Integrative Medicine

While Dr. Andrew Weil is often credited with being the doctor who first used the phrase, integrative medicine, it was actually, Dr. David Riley, founder of the Integrative Medicine Institute, who first used the term during a Harvard University CAM conference in 1994.

The Integrative Medicine Institute is a research institute that evaluates the process of integrating complementary and alternative therapies into the practice of conventional, Western medicine. In 1997 Dr. Riley developed a CME approved training program that teaches physicians how to incorporate integrative medicine philosophy into their practices.

Proponents have continued to struggle through the years to define a solid identity for Integrative medicine but it is steadily emerging and causing a revolution which is dislodging the old patterns of 'sick care,' replacing them with a patient-centered, holisitic model of medicine that no longer simply dismisses alternative therapies.

Integrative medicine's origins are deeply rooted in patient's demands for a more inclusive approach to health care. Instead of seeing their primary care physician for conventional treatments, and then going to visit an acupuncturist or a naturopath to find less invasive treatments, physicians are now being trained to understand how these different modalities can work together to provide the best outcomes for the patient.

National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Health (NCCAM)

NCCAM has been established to explore CAM practices, conduct research and publish authoritative information on the topic for the public and for health professionals.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine or CAM as these approaches are often called, are terms used to describe, ". . .a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine." Complementary medicine is used together with conventional, Western medical practices, while Alternative medicine is used as a replacement for conventional medicine. CAM encompasses holistic medical systems such as homeopathy, naturopathy, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Ayurveda, it also includes mind-body practices such as meditation, and prayer, herbal remedies, massage, and energy healing practices such as Chi gong, Reiki and other hands on healing techniques.

L. Terry Chappel, MD

What is Integrative Medicine?
Integrative Medicine is a term that has been accepted in the last decade to describe the coordination of the best of conventional medicine with the best of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The essence of conventional medicine is scientific, evidence-based therapies, primarily drugs and surgery. Integrative medicine accepts drugs and surgery when really needed, but would prefer to utilize nutritional therapies, homeopathy, neuromuscular balancing, herbal preparations and other therapies that have evolved through the years that are considered beneficial for most patients and much safer than drugs and surgery.
An integrative physician might have a particular type of complementary medicine that he or she emphasizes. All forms of integrative medicine encourage healthy lifestyles, minimal exposure to toxins, and effective measures to reduce the effects of stress. Complementary techniques refer to ways to enhance the normal function of the body, whereas drugs and surgery tend to block actions of the body. L. Terry Chappel, MD shares a list of Stressbusters.

Integrative medicine seeks to discover the underlying causes of imbalance in the body, and use various modalities to bring it back into harmony. In acute situations more conventional medical treatments may be used initially to address the conditions that are leading to chronic disease conditions. Then the practitioner would use appropriate complementary or alternative therapies such as proper nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction practices in order to maintain the body's natural balance.

In the final analysis, integrative medicine is focused on a body, mind, spirit approach to allowing the body's natural healing processes to do their work. This approach places the emphasis on the relationship between the patient and practitioner, who takes into account the whole person from a physical as well as an emotional and spiritual perspective.

Integrative medicine allows the patient to take disease prevention and wellness into his or her own hands through personal practices such as a modified diet for their metabolism, vitamin supplements, and exercise while also using conventional medical practices where necessary and appropriate.

Robban A. Sica, MD

Integrative Medical Philosophy
The foundation of restoring and maintaining optimal health is based in our integrative medical philosophy. We've observed that by optimizing health reserves and removing the stressors and toxins that use up available energy, we can successfully reverse the underlying milieu that leads to chronic disease. We integrate conventional, pharmacological approach with alternative, nutritional, and natural therapies to accomplish this goal.
Read more from Robban A. Sica, MD on Integrative Medicine & the Threshold Phenomenon

Resources:
L. Terry Chappell, MD is the medical director of the Celebration of Health Association in Blufton, Ohio.
Robban A. Sica, MD practices integrative medicine at her clinic Center for the Healing Arts, PC, Orange CT 06611
Warren M. Levin, MD FAAFP(ret), FACN, FAAEM practices Conventional and Alternative Philosophies for Health in Vienna, VA 22180