Integrative Medicine (IM)

Okay, so as promised, here's some info about integrative medicine (IM). The philosophy of IM is absolutely wonderful! (That's opinion and fact!) It is a practice of viewing and treating patients with a holistic approach. Holistic means looking at the whole person--mind, body and spirit, not just one part. So for example, an individual goes to see their doctor with a specific symptom like pain, which is part of their chronic illness. At the same time they are experiencing fatigue and depression. A physician practicing integrative medicine would propose treatment for all the symptoms, not just the pain and may refer the person to a dietician, physical therapist, counselor, pastor, or yoga instructor for management of these additional symptoms. Research has found, and many medical professionals are taking notice of this, that a combination of traditional and non-traditional treatments work in providing relief for many chronic conditions. Here's some stats: According to the American Hospital Association, the percentage of U.S. hospitals that offer complementary therapies has more than doubled in less than a decade, from 8.6 percent in 1998 to almost 20 percent in 2004. Another 24 percent of hospitals said they planned to add complementary therapies in the future.

Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP at Women to Women says this: "Western medicine insists on dealing with each disease or condition as a separate and distinct issue. But that is just not how the body works. Western medicine used to emphasize the full history. But specialization has pushed us to dissociate each aspect of the body from the whole, and managed care has pushed the average appointment time down toward six minutes — and too many people don’t get even that. Like conventional doctors, many of my patients are so conditioned to think of health as a purely physical issue that they are floored when I suggest their symptoms may have an emotional component."

What is also unique to integrative medicine is that the physician partners with the patient in discovering what is the underlying causes of the reported symptoms. The goal is not only to just treat the symptoms but treat the root cause if possible. Western medicine was originally developed for acute care, it was excellent for managing symptoms while the body would soon repair itself. However, we know that chronic conditions are defined as being "marked by long duration, always present." Often times the actual biological root cause isn't known in these types of conditions. Thus comes the question, how long can we use acute care meds for the treatment of chronic conditions and are there other therapies that can do more? There are hundreds of stories of patients with chronic conditions who have used multi-system therapies, and through this approach have significantly reduced their problematic symptoms. If one can only treat the symptoms, then even in symptom management, there is much that can be learned, such as what causes triggers, and what foods, meds, supplements, or other therapies have been found to be helpful?

Thinking outside of the box is the key to managing chronic illness and pain! At the very least, it's worth a try. As a psychotherapist, I have witnessed many people find varying amounts of relief in their chronic conditions through releasing long overdue, pent up emotions and releasing the guilt, shame, or anger they were feeling. Additionally, I was personally very skeptical of "natural remedies," but finding no other answers, in desperation I turned to some well researched remedies and at last found the relief I had been searching for! Some of these were as simple as diet and increasing natural substances already found in my body.

Today, decide that you want to achieve holistic health, study your illness, study your alternatives, and then partner with your doctor in making this happen!