Integrative medicine is the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.
American Board of Integrative Medicine® (ABOIM) and the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine
Integrative health is an approach that is increasingly gaining in popularity. Many believe that it is the future of medicine. It seeks to promote health and wellness by understanding the entire patient– his/her physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental circumstances, all of which affect health. Integrative health does not simply treat the disease, but the patient.
This approach is consistent with how the The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health: “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Andrew Weil, MD, helped establish the field of integrative medicine. His defining principles are:
Patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.
All factors that influence health, wellness, and disease are taken into consideration, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as the body.
Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body’s innate healing response.
Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.
Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.
Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.
Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.
Practitioners of integrative medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.
Andrew Weil, MD
Integrative medicine used to be referred to as “alternative medicine” but now it is recognized as a distinct medical discipline and many hospitals have integrative medicine departments.
Integrative health doctors can treat a variety of health conditions, including chronic conditions like cancer, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, and anxiety. While some conditions can be cured through integrative health practices, other can be managed and symptoms drastically reduced.
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