Integrative Medicine

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• QWhat is integrative medicine?

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  A Dr. Sarah LoBisco , Integrative Medicine, answered

  Integrative Medicine is a combination of conventional medical practices with holistic and complementary medical systems. Instead of being "an alternative" treatment, integrative medicine incorporates the cutting edge technology of Western Medicine with the ancient wisdom of the Eastern Systems.

  An example of applying integrative medicine into practice would be the incorporation of diet, lifestyle, therapeutic supplements, and herbs along with properly prescribed medicine or conventional therapies.  Naturopathic Physicians are one type of integrative health care provider who are specifically trained in Integrative Medicine. They are one of the few medical specialists trained in nutritional and herbal drug interactions.

  Ideally, Integrative Medicine provides a holistic viewpoint of the patient and focuses therapy on all levels of wellness, physical, emotional, and spiritual. This is best accomplished through the collaboration of all different specialists and practitioners working together for the patient.

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• QWhat do complementary health practices include?

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  A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered

  Complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine is the use of treatments, such as homeopathic medicine, ayurveda, acupuncture, botanical dietary supplements, and massage, that are not necessarily considered part of "conventional" medicine. Such treatments may be used in conjunction with more accepted medicine (complementary and integrative medicine) or instead of established medical practices (alternative medicine).

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• QCan integrative medicine survive the healthcare debate?

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  A Dr. Andrew Weil , Alternative & Complementary Medicine, answered

  

  Integrative medicine has the potential to save large amounts of money, as well as lives. In this video, Dr. Weil explains another reason why it has a hopeful future to survive the healthcare debate.
• QWhat are the benefits of integrative medicine?

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  A Dr. Jill R. Baron, MD , Family Medicine, answered

  Having an holistic and integrative approach to a patient involves looking at the whole patient, mind, body, and spirit, as all aspects of a patient’s life can affect his/her health.  Integrative Medicine ideally treats not only the patient’s symptoms, but also tries to get to the root of what is causing the problem.  Another benefit of Integrative Medicine, is that Practitioners of Integrative Medicine tend to spend more time with getting to know and understand the patient, which helps them treat the patient more effectively. 

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• QWhat are some complementary and alternate healing therapies?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  Some types of complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies are:

  • Practitioner-based body manipulation -- acupuncture, massage,
    chiropractic, and osteopathic manipulation  --
  
  •Sauna- Your great-grandmother might have suggested that when you
    have a cold or flu, cover your head with a towel and sit over a pot of
    hot water, and she may have been on to something. Spending time in
    a hot sauna may be a CAM remedy that actually has some steam. High
    temperatures of a sauna probably provide comfort because it promotes
    nasal drainage, but it also may make the environment so inhospitable
    for viruses that they just surrender (maybe chicken soup does this
    too?). So if you don't have heart disease or another circulatory
    medical condition, head to the sauna a couple of times a week to keep
    viruses away during cold and flu season.
  
  • Cupping-- In traditional Chinese medicine stimulating acupuncture
    points is commonly used to restore balance to the flow of energy along
    invisible meridians of Qi, the vital life force. The cupping technique
    combines this energy fine-tuning with body manipulation. When heated
    glass cups are strategically placed on top of the skin, suction pulls skin
    inside the cup to increase circulation and stimulate the flow of energy
    in that area. It produces temporary mild bruise-like marks from the
    suction cups.
  
  

  • Reiki is another popular energy healing therapy, which is typically
    performed by a trained Reiki master. Here the practitioner's light touch
    on, or slightly above, specific areas of the body is used to balance the
    flow of energy throughout the body. The laying on of hands on the
    head, face, neck, chest, abdomen, and back delivers varying degrees
    of natural vibrational "heated" energy as needed, to strengthen the
    body to heal itself. Reiki can also be self-administered

  • Natural products (nonvitamin, nonmineral) -- herbs, fish oil/omega 3,
    glucosamine, St. John's wort, echinacea, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, garlic,
    flaxseed, chondroitin, coenzyme Q-10, ginger
  
  

  • Breath work -- deep breathing exercises, meditation

  • Relaxation techniques -- guided imagery, progressive relation

  • Body movement -- yoga, Qi gong, Tai chi

  • Diet-based therapies -- macrobiotic, vegetarian

  
  This content originally appeared on doctoroz.com

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• QDoes only medicine play a role in treating a disease?

