What Is Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine: An Operational Typology (Part 3, Using the Classification Model)

The current article, the third of the series, uses a series of tangible examples to support users in understanding how to classify specific TCIM therapeutics within Types A through E, within larger health systems contexts. Using three complex TCIM examples briefly introduced in the previous article-a product (turmeric), a practice (acupuncture), and a practitioner group (birthworkers)-this work shows how a particular therapeutic approach may, under distinct circumstances, fall within the boundaries of multiple TCIM types. This illustration highlights how the typology's categories are permeable and dynamic, rather than closed and fixed-and how contextual factors within health systems are essential considerations in the typology's application.