:

- first category uses energy transmission from an organism of higher energy potential onto an organism of a lower energy potential (bioenergy therapy, massage…);

- second group tries by using certain procedures and actions to re -establish broken or blocked energy flows (chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture…);

- third group of therapeutic methods aims to enable human being to independently renew its energy potentials(Reiki, different types of meditation, life improvement techniques and alike);

- fourth group within this type of medicine uses various aids and technical gadgets whether in diagnostics, therapy or prevention (aura recording, various technical gadgets for measuring of energy potential of an organism, radiesthesy equipment, magnet therapy or today perfected MRI therapy and more)


SPIRITUAL MEDICINE

Healing services of spiritual medicine involve all therapeutic treatments that encourage healing process in a human being, according to special rules of each method, through belief in God, regardless of what religion. God himself is the healer, whereas a man can only be his intermediary.

Diagnostics in spiritual medicine is absolutely unnecessary because neither the healing process  depend on it nor the insight into client’s state will affect the change and adaptation of work of God's intermediary.

Therapy is universal for all conditions, thus human error factor is reduced to a minimum. At the core of this healing belief is God. Of course, faith has its rules which make it a powerful weapon in the process of self healing. Any deviation from the rules makes prayer inefficient. Intermediary is also aware of the rules and he informs everyone who turns to him for help.

Preventive measures are also closely related with maintaining faith in God, positive thinking etc. The cause of all diseases and problems lies in “detachment“ from God and lack of (correct!) faith in him.

Spiritual medicine is in most part used by charismatic people within various Christian and non Christian churches and religious organizations (though not by all of them!), then organizations who propagate teachings by Bruno Groning (he was active in the 1950s), and today by Braco the healer of Srebrenjak in Zagreb, and finally this was the method used by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago.


DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SPIRITUAL AND ENERGY MEDICINE

Unlike other therapeutic methods (especially energy medicine) a spiritual medicine therapist:

• is not the one who heals but acts as an intermediary of god's strength and word thus helping clients to awake god in themselves (Allah, energy of the universe, universal omnipresent strength…) which can restore their lost health. Thus, there is no personal credit on behalf of the therapist;
  
  
• can at the same time work with a large number of people (practically infinite) without exhausting himself and endangering clients;
  
  
• does not need to be acquainted with the diagnosis or client’s problems because healing and help in this method is not focused towards any sick body part in particular or psychological problem, yet at body and mind as a whole;
  
  
• intermediary's approach is always the same regardless of what (kind of disease, issue) or who (member of certain religious group, race, age, gender..) seems to be the issue;
  
  
• advises clients to practice just one type of spiritual medicine because simultaneous practicing of different forms of spiritual medicine or in combination with energy methods medicine will not bring desired results;

• does not charge for treatments, yet he can collect contributions since god is the only one responsible for healing;         

• must fulfill all the above mentioned conditions in order to become god's intermediary in spiritual medicine because in case one of the conditions is not fulfilled the method automatically falls under energy medicine category since the concept of god, which is the crucial and only factor of healing in spiritual medicine, is disturbed.

ALTERNATIVE ADVISORY SERVICES

They are used either independently or as an integral part of different energy medicine methods (rarely natural medicine) as a way of analysis of human condition and as starting point for determination of therapy.

For instance, radiesthesy is often used in bioenergy therapy, but very often healers are able without that sort of aid to notice the state of human energy shell (aura) and the related centers for energy transformation (chakras).

Feng shui and vastu are used independently and focused on balancing a human being, its living space and surrounding nature which in the end contributess to improvement of his health and success in general. 

Alternative advisory services include all procedures for analyzing of functional and universal condition of a human being and the environment it works and lives in and imply the following analytical methods:

- computer analysis of functional body state
- pulse analysis
- radiesthesy
- iridology
- feng shui and vastu
- numerology
- graphology
- analysis of archetypal symbols and place of the human being in the world

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In the field of spiritual medicine there is a danger of a leader of a group or spiritual organization identifying himself with God or becoming infected with the messianic syndrome. Then his spiritual group takes on the characteristics of a sect. The basic characteristics that help us differentiate a sect from true spiritual medicine are:

• Instead of the Source (God) the leader of the spiritual group becomes more important, and, in extreme cases, begins to identify himself with God;
  
  
• Leader of the group (or organization) starts slowly to control the group and regard himself God's mediator, through whom members of the group can learn a variety of information about themselves, such as about an ideal life partner, whether something important is to be done or not, which job to choose, etc.;
  
  
• A sect has a strict hierarchy, and itsleader considers himself infallible, and all the important activities of the organization are centralized. If the leader of the sect should make an obvious mistake, he is never blamed for it (i.e. rationalization) but it is attributed to those ranked lower in the organization or the users of services themselves;
  
  
• In sects there may occur great healings and remedies, but the freedom of spirit is very limited, instead of increasing as man draws nearer in spirit to the Source, and thus Truth, and himself. In other words, the goal of the sect is to create a follower, and not an autonomous and independent individual;
  
  
• Because of occasional healings and assistance that occur in the group, most members of the sect deliberately ignore the rest (which ultimately ends badly for themselves) because they cannot see any other way out for themselves;
  
  
• Every sect is convinced that their teaching is the best (which they often support by a number of healings, assistances, predictions and similar – so-called „fruits“) and that eventually most will be converted, while for others there is „no salvation“;
  
  
• The organization itself, as well as various forms and dogmas, become over time more important than the teaching itself which is presented by the sect.
  

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

The term «alternative medicine» is generally the most widespread and is used in everyday speech to refer to all parallel medical systems. However, if this term came to be accepted as a general term that would include all non-official medical systems, then all these methods should be an adequate substitute, an alternative to official biomedicine, and we know that they are not because many of them are only an addition to biomedicine. An alternative or a replacement can only be something that offers everything  that biomedicine offers but in a different way. Thus, the substitution should have a developed diagnostics, prevention and curative. Nonetheless, only some unconventional methods have this – for example, various traditional systems such as Ayurveda, Unani, traditional Chinese medicine, some natural (homeopathy) and energy-based healing methods (primarily bioenergotherapy) in which prevention, analysis and healing is applied to a person's energy field, and not directly to the physical body, etc. In spiritual medicine, however, the diagnostics (i.e. analysis of the condition) is not even needed.

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

When the term «complementary» is used it is understood to refer to something that complements and thereby enhances another thing. So, these kinds of therapies do not need to offer everything – from prevention to curative, but in some of their aspects they can provide more and better than what is offered or provided by official biomedicine, and thereby complement it, such as herbology, chiropractics, osteopathy, and other methods which rely primarily on diagnostic methods of biomedicine, but in their actions and therapies they successfully continue where biomedicine stops.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

When the term traditional is used it implies something that has its history and tradition (such as Chinese traditional medicine, Indian Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine, Unani – Arabic medicine…). It is a generic name and is associated with a specific culture of a people. However, not all that is tradicional medicine falls under this term because there are quite a few techniques that do not have a tradition related to a certain area or a people. The tradicional medical systems often unify the methods of natural and energy medicine such as the part of Chinese traditional medicine known as acupuncture (as a type of energy-based medicine) and Herbology, which belongs to natural medicine.

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

When the term «integrative»  is used it refers to those methods which combine and/or unite different therapeutic approaches and orientations. This would include all methods that treat both body and spirit, and contain all the basic knowledge needed for such an approach. For example, yoga is both an energy-based medicine because it achieves certain health effects, and a life philosophy. Tradicional medical systems are also a very good example of integrative medicine.

UNCONVENTIONAL MEDICINE