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  A Dr. Indie F. Jones, MD , Hospitalist, answered

  Treating disease and maintaining overall good health is a very complex process. Traditonal western medicine tends to focus on pills for quick fixes but can add to the actual morbidity or sense of well being with the cummulative side effects that comes with taking multiple medications. The body is not just a machine that can be upgraded or tuned up. There is a very strong psychosocial aspect to health. For example, chronic pain is difficult to manage in patients who suffer from anxiety and depression. We have natural endorphins that our body makes when we exercise and gives us a free and safe natural high! Getting an appropriate amount of rest, exercise, and professional counseling will go a long way when coupled with an anti-depressant medication as opposed to just "taking a pill".
• QWhy should I choose complementary health therapies?

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  A Boston Women's Health Book Collective , Administration, answered

  We choose such alternatives for many reasons, such as the belief that these therapies are gentler, safer, more effective, or less expensive than conventional medicine. (These assumptions may or may not be true for particular therapies.) Many women combine complementary health practices with more conventional ones.

• QHow can I gain access to complementary therapies?

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  A Boston Women's Health Book Collective , Administration, answered

  Many complementary therapies remain inaccessible to low-income people. Traditional methods may be affordable within specific ethnic communities but can be expensive when provided to, or by, outsiders to those communities. Complementary therapies are not always covered by insurance, though some insurance companies cover a limited number of complementary treatments or offer discounts on treatments with selected providers. While insurance companies should cover complementary medicine, insurance is not a panacea. Many women are uninsured or have limited access to health care facilities. Also, insurance is designed to pay for treatment when we are ill, while complementary care emphasizes staying healthy.

  Conventional Western medicine will have to change before it can integrate complementary and alternative medicine. This may not happen until the profit motive is removed from health care services. For example, herbs and dietary supplements are not patentable and cannot be as profitable as drugs. Effective botanical treatments and mind-body therapies are unlikely to be prescribed as long as pharmaceutical companies sponsor the continuing education of most doctors. Complementary therapies may best be utilized within a single-payer health care system, which could emphasize preventive care and a broad range of cost-effective therapies. We can promote such changes by writing to our legislators, joining organizations, and educating others and ourselves. As deeper research defines which holistic practices are effective, we will be able to advocate their widespread availability.

• QWhat are the factors on which integrative medicine focuses?

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  A Dr. David L. Katz, MD, MPH , Preventive Medicine, answered

  In terms of treatment modalities, everything from conventional pharmacotherapy and surgery, to meditation, acupuncture, energy therapies, relaxation, yoga, tai chi, massage, and nutriceuticals.  In terms of conditions- anything goes.  All conditions, and even health promotion, can be approached this way.

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• QHow do I find a physician who practices Integrative Medicine?

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  A Dr. Jill R. Baron, MD , Family Medicine, answered

  There are several organizations of Integrative Physicians.  Just as patients are individuals, so are physicians. Physicians can choose to emphasize different aspects of Integrative Medicine in their practices, and also choose to belong to one or more Integrative Medicine bodies. One philosophy of integrative medical practice, is called “Functional Medicine,” which I am trained in. Functional Medicine aims to look at the person as an individual, as the sum total and interconnectedness of a person’s genetics, environment, lifestyle, and physiology. Please go to www.functionalmedicine.org to find out more and find physicians trained in Functional Medicine. There is also now a board certification for physicians who practice Integrative Medicine, that is called the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine of which I am board certified. Please go to www.abihm.org to find out more. Other organizations for Integrative Practitioners include the American College for Advancement in Medicine, www.acam.org and the American Holistic Medical Association, www.holisticmedicine.org.