Integrative Medicine is a healing-oriented approach to health and wellness that takes all aspects of lifestyle into account. It utilizes both conventional and alternative methods that facilitate the body’s innate healing processes. It promotes the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient, is inquiry driven and open to new paradigms. It is a synthesis of traditional medical approaches with less conventional therapies that are natural and less invasive than surgical procedures.
What are the 5 domains of integrative medicine?
Its practitioners are experts in both conventional and integrative medicine and can offer patients a comprehensive evaluation, treatment plan and follow-up. Initial appointments may be longer than a typical doctor’s appointment to allow for a thorough assessment of a patient’s overall health and well-being. A personalized treatment plan is then developed that may include both functional and integrative medicine treatments.
Many of the practices that fall under the umbrella of 417 INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE are ones you have likely already incorporated into your day-to-day health and wellness routine without even knowing it! Examples of this could be drinking a glass of orange juice for vitamin C, taking an elderberry supplement to support the immune system or applying a topical peppermint oil treatment to relieve a headache.
The term integrative medicine is a relatively new term, but the concepts behind it are not. This type of medicine was envisioned in the early 2000s when 8 medical school deans met to discuss complementary and alternative medicine. It’s important to note that these types of therapies are not considered replacements for traditional medical care, but rather, they are a means for an individual to achieve optimal health by addressing the whole person and their specific needs and goals.
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