Integrated Medicine: Better than Alternative Medicine

By Brad Wilson


Any combination of verified alternative medical treatments and conventional mainstream treatments is known as integrative or integrated medicine. The field of integrative medicine was popularizing by Dr. Andrew Weil who feels that emphasizing the centrality of the patient-physician relationship and restoration of the focus of medicine on health and healing is the actual mission of integrative medicine. Actually, integrated health is a blend of orthodox and complementary medicine methods.

What is CAM?

CAM is the term used for complementary and alternative medicine and many different practices are part of this system. For instance some patients might recover from back pain by changing their posture and work habits, while some patients might find relief with sensual massage and chiropractors. CAM includes everything from acupuncture to nutrition therapy. Utilizing both mainstream and alternative medicine to derive an outcome is the main concept behind integrated medicine Alternative medicine works for maintenance of health while mainstream medicine is good for crisis intervention.

Modern Medicine Vs Holistic Medicine

The focus of treatments should be on the healing of the patient, on not just treating the symptoms, which is what modern traditional medicine usually does, but also treating the root cause that is causing a symptom or any given disease. Holistic treatments depend on healing the entire body as opposed to treating just particular organs or parts of the body like conventional medicine. But with conventional medicine you have the benefit of X-ray machines, ultrasounds and other useful methodologies which might come in handy when you are in need of treating injury and diagnosing problems. This is why utilizing them together is the best way to go.

If you say that you believe in ancient holistic medicine so much you cannot use conventional medicine at all, that would mean that you are unable to enjoy all the inventions that science has offered and you will have to give up on some of the primary benefits of emergency rooms. You can receive optimum health only if conventional treatments are taken along with safe and effective holistic medicine and their benefits are combined.

You integrated health plan should also include holistic therapies like yoga, meditation and sensual massage.




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