Integrative Medicine integrates traditional
western medicine or conventional methods, breakthrough medical treatments, and
alternative therapies such as massage, acupuncture, naturopathy, nutrition and
counseling for the total well-being of the patient. "Integrative medicine
is the term being used for a new movement that is being driven by the desires
of consumers but that is now getting the attention of many academic health centers.
Importantly, integrative medicine is not synonymous with complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM). It has a far larger meaning and mission in that it calls for restoration
of the focus of medicine on health and healing and emphasizes the centrality of
the patient-physician relationship. In addition to providing the best conventional
care, integrative medicine focuses on preventive maintenance of health by paying
attention to all relative components of lifestyle, including diet, exercise, stress
management, and emotional well-being. It insists on patients being active participants
in their health care as well as on physicians viewing patients as whole persons—minds,
community members, and spiritual beings, as well as physical bodies. Finally,
it asks physicians to serve as guides, role models, and mentors, as well as dispensers
of therapeutic aids." (Snyderman, Weil 2002)
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