Integrative medicine is the combination of conventional medicine and complementary approaches. Complementary medicine is different from alternative medicine in that it ‘complements’ or goes alongside another approach. Conventional medicine is the type of treatment usually found in Western mainstream healthcare – if you go to a hospital in most countries in the world, you will receive care which is based on the same body of evidence. Integrative doctors recognize the essential value in conventional medicine, which is based on increasingly stringent research and evidence, and alternative therapies, which may or may not be as research-based, but which stem from age-old remedies, common sense, anecdotal reports, and experience.
The Western world reports more and more health crises stemming from the unhealthy aspects of a modern lifestyle. Obesity-related illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer are on the rise and are closely linked to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Modern conventional medicine has achieved some amazing advancements, but there are limits as to what can be achieved by a single approach, as well as to what invasive treatments should be used for; as this type of approach is not always appropriate. Integrative medicine has always advocated for healthy living as the best way to achieve and maintain health – even mainstream conventional public health promotion is taking an increasingly integrative approach to preventing disease. Healthy eating, exercise, self-care and a strong community are all important components of preventative healthcare.
With an integrative approach to medicine, practitioners aim to treat their patients holistically, based on a full assessment of their interactive and individual lifestyle and health, as well as the condition for which they’re seeking treatment for. Integrative doctors can be less dependent on the flow charts and teachings of conventional medicine and can choose the best-evidenced treatment from both conventional and alternative medicine to create a truly individualized treatment plan.
What does an Integrative Doctor Do?
At an appointment with an Integrative Practitioner, they will assess you not just as a patient with a condition that needs treatment, but as a whole person. They recognize that people’s choices and lifestyles are of paramount importance and encourage your equal participation in the learning and treatment of conditions[i]. The first meeting between an integrative doctor and a person seeking treatment will take longer than a normal conventional doctor’s appointment – this time is essential to fully assess the person: their priorities, values, and stressors of their life, their needs, and expectations about the outcome from this treatment[ii]. The patient can bring family members or a friend to support them, and if they wish, their families can be a valuable part of this process.
An integrative doctor will assess their patient by talking with them and physically examining them, if necessary – they will always ensure that their patients are comfortable and understand what is happening at every step of the way, and can arrange for a chaperone if required. Some integrative doctors work in health centers and clinics, and some visit patients at home. Clinics will help you with access, mobility and other needs.
What can Integrative Medicine Treat?
In theory, anything can be treated with an integrative approach. As integrative medicine combines the best parts of conventional, complementary and alternative treatments, nothing is off-limits. Even when the best treatment for a condition is a conventional approach, the benefits of that can be enhanced, or the side-effects mitigated, by a complementary therapy; thus it is referred to as integrative medicine. Where a truly holistic assessment of an unwell person helps to determine the type of treatment that is likely to work best for them as an individual, that is integrative medicine.
Integrative medicine means non-restrictive practice and a chance to choose the best treatments for individuals, and the open-mindedness to adapt to changing responses and circumstances[iii]. Apart from holistically assessing the needs of the individual, an integrative practitioner will strive to find an approach that is as safe, natural, and as non-invasive as possible, while still giving the most effective treatment to suit the medical needs of the individual[iv].
Why Should I Choose Integrative Medicine?
The Budwig Center[v] is run by experienced professionals from a wide range of backgrounds[vi] – we have highly qualified naturopaths and a multi-disciplinary team to call for all of our clients’ needs. The study of health and medicine is as old as humanity, and we believe that being able to choose the best approaches from all cultures and disciplines is one of the greatest gifts of the modern age.
With integrative medicine, no approach is off-limits, and no subject is taboo. Integrative doctors respect and utilize the excellent clinically-researched evidence-based conventional medicine but do not dismiss those treatments that show results or simply follow common sense, even if they have not been subjected to as many trials as some conventional treatments. Integrative medicine includes health and values, an approach designed to prevent problems where possible.
Integrative medicine offers the best of all branches of medicine, alternative and complementary therapies, unrestricted by the cherry-picked research topics of conventional medical research[vii]. The best way to find out if it’s for you, however, is through a consultation with a holistic integrative medical practitioner. A full assessment of you and your needs will determine your treatment. Integrative medicine can offer options from all or any branches of treatment and integrative doctors can recommend health-saving care without compromising your quality of life.
At Budwig Center, we keep doing what we do because we see the results.
[i] Maizes, V., Rakel, D. and Niemiec, C., 2009. Integrative medicine and patient-centered care. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 5(5), pp.277-289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2009.06.008
[ii]Snyderman, R. and Weil, A.T., 2002. Integrative medicine: bringing medicine back to its roots. Archives of Internal medicine, 162(4), pp.395-397. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/211225
[iii]Viscuse, P.V., Price, K., Millstine, D., Bhagra, A., Bauer, B. and Ruddy, K.J., 2017. Integrative medicine in cancer survivors. Current opinion in oncology, 29(4), p.235. https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2FCCO.0000000000000376
[iv] Chen, L. and Michalsen, A., 2017. Management of chronic pain using complementary and integrative medicine. Bmj, 357, p.j1284. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j1284
[vi] https://budwigcenter.com/about-us/
[vii] Frenkel, M.A. and Borkan, J.M., 2003. An approach for integrating complementary–alternative medicine into primary care. Family practice, 20(3), pp.324-332. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmg315