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Integrative Health Evidence Guide

Weigh complementary care with evidence, cost, and your clinicians in the loop.

Preparing for an Integrative Health Visit: A Complete Therapy List

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Before an integrative health visit, write down every therapy you use. That means your conventional care (prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, procedures) plus every non-mainstream approach: special diets, supplements, herbs, mind-body practices, and hands-on therapies like massage or acupuncture. The checklist below starts with conventional care, then follows the four groups the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) uses to sort these approaches.

By the Integrative Health Evidence Guide Team | Updated September 24, 2026

This guide helps you get organized and ask better questions. It does not tell you which therapy to use, keep, or stop. Those decisions belong with you and your health care providers.

If Something Feels Urgent, Do Not Wait for a Visit

If your symptoms are sudden, severe, or getting worse fast, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. A therapy list is for planned visits. It is not a reason to delay emergency care.

What “Integrative” Means for Your List

NCCIH uses three terms that shape what belongs on your list:

  • Complementary: a non-mainstream approach used together with conventional medicine.
  • Alternative: a non-mainstream approach used in place of conventional medicine.
  • Integrative health: bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way.

Because integrative care brings both sides together, a useful list covers both: your conventional care and your complementary care. One shared list is a practical way to give each provider the same information. For a deeper look at the first two terms, see our guide to why the difference between complementary and alternative care matters.

NCCIH also describes whole person health. It means improving and restoring health across connected areas of life (biological, behavioral, social, and environmental) rather than only treating a disease. That is why the checklist also leaves room for your goals, such as sleep or daily function.

The Evidence Ladder: How Much Do the Sources Support?

Not every statement in this guide rests on the same footing. Here is how the pieces stack up, from strongest to weakest:

  1. Verified definitions (NCCIH): the meanings of complementary, alternative, and integrative health, and the four ways NCCIH groups approaches: nutritional, psychological, physical, and combinations.
  2. Verified survey data, now dated (reported by NCCIH): a 2012 national survey found that more than 30 percent of U.S. adults and about 12 percent of children used health care approaches that are not typically part of conventional medical care. Yoga practice among U.S. adults rose from 9.5 percent in 2012 to 14.3 percent in 2017. Meditation rose from 4.1 percent to 14.2 percent over the same years. These numbers show how common these practices are. They say nothing about whether any one practice works for you.
  3. Expert guidance (NCCIH): NCCIH encourages people to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with their health care provider. Its Herbs at a Glance fact sheets give each herb's common names, what the science says, possible side effects and cautions, and resources for more information. The same page links to NCCIH information on herb-drug interactions.
  4. Practical organizing tips (our suggestions): the extra checklist items and note-taking ideas below, such as writing down dose, how often, and start dates. These are editorial suggestions to make your list easier to use. They are not findings from the sources.

Known Versus Unknown

What the sources establish

  • How NCCIH defines complementary, alternative, and integrative approaches.
  • The four groups NCCIH uses to organize these approaches, with its examples for each.
  • That NCCIH publishes herb fact sheets covering the science, side effects, and cautions, and links to information on herb-drug interactions.

What this guide cannot tell you

  • Whether any therapy on your list is safe or effective for your situation.
  • Whether any two items on your list interact. Only a provider or pharmacist reviewing your full list can assess that.
  • Which therapies to add, keep, change, or stop.

Your Complete Therapy List

Go through each section. Write down anything you use now or have used recently, even if it seems minor, “natural,” or unrelated to why you are going. In each section, NCCIH's own examples come first. The checklist items are our suggestions for what to look for.

1. Conventional care

  • Prescription medicines (name, dose, how often)
  • Over-the-counter medicines, including ones you take only now and then
  • Recent or upcoming procedures, surgeries, or tests
  • Other providers you see, and what each one manages

2. Nutritional approaches

NCCIH's examples: special diets, dietary supplements, herbs, and probiotics.

  • Special diets or eating patterns you follow on purpose
  • Vitamins and minerals (single or multivitamin)
  • Herbs and botanicals, including teas, tinctures, powders, and capsules
  • Probiotics
  • Other dietary supplements, including blends and “support” formulas

For herbs, write down the exact product name and bring the label or a photo of it. Our guide to identifying an herb by scientific name, plant part, and product form explains what to look for. For more detail on supplements before a procedure, see our supplement and procedure disclosure list.

3. Psychological approaches

NCCIH's example: mindfulness.

  • Mindfulness or meditation practice (type, how often)
  • Breathing practices or relaxation techniques
  • Apps or guided programs you use regularly

4. Physical approaches

NCCIH's examples: massage and spinal manipulation.

  • Massage therapy (type, how often, most recent session)
  • Spinal manipulation
  • Other hands-on or body-based therapies

5. Combined approaches

NCCIH describes some approaches as combining groups:

  • Psychological and physical: yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, and dance or art therapies
  • Psychological and nutritional: mindful eating

For every item, note

  • What it is (exact product or practice name)
  • How much or how often
  • When you started, and any recent changes
  • Why you use it, in your own words
  • Who recommended it or provides it, if anyone
  • Anything you have noticed since starting, good or bad

Questions to Bring

  • “Here is everything I use. Is there anything on this list you need more information about?”
  • “Could any of these interact with my medicines or with each other?” Our guide on when a supplement and prescription may interact has more questions to ask.
  • “What does the research say about this approach for my goal, and what is still unknown?”
  • “Should anyone else caring for me see this list?”
  • “How should I track whether this is helping?”

If you see a complementary practitioner, you may also want to check their credentials. Our guide to what to verify in your state walks through that.

Your Next-Step Checklist

  1. Fill in every section of the therapy list above, including items you use only now and then.
  2. Gather labels or photos of every supplement and herb product.
  3. Write down one to three goals, such as sleep, energy, or daily function. Our guide to whole person health goals can help you frame them.
  4. Add your questions to the bottom of the list.
  5. If you want to read about a specific herb before the visit, look at NCCIH's Herbs at a Glance fact sheets.
  6. Bring copies to share with each provider, and keep the list current afterward. Our guide to keeping every clinician informed covers that ongoing step.

Sources

Learn how we choose and check sources on our editorial team and review process page.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is general educational information prepared by Integrative Health Evidence Guide.org Research Team. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not recommend any specific therapy, product, or provider. Do not start, stop, or change any medicine, supplement, or therapy based on this article. Talk with a qualified health care provider about your situation. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.