Looking outside the square: The use of qualitative methods within complementary and alternative medicine—The movement towards rigour

SummaryThis paper explores why qualitative research in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is underused and, when used, done so defensively. It argues that qualitative research methods can encompass the complexity of CAM and identify richer veins for research exploration. The rigorous application of holistic research methods, used non-defensively, can only benefit CAM and the knowledge base of science.