Integrative Medicine
Integrative Medicine (IM) is healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person, including all aspects of lifestyle. Merging of the homeostatic definitions of stress and distress with the concept of allostasis should provide a better understanding of the roles of catecholamine systems in stress, distress, and disease and provide a conceptual basis for the further development of scientific integrative medicine.
For example, if you are already a practicing physician and would like to focus on natural healthcare disciplines like homeopathy, you will find that there are several continuing professional development courses in integrative medicine tailored to meet your career goals.
Alternative medicine has been defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) as a form of healing practice which is "used in place of conventional medicine, such as using a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that has been recommended by a conventional doctor." It is different from complementary medicine, which is a healing practice being used together with standard medical care, e.g. using acupuncture to help with side effects of cancer treatment; or, integrative medicine, which "is a total approach to care that involves the patient's mind, body, and spirit and combines standard medical treatments with CAM practices that have shown the most promise".
Integrative medicine, as defined by the American Board of Integrative Medicine® (ABOIM) and the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for 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.
In addition to the abovementioned studies, many holistic medicine schools will teach students in a diverse field of alternative healthcare subjects including but not limited to integrative medicine, acupressure, energy healing, homeopathic medicine, iridology, massage, osteopathy, herbal medicine, personal training, and other bodywork and touch therapies.
It emphasizes disorders of the multiple interacting systems that regulate the body's inner world.” Scientific integrative medicine asks researchers and clinicians to consider more than one system at a time, as assessed by measuring levels of more than one chemical effector at a time.
According to IOM, The first priority for any health care system using an integrative approach is to ensure that the full spectrums of complementary alternative medicine preventive opportunities -clinical, behavioral, social, spiritual and environmental- are included in the care and delivery process”.
Beyond practices that promote health in general, such as regular exercise, dietary moderation, and refreshing sleep, the rapidly expanding availability of genetic, physiological, and biochemical information enables prevention of allostatic load and timely institution of effective treatments that are specific for the individual.
Many Vaidyas (Ayurvedic Doctors) feel that, Ayurveda is an ancient healing art, which has come from the sages and has survived for thousands of years and hence, there is no need for clinical validation Whereas, if Traditional Medicine as practiced in the East has to reach Global platform, then the development of this ancient healing art with the rigors of clinical research and evidence is essential.
This problem is what led me to join with my partners in integrative medicine to create our Essential-Nutrients line of pharmaceutical grade products for patients that are being treated with specific prescription medications for hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, arthritis, menopause, birth-control pills, and acid related disorders.
Access in primary care is the ease with which a patient can secure an appointment with a clinician without experiencing administrative and financial barriers (Bell 2002) 14 The UAIHC hybrid financing approach was established as a means to increase patient access to healthcare through shorter wait times for appointments, same day appointments when clinically warranted, a broader primary care team, and longer appointments.
People turn to integrative medicine for many reasons, but studies show that the majority do so because they consider it to be more aligned with their values, beliefs, and philosophies about health and life than a strictly conventional medical approach.