alternative medicine
collocation / noun phrase · Collocation / phrase B2
Plain meaning
treatments that are not part of standard modern medicine
Exam-register meaning
non-conventional healthcare practices used instead of or alongside mainstream medical treatment
In context
naturalSome people try alternative medicine for back pain.
examPublic health debates often examine whether alternative medicine should be regulated more strictly.
Common collocations
use alternative medicinealternative therapiesmainstream medicine
Watch out
Do not treat it as automatically scientific in formal essays; phrase claims carefully: “some people believe…”
Word family
alternative (adjective)medicine (noun)therapy (noun)