Nearly 90% of all countries use traditional medical practices such as "herbal medicines, acupuncture, yoga, indigenous therapies, and others." These practices have existed for centuries, if not millennia, and are essential health resources.
Integrative medicine practitioners incorporate these same traditional and complementary practices alongside conventional medicine to promote the body's healing ability. Integrative medicine has grown steadily over the past decade in both patients' clinical care and research publications.
This article explores what integrative medicine is, its benefits, and the types of practitioners involved in the integrative care of patients.
What is Integrative Medicine?
Imagine you are a patient with heartburn. The standard medical response might be to provide you with general dietary information and then prescribe an acid-reducing medication.
In contrast, an integrative physician may consider prescribing a medication to help with short-term symptom control, but also addresses:
- past medical and surgical history
- medication use
- hormone health
- dietary choices
- timing of meals
- alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco use
- vitamin or mineral deficiencies
- adequacy of stomach acid
- mental health and stress management
- sleep hygiene
The difference between the two approaches is due to the integrative medicine philosophy of focusing on the patient as a whole person and considering all factors that affect health, including the "mind, body, and spirit."
In addition to conventional pharmaceutical approaches, integrative practitioners incorporate complementary therapies, including acupuncture, dietary and herbal supplements, meditation, and yoga, to promote the body's ability to heal.
What Type Of Healthcare Providers Fall Under Integrative Medicine?
Integrative medicine "makes use of all appropriate healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing." As such, different types of providers deliver integrative care, including:
- Physicians and other healthcare providers
- Chiropractors
- Psychotherapists
- Herbalists
- Naturopathic doctors
- Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners
- Acupuncturists
- Tai chi and yoga instructors
- Massage therapists
- Culinary medicine specialists
- Nutritionists
What Health Conditions Can Integrative Medicine Be Used For?
Integrative medicine can be used alongside conventional medicine as well as in the treatment of various, and often very complex, health conditions, including:
- Autoimmune Disease
- Dermatology
- Dentistry
- Endocrinology
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Fatigue
- Female Health Concerns
- Mental Health
- Neurology
- Oncology
- Pain Management
- Pediatrics
- Primary Care
How is Functional Medicine Different from Integrative Medicine?
Integrative and functional medicine are not mutually exclusive. They both seek to understand why a condition or ailment might be occurring. Functional medicine practitioners are looking to identify the root cause of an illness by looking deeper at factors like diet, genetics, hormonal changes, and other lifestyle components as potential causes and treatments for patients’ diseases.
Functional Medicine practitioners also focus on optimal lab values, which are more narrow than the standard lab values used in allopathic medicine. Anything outside optimal values can show patterns and markers trending toward disease. Functional Medicine practitioners rely on catching these markers early on to work towards reversing or stopping disease progression altogether.
Integrative medicine focuses on integrating and healing the parts of a whole person: the body, mind, and spirit. They do not commonly use specialty labs or optimal values like functional medicine practitioners. Still, they focus on treating the entire body and working as a team with other integrative medicine specialty practitioners to give patients a root cause approach to healing.
Summary
The use of integrative medicine has grown across the United States. Scientific research continues to explore the potential benefits of integrative medicine in various conditions, including pain management, relief of symptoms in patients with cancer, and programs to promote healthy behaviors in individuals who don't have health issues.
Integrative medicine focuses on the person as a whole; it helps the individual, their families, communities, and the population in general to improve and restore health. Integrative medicine focuses on treating different interconnected domains, such as the social, biological, behavioral, and environmental domains, rather than only treating the patient's illness.
Nearly 90% of all countries use traditional medical practices such as "herbal medicines, acupuncture, yoga, indigenous therapies, and others." These practices have existed for centuries, if not millennia, and are considered important health resources.
Integrative medicine practitioners incorporate these same traditional and complementary practices alongside conventional medicine to support the body's natural processes. Integrative medicine has grown steadily over the past decade in both patients' clinical care and research publications.
This article explores what integrative medicine is, its potential benefits, and the types of practitioners involved in the integrative care of patients.
What is Integrative Medicine?
Imagine you are a patient with heartburn. The standard medical response might be to provide you with general dietary information and then prescribe an acid-reducing medication.
In contrast, an integrative physician may consider prescribing a medication to help with short-term symptom management, but also addresses:
- past medical and surgical history
- medication use
- hormone health
- dietary choices
- timing of meals
- alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco use
- vitamin or mineral intake
- adequacy of stomach acid
- mental health and stress management
- sleep hygiene
The difference between the two approaches is due to the integrative medicine philosophy of focusing on the patient as a whole person and considering all factors that may affect health, including the "mind, body, and spirit."
In addition to conventional pharmaceutical approaches, integrative practitioners incorporate complementary therapies, including acupuncture, dietary and herbal supplements, meditation, and yoga, to support the body's natural functions.
What Type Of Healthcare Providers Fall Under Integrative Medicine?
Integrative medicine "makes use of all appropriate healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and well-being." As such, different types of providers deliver integrative care, including:
- Physicians and other healthcare providers
- Chiropractors
- Psychotherapists
- Herbalists
- Naturopathic doctors
- Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners
- Acupuncturists
- Tai chi and yoga instructors
- Massage therapists
- Culinary medicine specialists
- Nutritionists
What Health Conditions Can Integrative Medicine Be Used For?
Integrative medicine can be used alongside conventional medicine as well as in the management of various, and often very complex, health conditions, including:
- Autoimmune Disease
- Dermatology
- Dentistry
- Endocrinology
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Fatigue
- Female Health Concerns
- Mental Health
- Neurology
- Oncology
- Pain Management
- Pediatrics
- Primary Care
How is Functional Medicine Different from Integrative Medicine?
Integrative and functional medicine are not mutually exclusive. They both seek to understand why a condition or ailment might be occurring. Functional medicine practitioners aim to identify potential underlying factors of an illness by looking deeper at aspects like diet, genetics, hormonal changes, and other lifestyle components as potential influences on patients’ health.
Functional Medicine practitioners also focus on optimal lab values, which are more narrow than the standard lab values used in allopathic medicine. Anything outside optimal values can show patterns and markers that may indicate a trend toward health issues. Functional Medicine practitioners rely on identifying these markers early on to work towards supporting health and wellness.
Integrative medicine focuses on integrating and supporting the parts of a whole person: the body, mind, and spirit. They do not commonly use specialty labs or optimal values like functional medicine practitioners. Still, they focus on supporting the entire body and working as a team with other integrative medicine specialty practitioners to give patients a comprehensive approach to wellness.
Summary
The use of integrative medicine has grown across the United States. Scientific research continues to explore the potential benefits of integrative medicine in various conditions, including pain management, relief of symptoms in patients with cancer, and programs to promote healthy behaviors in individuals who don't have health issues.
Integrative medicine focuses on the person as a whole; it helps the individual, their families, communities, and the population in general to support and maintain health. Integrative medicine focuses on addressing different interconnected domains, such as the social, biological, behavioral, and environmental domains, rather than only focusing on the patient's illness.
The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider before taking any dietary supplement or making any changes to your diet or exercise routine.
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