What is integrative medicine?
Integrative medicine is medicine that combines conventional medicine with other effective and safe complementary natural therapies. Conventional medicine treatments are based on scientific research and complementary therapies are based on appropriate treatments for certain diseases. This type of medicine also encompasses philosophical approaches and other types of healing therapies with a more holistic approach to treat body, mind and spirit. Some examples of such therapies are acupuncture, meditation, yoga or music therapy.
Incorporating these types of integrative therapies can help medical professionals address the physical and emotional needs of their patients. It is always necessary to consult with practitioners as to what type of complementary therapy would facilitate an improvement in their condition before using them, as some may be detrimental to the patient.
Integrative medicine makes it possible to treat patients with chronic diseases that, until now, have been given a purely palliative rather than curative treatment.
What diseases does integrative medicine treat?
Integrative medicine has proven benefits, especially in cancer patients. There are complementary therapies that help patients improve their condition by treating the side effects that some cancer treatments cause, such as nausea or pain.
Currently, there are many hospitals or oncology centers that already include complementary therapies in the patient’s treatment.
What subspecialties are there within integrative medicine?
Complementary therapies can be grouped into five categories:
- Mind-body interventions: treatments used to enhance the capacity of the mind to have a positive effect on health.
- Body-based manipulative therapies: treatments based on manipulation and movement of one or more parts of the body to treat pain, anxiety or stress, such as therapeutic massage or chiropractic.
- Energy therapies: treatments based on concentrating the energy generated by the body itself or through external energy in order to balance the energy flowing in the patient, such as reiki or Qi gong.
- Biologically based treatments: treatments based on the use of substances found in nature, such as vitamins, food supplements or natural herbs.
- Traditional or ancient medical systems: this type of treatment includes traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy or naturopathy. They are based on emphasizing the use of the body, mind and spirit to prevent and treat illnesses and achieve harmony within the person.
When can one opt for integrative medicine?
Integrative medicine can be applied in many different treatments, bringing great improvements in the treatment of emergencies and trauma, acute diseases in which the body’s response capacity is very weak or the aggression is very strong. In the substitutive treatment of some chronic diseases, especially in hormonal insufficiencies, such as insulin in diabetics or thyroxine in hypothyroid patients. And also in degenerative diseases such as breast cancer surgery.
Professional actions regarding integrative medicine should be complementary to conventional medicine to help prevent disease, recover and maintain without harming the patient.